MAM
Unilever ropes in Noopur Bapna as media and digital marketing lead for ice-creams
MUMBAI: Noopur Bapna has taken the plunge into the frosty world of frozen desserts, nabbing the coveted position of media and digital marketing lead for ice creams at Unilever India.
Bapna’s career path has been anything but vanilla, having most recently served as group media manager at Marico Ltd where she spent nearly three years climbing the corporate ladder. Prior to this chilling new appointment, she honed her digital chops at GroupM, where she rose from senior director to partner during a two-and-a-half-year stint.
Her CV boasts an impressive medley of media roles, with previous positions at The Social Street, where she spent nearly five years as media supervisor, and earlier gigs at the Times Group and DDB Mudra, where she cut her teeth on brands such as BPCL, Kuoni and World Gold Council.
Bapna’s has a well-stocked toolbox of skills to her new role, including media strategy, digital strategy and social media expertise—all essential ingredients in today’s marketing mix.
Unilever’s ice cream portfolio, which includes global heavyweights such as Magnum, Cornetto and Wall’s, will now benefit from Bapna’s digital savvy as the company continues to battle for supremacy in India’s increasingly competitive frozen treats market.
The appointment comes at a time when digital marketing for consumables is heating up, even for products that need to stay below zero. With summer approaching in the subcontinent, the timing couldn’t be more delicious for both Bapna and Unilever.
Brands
Eternal pumps Rs 450 crore into Blinkit as quick commerce race heats up
Fresh funds fuel Blinkit’s expansion as rivals Zepto and Instamart scale up
MUMBAI: Eternal has infused Rs 450 crore, into its quick commerce subsidiary Blinkit, marking its first capital injection into the company in 2026. The funding comes as competition in India’s fast-growing quick commerce market continues to intensify.
According to media reports, the capital infusion was approved by the board through a rights issue, with 2,799 equity shares allotted at an issue price of Rs 16,07,161 per share. The funds are expected to support Blinkit’s expansion, operational expenses and working capital needs as it scales operations across more cities.
The latest investment follows significant funding support from Eternal in 2025. The company invested Rs 500 crore in January, Rs 1,500 crore in February and Rs 600 crore in November, taking the total infusion last year to Rs 2,600 crore. The continued funding highlights Eternal’s focus on strengthening its quick commerce business.
Blinkit’s operations have grown rapidly alongside these investments. In the December quarter of FY25, the company reported revenue of Rs 1,399 crore, up from Rs 644 crore in the same period a year earlier. Gross order value also rose to Rs 7,798 crore during the quarter, reflecting strong demand for rapid delivery services.
However, profitability remains under pressure as the company continues to expand. Blinkit reported an adjusted ebitda loss of Rs 103 crore in the quarter, compared with a loss of Rs 8 crore in the previous quarter.
The funding comes at a time when competition in the quick commerce segment is increasing. Rival startup Zepto raised $450 million in October last year, while Swiggy raised around Rs 10,000 crore in December to strengthen investments in its quick commerce arm Instamart.
Earlier this year, Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa was elevated to group CEO of Eternal, succeeding Deepinder Goyal, reflecting the growing strategic importance of the quick commerce business within the company.
