Author: Indrani Bose

Diageo’s Vikram Damodaran on sharing the spotlight with wife Vijayalakshmi Damodaran

When asked how his wife inspires him, Vikram said, "Vijayalakshmi inspires me greatly. She is the foundation of my life, and our two children are successful startups that she runs independently. She keeps me grounded and is a true superhero."

Vikram Damodaran, Chief Innovation Officer, DIAGEO India, shared the spotlight with Vijayalakshmi Damodaran, Chief Operating Officer of Cognizant’s Cloud & Infra Business.

Pernod Ricard becomes official partner of Paris Saint-Germain

Philippe GUETTAT, EVP Global Brands at Pernod Ricard (left) and Nicola IBBETSON, Director of Partnerships and Sponsorships at Paris Saint-Germain (right)

The four-year agreement is set to begin this 24/25 season and will span across PSG’s professional teams; men’s and women’s football as official partner and handball, as an official provider.

Philips appoints Bharath Sesha as managing director for Indian subcontinent

He will manage the Healthcare business headquartered in Gurgaon and hold responsibility for Philips’ Licence to Operate in India, which includes the Philips Innovation Campus (PIC) in Bangalore, the Healthcare Innovation Centre (HIC) in Pune, and Global Business Services (GBS) in Chennai.

Bharath succeeds Daniel Mazon, who was Vice Chairman and Managing Director for the Philips Indian Subcontinent until April 1, 2024, and has since taken on a global role at the Philips headquarters in Netherlands.

Meesho appoints Mohit Rajani as chief product officer

“I have long admired Meesho’s transformative impact on e-commerce in India,” said Mohit Rajani. “The company’s mission to democratize internet commerce resonates deeply with my passion for creating meaningful products. I am excited to work with Meesho’s talented team to build innovative solutions that empower millions of Indians.”

Mohit holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Justdial says 95% of Indians still loyal to offline stores, sees faster growth in Tier 2 and 3 cities

About 85 percent of Justdial's 181 million visitors in the first quarter of FY25 accessed its services through mobile devices," says Shwetank Dixit, Chief Growth Officer, Justdial.

About 90-95 percent of Indians still prefer to visit local businesses where they can interact with the service providers, bargain, and build relationships despite players like Urban Company and Yes Madam existing in the market, says Shwetank Dixit, Chief Growth Officer of Justdial.

UPI to reach 1 billion transactions per day in FY28: PwC report

The pandemic accelerated the shift towards digital payments, and UPI has emerged as the preferred platform for seamless financial transactions.

A prepaid wallet was tailored for foreign visitors from the G20 countries allowing them to experience the ease of P2M payments of UPI, garnering everyone’s
attention during the last G20 summit in India.