MAM
Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone Red
MUMBAI: To showcase its differentiated and innovative postpaid proposition, Vodafone India has roped in chess grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand to promote Vodafone Red.
Under the Red bouquet, Vodafone recently introduced postpaid plans offering entertainment with free subscription of Amazon Prime and Vodafone Play, complimentary mobile insurance for smartphones up to two years old and free international calling and roaming.
Additionally, Red Postpaid comes with lowest bill guarantee that ensures customers are assured of never facing bill shocks.
Beginning July, Anand will be seen making some smart moves, endorsing Vodafone Red. A series of three television commercials will show him propagating the benefits of choosing the postpaid plan to popular cricket presenter Gaurav Kapoor.
Vodafone India EVP of marketing Siddharth Banerjee says, “Latest Vodafone Red is a lifestyle enabler of a new-age postpaid consumer, addressing their passion points like entertainment, travel, devices, shopping, family and tension points such as billing. This campaign aims to position Vodafone Red as India’s smartest postpaid, enabling our existing and new customers to make a smartest choice. We are glad to have chess champion and youth icon Vishwanathan Anand on board, who best fits the proposition of India’s smartest postpaid.”
Anand adds, “Being smart means making the right choice at the right time. In the game of chess, it is important to make the smartest move at the right time. As a Vodafone customer, the new Vodafone Red plans are a smart bouquet of services catering to my critical needs like entertainment and international roaming. Mobile insurance and lowest bill guarantee feature become important as we Indians are evolving in smartphone usage. I am glad to be a part of the campaign that closely resonates with my needs to make a smart choice.”
The 360-degree high-decibel campaign has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather India. Presenting a holistic marketing mix, the four-week long campaign will connect with customers across diverse mediums like OOH, radio, print and digital.
Brands
Muthoot FinCorp names Arun Kumar COO & Harjit Singh Takkar chief distribution officer
Leadership hires to boost operations and widen pan-India reach
THIRUVANANTHPURAM: Muthoot FinCorp has strengthened its top deck with the appointment of Arun Kumar B as chief operating officer and Harjit Singh Takkar as chief distribution officer, sharpening its focus on scale, speed and service as it pushes into its next phase of growth.
The flagship financial services arm of the 138-year-old Muthoot Pappachan Group, popularly known as Muthoot Blue, is expanding both muscle and mindset. With more than 3,750 branches nationwide and its digital platform, the Muthoot FinCorp ONE app, the company is betting on tighter execution and wider reach to stay ahead in an increasingly competitive lending market.
Arun Kumar B steps in with nearly two decades of experience cutting across financial services, technology transformation and customer analytics. He previously worked with CreditAccess Grameen, where he led enterprise-wide technology and data strategy initiatives and played a pivotal role during a major merger in the microfinance space. His work spanned integrating operations and products while scaling lending and non-credit offerings such as insurance and pensions.
At Muthoot FinCorp, Arun will steer operational excellence and strategic growth initiatives, aligning teams and processes to deliver sharper efficiency across the business. A gold medallist from Anna University and a postgraduate from IIM Indore, he also holds certifications in design thinking, Blue Ocean Strategy and business analytics.
Harjit Singh Takkar takes on the newly created role of chief distribution officer, reporting directly to the chief executive officer. The position is designed to energise the company’s distribution engine and bring greater governance and agility across its branch network.
Takkar brings over 28 years of retail banking experience, having held senior leadership roles at IndusInd Bank, Bandhan Bank, Yes Bank and ICICI Bank. Known for scaling branch networks and building high-performing teams, he combines distribution expertise with governance depth as a qualified company secretary with a master’s degree in finance and control.
In his new role, Takkar will oversee branch business and distribution channels, with a clear brief to expand reach, lift productivity and reinforce the company’s pan-India presence.
Commenting on the appointments, Muthoot FinCorp Ltd. chief executive officer Shaji Varghese, said the company continues to invest in leadership as it scales. “Our purpose is to improve the financial well-being of the common man. As we grow, strengthening leadership across key functions is important to ensure consistency in execution and customer experience,” he said.
With complementary strengths in operations and distribution now in place, Muthoot FinCorp appears set to move from steady expansion to sharper acceleration, backed by people, process and technology working in concert.
