MAM
ZEE5’s Avi Kumar appointed as CMO, Join Ventures
Mumbai: Direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform Join Ventures has announced the appointment of Avi Kumar as its new chief marketing officer (CMO). In this new role, Kumar will lead global marketing for Join Ventures and its portfolio companies – IGP.com, IGP for Business, and Interflora India.
Kumar is recognized among the top 30 CMOs by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and brings over a decade of experience in online business and marketing leadership roles. As the CMO, Kumar will be responsible for accelerating the market awareness and growth of Join Ventures’ D2C ecosystem.
Speaking on Kumar’s new role, Join Ventures founder Tarun Joshi said, “Avi is a natural addition to our leadership team as he is a highly experienced, much-admired marketing leader with a proven track record of helping consumer companies build new disruptive categories and drive sustainable growth. Avi’s entrepreneurial mindset and vision will build on this foundation and help propel Join Ventures forward during our next phase of growth.”
“The internet ecosystem and evolving consumer needs have led to the emergence of direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses as a strong value proposition. Join Ventures with its amazing team, strong brand proposition, agile DNA, world-class tech and operational processes is at an inflexion point ready to take off and transform consumer experience and D2C landscape, and I am looking forward to being part of that growth trajectory,” said Kumar.
As the head of SVOD and brand marketing for OTT platform, ZEE5, he was responsible for the growth of the D2C and B2B business through a host of multimedia campaigns and industry-first innovations. Prior to that Kumar had led the marketing for India’s largest radio brand Big FM and was instrumental in the growth of Oriflame in India.
Brands
Zepto names Saurabh Kabra vice president for non-trade advertising
Former blinkit and ITC executive to drive Zepto’s ad-led growth
BENGALURU: Zepto has elevated Saurabh Kabra to vice president—non-trade advertising, partnerships and catalogue, underscoring the quick-commerce firm’s push to deepen high-margin revenue streams beyond deliveries.
Based in Bengaluru, Kabra will lead the strategic expansion of Zepto’s advertising and partnerships ecosystem. He was previously senior director and head of the non-trade advertising business, where he played a central role in building the company’s ad-led monetisation playbook.
Since joining Zepto, Kabra has worked closely with the chief executive’s office on strategic initiatives, contributing to the company’s rapid scale-up in India’s intensely competitive quick-commerce market. His elevation comes as platforms increasingly court brand advertising to steady margins and diversify revenue.
Before Zepto, Kabra held senior growth roles at Blinkit, serving as associate director of growth and city CEO for Hyderabad, where he led regional expansion and operational scaling.
Earlier in his career, he spent several years at ITC Limited, managing brands such as Classmate and Paperkraft and overseeing sales operations in the personal care business. He is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.
Industry executives view the appointment as a clear signal that Zepto is sharpening its focus on advertising, partnerships and catalogue-led monetisation: areas increasingly discussed by investors as critical to improving unit economics in quick commerce.
