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WPP Media places Mindshare veteran to steer Fulcrum’s south Asian operations
MUMBAI: WPP Media has nabbed Vinish Mathews, former chief strategy officer at Mindshare India, to head its team Fulcrum operations across south Asia. The appointment marks a homecoming of sorts for Mathews, who previously orchestrated strategic planning for Hindustan Unilever’s sprawling personal care empire during his decade-long stint at Mindshare.
Mathews arrives with 22 years of battle-tested experience spanning India, China and Southeast Asia. His CV reads like a tour through advertising’s most cutthroat markets—from steering Nestlé and PepsiCo campaigns in China’s digital-first landscape to managing Unilever’s 30-brand portfolio including Dove, Lux and Fair & Lovely in India.
The 45-year-old executive cut his teeth at The New Indian Express before climbing the ranks at The Media Edge and Mindshare. His most recent role saw him as managing director of Mindshare China, where he juggled marquee accounts including Royal Caribbean and Tourism New Zealand whilst leading Alibaba’s outbound business across Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America.
At Essence, Mathews served as vice-president and client partner for Google across India and Southeast Asia, cementing his reputation as a digital media heavyweight. His expertise spans the full spectrum from FMCG giants to fintech upstarts, with forays into automotive, tourism and consumer durables.
WPP Media’s decision to bring Mathews aboard signals its intent to capitalise on south Asia’s booming advertising market. The region has become a crucial battleground for global agencies as brands chase the spending power of India’s burgeoning middle class and the digital transformation sweeping across emerging markets.
Mathews will now task himself with driving growth and transformation for team Fulcrum’s client roster, leveraging his cross-cultural expertise and proven track record in building “immersive consumer connections.” For WPP, it represents a strategic coup in the ongoing war for talent between the world’s largest advertising groups.
MAM
Sleepwell unveils nationwide sleep study on World Sleep Day
79 per cent use screens before bed, 36 per cent of 18–25-year-olds sleep ≤5 hours.
MUMBAI: Sleepwell just dropped the pillow truth bomb because when India’s sleeping less and scrolling more, even the mattress wants to stage an intervention. On World Sleep Day 2026, Sleepwell released its nationwide Sleep Study, painting a stark picture of India’s escalating sleep crisis. The findings show that 79% of Indians use screens right before bed, fuelling restless nights and drowsy days. Alarmingly, 36% of young adults aged 18–25 sleep five hours or less making them the country’s most sleep-deprived group.
The study also busts the myth of “catch-up sleep”, 65% of respondents actually sleep even later on weekends, pointing to increasingly irregular patterns that spill fatigue into the working week. Mattress discomfort emerged as a frequently overlooked culprit behind late-night wake-ups and constant leak-anxiety checks.
To drive the message home, Sleepwell’s CMO Puneet Gulati appeared on Zee Business, stressing that quality sleep isn’t a luxury, it’s foundational health. He highlighted how the right mattress can transform restless nights into restorative ones.
The brand doubled down with clever late-night activations, partnering with a quick-commerce platform to serve contextual ads between 11 pm and 3 am, gently nudging bleary-eyed scrollers to consider mattress discomfort as the reason they’re still awake and pointing them to the nearest Sleepwell store. Digital influencers and creators also shared relatable stories of how poor sleep fuels impulsive late-night behaviour.
In a nation that celebrates hustle but quietly pays for it in lost rest, Sleepwell isn’t just selling mattresses, it’s selling the radical idea that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is close your eyes and actually sleep well.
