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Karthik S is Edelman India head of digital Strategy
MUMBAI: Edelman India has appointed Karthik S as head of Digital Strategy (India).
In this newly-created position, Karthik will focus on developing and expanding Edelman’s digital offering in India.
His responsibilities will include spreading knowledge and use of digital tactics to employees across the organization, and advising on and managing digital components of existing client programmes.
He will help build Edelman’s digital business among existing and potential clients, promote new business development focused on digital activities and help execute partnerships in the digital space. In addition, he will work with Edelman’s regional and global resources to ensure a seamless Web 3.0 digital offering worldwide.
Karthik comes to Edelman from Text 100 in Bangalore where he was in charge of new business and social media communication initiatives for multiple clients.
Edelman India MD Robert Holdheim says, “Karthik will play a key role in our transition to a more digitally-oriented business model.
“Digital is embedded in our corporate philosophy. It is a big part of what we do around the world. We will continue to invest in this area and look forward to establishing the same digital leadership position that we enjoy in other parts of the world.”
A communications professional with over 11 years’ experience in strategizing and implementing communications plans across client and agency environments, Karthik is one of India’s leading bloggers with Milliblog (a 100-word music review blog) and ItwoFS (a 10+ year-old website that tracks music plagiarism in India).
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With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
