MAM
Viacom, Kaiser launch third Know HIV/Aids campaign
MUMBAI: Viacom Inc. and the Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation have announced their third consecutive launch of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning public education initiative Know HIV/AIDS. The annual event includes targeted public service announcements (PSAs), HIV-themed programming, and free print and online information resources.
Building on the momentum of the campaign’s first two years, which delivered HIV awareness, testing, and prevention messages to millions of people across the US, Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean, Know HIV/AIDS began by premiering six new PSAs across Viacom’s television, radio and outdoor properties.
The new spots are a part of Viacom’s $220 million 2005 ad placement commitment. Since the beginning of the campaign, Viacom has committed $600 million of media value to the initiative. And, throughout the same timeframe, Know HIV/AIDS has created a total of 100 PSAs, including the six new spots and five re-tagged ads that premiered today. The campaign will also debut new longer-form television and radio programming throughout 2005.
This year, CBS’ top new drama CSI: NY, UPN’s comedy Eve, CBS’ long-running drama Judging Amy, and Showtime’s hit series Queer As Folk are incorporating HIV/AIDS themes in upcoming episodes. These storylines were developed as a result of briefing sessions on HIV/AIDS conducted by Kaiser for the shows’ creative teams.
MTV, MTV International, BET, VH1 and Infinity Broadcasting also have special HIV/AIDS-related programming planned throughout the year.
Kaiser Family Foundation president and CEO Drew E Altman said, “The size and scope of the Know HIV/AIDS campaign is unprecedented and is beginning to show real results. In a very short period this unusual partnership of a media giant and a not for profit health organization has reached millions of young people with important information about HIV testing and other ways they can protect themselves.”
Viacom chairman and CEO Sumner Redstone said, “We couldn’t be more proud that Know HIV/AIDS is entering into its third year. HIV is spreading at an alarming rate, yet it can be prevented… if people have the right information and the ability to act on it. Viacom’s effort is a result of our powerful media assets coupled with literally thousands of employees, who have volunteered their talents, ambitions and hope, in order to educate our audiences and to start turning the tide against this devastating disease.”
Working with DDB Issues & Advocacy (a division of DDB Seattle, a full-service communications company), Viacom and Kaiser created the six new PSAs as part of a compelling series that emphasises the power of knowledge in fighting HIV/AIDS. The television and outdoor ads demonstrate how education can change misconceptions, fears or prejudices about HIV/AIDS. The radio ads reinforce this message by broadcasting powerful youth-oriented statistics. All of the PSAs are tagged with the campaign’s website, www.knowhivaids.org.
“DDB Issues & Advocacy has been thrilled to work with Viacom and Kaiser over the course of this very important effort to eradicate ignorance about HIV/AIDS. The year-three ads reach the general population with the powerful message that knowledge can reverse the increasing trend of this disease,” said DDB Seattle managing partner DDB Issues & Advocacy Candy Cox.
In total, 23 Know HIV/AIDS PSAs are running across Viacom’s broadcast networks CBS and UPN; cable networks MTV, BET, VH1, CMT: Country Music Television, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Showtime, Spike TV and Comedy Central; and 183 Infinity Broadcasting radio stations in the top 50 markets.
Both English and Spanish ads are displayed on billboard, bus and bus shelter advertising faces in the nation’s largest markets. The total number of spots that premiered today is 11, which includes the six new spots as well as five television ads that have been re-tagged for the Know HIV/AIDS campaign. These spots were produced in association with Kaiser’s partnership with MTV, Fight For Your Rights: Protect Yourself, and VH1’s media partnership with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
During the first two years of the initiative, the campaign generated 39 television PSAs in more than 200 markets, which ran nearly 170,000 times; 24 radio PSAs in the top 50 markets, which ran more than 21,000 times; and 26 distinct billboard ads ran in the top 25 markets on more than 11,000 outdoor faces. In addition, 40 broadcast shows and cable programs incorporated HIV/AIDS into their storylines and episodes, which were seen by millions of viewers, and through syndication will be seen by millions more. The campaign has also prompted more than 21 million unique hits to the Know HIV/AIDS website and more than 750,000 calls to the campaign’s combined hotlines.
Brands
Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail reshuffles top deck; Nikhil Modha to take over as CFO
Phased transition sees Marco Agnolin head OWND!, Nikhil Modha lined up as CFO as company readies next growth leg
MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail is redrawing its leadership map, lining up a new generation of executives across key roles as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The company has named Suraj Bahirwani as chief executive (designate) of Pantaloons, effective April 1, 2026, with a full transition to the top role slated for October 1, 2026. He will also be designated as senior managerial personnel.
A two-decade veteran of the Aditya Birla Group, Bahirwani joined as a group management trainee in 2002 and has since held a string of leadership roles across retail and manufacturing. His resume spans stints at Aditya Birla Retail, a tenure as chief operating officer of Pantaloons, and most recently, head of global sales at the group’s cellulosic fibres business, where he drove international expansion and strengthened value-added portfolios.
Academically, he holds a PhD from the University of Mumbai, a postgraduate management diploma from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, and is a chartered accountant. Over the years, he has picked up multiple chairman’s awards, including distinguished achiever, exceptional contributor and accomplished leader.
The transition at Pantaloons will be staged. Incumbent chief executive Sangeeta Tanwani will continue until September 30, 2026, steering the handover before moving into an advisory role to the managing director from October 1, 2026. She is set to retire on January 31, 2027, at which point she will step down as whole-time director and key managerial personnel.
Alongside, the company has brought in Marco Agnolin as chief executive of OWND! and senior managerial personnel, effective April 6, 2026. Agnolin arrives with over three decades of global experience, having held senior roles at Inditex, where he helped expand Zara in Italy, and later served as chief executive of Bershka and Diesel. His track record spans fast fashion, brand turnarounds and youth-focused retail.
On the finance side, Nikhil Modha has been appointed chief financial officer (designate) and senior managerial personnel from April 1, 2026. He will assume full charge as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel from January 1, 2027.
Current chief financial officer Jagdish Bajaj will oversee a phased transition until December 31, 2026, before retiring and stepping down from his roles.
The reshuffle signals a calibrated succession plan rather than a sudden overhaul, with the company staggering exits and appointments to ensure continuity even as it refreshes leadership across verticals.
As Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail juggles legacy brands and new-age formats, the message is clear: steady hands for the present, sharper ones for the future—and no pause in the push for scale.
