MAM
Viacom18 to launch exclusive Jungle Book Merchandise in India
MUMBAI: Viacom18 Consumer Products division is all set to bring all the jungle fun associated with the iconic Mowgli, Bagheera, Balloo and Sher Khan. The company recently inked an exclusive deal with animation and gaming firm DQ Entertainment to get the rights as a master franchise to launch the merchandise in India.
This would be Viacom18’s second deal into representing brands outside the Viacom portfolio. The company plans to roll out the products by end of the year.
Viacom18 Consumer Products Head Saugato Bhowmik said, “The Jungle Book is a great franchise with characters that are familiar, iconic and loved by children across the world. DQ Entertainment’s Jungle Book presents the characters in a fun and livelier manner which make the products more endearing and attractive to the consumers.”
The Jungle Book merchandise will cover a whole range of products from apparel to accessories and from toys to books. To be promoted through Viacom18’s distribution network, the products will be available across all leading kids and toy stores, both across malls and standalone stores.
DQ Entertainment CEO Tapaas Chakravarti said, “Our partnership with Viacom18’s Consumer Products division adds to the list of best-in-class partners that The Jungle Book has attracted globally. The Jungle Book has successfully managed to increase its market for the fourth consecutive year with broadcast in more than 165 countries and over 300 product categories ranging from books, apparels, toys, plush, bags, stationary and many others. We are sure children will love the merchandise of their favorite Jungle characters, brought to them by Viacom18.”
The Jungle Book, penned by Rudyard Kipling is a children’s classic that has captured the imagination of millions of children across the world over the years. The show currently airs on Nickelodeon.
MAM
WPP appoints Estée Lauder’s Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer
Former Estée Lauder executive to lead operations, technology and culture overhaul under WPP’s three-year growth plan
LONDON: WPP has appointed Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer in a newly created role tasked with delivering the group’s Elevate28 strategy.
Choueiri joins from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the “One ELC” operating model and major upgrades to enterprise marketing, data and analytics capabilities. She also led the redesign of enterprise technology teams and served on the company’s AI taskforce, driving AI strategy, adoption and value realisation across the business.
At WPP, she will be responsible for designing, implementing and embedding the operating model behind Elevate28, the company’s three-year growth plan unveiled in February 2026. She will lead efforts to improve innovation, efficiency and integration across WPP’s client offerings, with a focus on delivering agile, outcome-driven solutions and measurable growth.
Choueiri will oversee organisational transformation across the group, working closely with product and enterprise technology teams to deploy AI, data and technology to build new capabilities and improve operational performance. She will also work with the people function to embed cultural change, strengthen an agile performance mindset and support talent development across the organisation.
Before joining Estée Lauder, she held senior roles across consulting and digital agencies, including at Accenture, Masaï (a Bain & Company spin-off), and Kearney, with experience spanning strategy, data and digital marketing transformation.
Cindy Rose, chief executive officer of WPP, said Choueiri brings a strong track record of leading large-scale transformation across operations, technology and culture, adding that her appointment will help accelerate the group’s next phase of growth under Elevate28.
Choueiri said WPP’s strategy represents an ambitious opportunity to reshape how the company operates and delivers for clients, adding that she looks forward to building integrated solutions and fostering a culture of innovation and change.
She will be based in New York and will join WPP’s executive committee.
