MAM
Virat Kohli drops Puma for Agilitas
MUMBAI: Indian cricket maestro and RCB long-timer Virat Kohli switched teams. The 36 year old has pulled the plug on his eight-year partnership with Puma, and has reportedly put his best foot forward to back Agilitas Sports, an Indian athleisure startup. The star batter, currently in red-hot form in IPL 2025, is now not just the face of Agilitas but also an investor, signalling a bold move to champion homegrown brands.
Agilitas was founded in 2023 by Abhishek Ganguly, Puma India’s former managing director. The brand has already made waves, securing long-term rights for Italian sportswear giant Lotto in India, Australia, and South Africa. Now, with Kohli on board, Agilitas is gearing up for a serious innings in the global sportswear arena.
Kohli’s split from Puma marks the end of a landmark Rs 110 crore deal that revolutionised Indian sports marketing. The partnership saw him lead multiple campaigns and launch the popular One8 line, a crucial driver in Puma’s rise in the Indian market.
Puma acknowledged the departure, thanking Kohli for an “outstanding journey filled with memorable campaigns and collaborations.” The brand vowed to continue investing in the next generation of athletes.
Meanwhile, Kohli remains focused on both his new business venture and his cricketing form. The RCB stalwart has racked up 180 runs in his last five IPL innings and is set to face Rajasthan Royals on 13 April.
Whether on the pitch or in the boardroom, Kohli continues to rewrite the game.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
