MAM
Yamaha ropes in Deepika Padukone as ambassador for scooter range
MUMBAI: Yamaha has appointed Deepika Padukone as the brand ambassador of its scooter range – Ray – in India.
John Abraham will continue to be the brand ambassador of the company‘s bikes range.
This is Padukone‘s first endorsement for an automobile brand. She will feature in the commercials of the brand that are targeted towards females, primarily below 24 years of age.
Yamaha Motor CEO and MD Hiroyuki Suzuki said, “We are very pleased with our alliance with Deepika Padukone to endorse our scooter ‘Ray‘, which just like Deepika, signifies ‘Cool and Beauty‘. Being young, fit, sporty and stylish, Deepika has all the elements that our customers will subscribe to when they buy our scooters.”
The company hopes that Abraham and Padukone will collectively add strength to the product line up of Yamaha and take the brand to new heights in the times to come.
The development is in line with the company‘s effort to strengthen its brand particularly in the scooter market. The company will continue with the Yes! Yamaha campaign which was introduced a couple of years ago. As part of the Yes! Yamaha campaign, many initiatives have been launched including ‘Bring back the Joy‘ campaign and ‘Chabi Ghumao, Bike Le jao‘ contest (Turn the key, win a bike contest).
Brands
Accor names Amit Malik VP people and culture for South Asia
Hospitality major taps HR veteran to drive talent and culture agenda
MUMBAI: Accor has appointed Amit Malik as vice president for people and culture in South Asia, strengthening its leadership bench as it scales operations across the region.
Malik will be part of the South Asia leadership team, overseeing the people, talent and culture agenda across India and neighbouring markets. His mandate includes building organisational capabilities, strengthening leadership pipelines and enhancing employee experience across Accor’s growing portfolio.
With more than two decades of experience, Malik brings a blend of human resources expertise and business leadership. His career spans multiple sectors and geographies, equipping him to support Accor’s evolving workforce needs in a dynamic hospitality market.
“We are pleased to welcome Amit to Accor,” said Accor chief executive officer, South Asia Ranju Alex. “His understanding of people strategy and strong business orientation will be instrumental in building a high-performance, purpose-led culture.”
Before joining Accor, Malik served as president for Japan, Asia Pacific and Australia at WadzPay. He also spent several years at Aviva Life Insurance India, where he held senior roles including chief people officer and later chief executive and managing director.
His earlier stints include leadership roles at Bank of America, Royal Bank of Scotland, American Express and GSK Consumer Healthcare, giving him a wide lens on organisational transformation and governance.
Accor’s latest leadership move reflects its focus on building a future-ready workforce as competition intensifies in the hospitality sector. With Malik at the helm of its people strategy, the company is betting on culture as a key driver of growth.
