MAM
WATConsult wins Columbia Pacific Communities digital mandate
MUMBAI: WATConsult, the digital and social media agency from Dentsu Aegis Network, has won the 360-degree digital media mandate of Columbia Pacific Communities – a part of Seattle-based Columbia Pacific group, one of the foremost developers of senior living communities in the United States and South East Asia.
The mandate includes digital media marketing, social listening and ORM, digital content creation, and SEO services. In addition to this, the agency will also be designing and developing the brand’s website. The account will be handled by the agency’s Bengaluru team.
WATConsult founder and CEO Rajiv Dingra said, “It is our pleasure to partner with Columbia Pacific communities, one of the pioneers to popularise the senior living concept in India. With their recent acquisitions in the Asian market, the brand is set to significantly expand its senior housing portfolio over the next few years in the major parts of the continent. Well, this is a great opportunity for us to align our expertise with the brand to leverage their digital journey in the best possible way.”
Columbia Pacific Communities CEO Mohit Nirula said, “Columbia Pacific Communities is made up of people drawn to the mission of serving and fulfilling the needs and desires of our senior population. We represent four decades of international expertise in designing and building communities and serving and fulfilling the changing and evolving requirements of our residents – a promise to be partners for life to those who repose their trust in us and give us the privilege to serve them.”
Adding further, he said, “While selecting a digital agency to partner us on our journey, we had three criteria – clutter breaking work, ability to address two generations – the children and the parents as well as a proven track record of success. WATConsult, with global accolades such as the Grand Prix in their kitty and cutting-edge campaigns done for a cross-section of brands, was the perfect fit and we are delighted to appoint them as our ‘Agency on Record’ for digital marketing.”
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
