Brands
Top notch marketer Lara Balazs joins Adobe as CMO & EVP
MUMBAI: She’s found her corporate abode in Adobe. The cutting edge software firm today announced that former Intuit chief marketing officer (CMO) & general manager, strategic partner group, Lara Balazs has joined it as CMO & executive vice president. She will be having a direct reporting line to Adobe chair & CEO Shantanu Narayen.
At Intuit, Lara was really into it, re-imagining the company’s brand and go-to-market activities to support its AI-driven financial technology platform and elevated its brand awareness and reputation to new heights.
Balazs will lead the global marketing organisation responsible for Adobe’s renowned brand, Adobe.com, the company’s industry-leading events, campaigns, communications, social media and its best-in-class media operations and marketing insights.
“As Adobe continues to deliver industry-leading product innovations across content creation and digital marketing, Lara’s unique experience across B2C and B2B industries and deep insights as an Adobe customer will help us engage our growing universe of users more effectively while expanding Adobe’s brand reach and impact,” voiced Narayen,
Balazs’ marketing career spans key leadership roles at some of the world’s most respected brands such as Amazon, Visa and Nike, delivering innovative customer-centric marketing strategies that propel transformational growth. Among her notable achievements are driving the growth of Amazon Prime and Visa globally and leading Visa into the era of digital payments, with the launch of mobile-first products such as Visa Checkout and Apple Pay. At Intuit, she led the protax group to its highest, most sustained growth in years and drove the company’s highest brand awareness and corporate reputation in its four decades.
Named to Forbes’ list of the world’s most influential CMOs and a recipient of AdWeek’s CMO Vanguard award, Balazs is passionate about advancing the marketing profession and supporting the social impact of the industry.
Balazs holds a bachelor of arts degree in pre-law from the university of Washington and a master of business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Brands
IndiGo names William Walsh CEO
Former IATA chief to take charge in August after Elbers exit, Bhatia steers interim
India’s biggest airline has moved fast and gone global. InterGlobe Aviation, which operates IndiGo, has tapped aviation heavyweight William Walsh as chief executive officer, subject to regulatory approvals, marking a sharp pivot as the carrier eyes its next burst of expansion.
Walsh, currently director general at the International Air Transport Association, will step down on July 31, 2026, and is expected to take charge by August 3. The appointment comes barely three weeks after Pieter Elbers exited the corner office, with Rahul Bhatia holding the fort in the interim.
The choice signals intent. Walsh brings decades of cockpit-to-boardroom experience, having led British Airways and later International Airlines Group, the parent of Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling. His tenure across carriers has been defined by hard resets, restructurings and cross-border consolidation—skills IndiGo may need as competition intensifies and scale becomes decisive.
Vikram Singh Mehta, chairman and non-executive independent director of IndiGo, said Walsh’s experience in managing large-scale airline operations and navigating complex market dynamics makes him well-suited to lead IndiGo in an increasingly competitive global aviation environment, adding that the appointment marks a new chapter as the airline scales in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.
Rahul Bhatia said Walsh’s global perspective, operational expertise and customer-focused approach would be critical as IndiGo enters its next phase of expansion.
Walsh, widely regarded as one of the industry’s most influential figures, will oversee overall management and strategic direction, with a mandate spanning operational performance, network expansion, commercial strategy and customer experience. He is expected to work closely with the board and leadership team to sharpen IndiGo’s growth trajectory.
Walsh said IndiGo has a strong foundation and is well-positioned to capitalise on the evolving aviation landscape, adding that he looks forward to fostering a culture of excellence, innovation and sustainable value creation across the organisation.
A new captain, a bigger runway—and a market that rewards scale. IndiGo is lining up for its next take-off.
