Brand Makers – storyboard18

Meta’s head of AI research head steps down, creating key vacancy amid AI expansion

Joelle Pineau, who has spearheaded the company's AI research since early 2023, will continue her role until May. (Image: Meta)

Meta Platforms Inc. faces a pivotal leadership change as Joelle Pineau, the vice president of its Fundamental AI Research group, announces her departure from the company.

REA India CEO Dhruv Agarwala to step down

Agarwala co-founded PropTiger in 2011 before REA Group acquired a controlling interest in 2020, following its initial investment in 2017.

Agarwala will remain with the business to support the appointment of his successor and ensure a smooth leadership transition before departing. As per the company, a comprehensive process to appoint a new CEO is underway.

From Fevicol to fine taste: Bharat Puri’s legacy of building iconic brands

Bharat Puri’s professional milestones are impressive, but what sets him apart is his knack for crisis management and intuitive grasp of consumer behaviour. (Image: Pidilite)

As Bharat Puri moves into a non-executive role at Pidilite Industries, Storyboard18 revisits the journey of the brand visionary who shaped household names and led through crises, always with creativity, consumer insights, and courage at the core.

Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm account for over 90% of UPI transaction value and volume in 2H 2024

The volume of UPI transactions increased by 42% to 93.23 billion in the second-half of 2024. (Image: Easebuzz)

Overall, the UPI transaction volume increased from 9.96 billion in July 2023 to 16.73 billion in December 2024

Over 70% of companies anticipate changes in business model, driven by AI, evolving customer preferences

More than 70% of the companies leverage generative AI as an opportunity (Image source: Moneycontrol)

82% of the leaders from the technology, media, and telecom organisations anticipate moderate to significant changes to their business model over the next three years

Grey India appoints Harsh Kapadia as Chief Creative Officer

Kapadia will partner with Anusha Shetty, CEO of Grey India, who brings over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience.

Prior to this, Kapadia was associated with MRM New York (part of McCann Worldgroup), where he served as CCO since 2021.

Mauro Porcini joins Samsung Electronics as President & Chief Design Officer

Porcini will relocate to Seoul, South Korea

At Samsung, he will collaborate with over 1,500 designers, visionary business leaders, and an advanced R&D team to push the boundaries of design and innovation.

AKQA’s co-founder Tom Bedecarre passes away at 70

Tom Bedecarre was also an investor and advisor for Silicon Valley startups.

As AKQA’s former co-founder and chairman, Tom Bedecarre led the global expansion of the digital marketing and technology services firm from North America to Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Movie theatres are never coming back, says Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos

Highlighting troubling industry data, Sarandos noted that the theatrical box office remains significantly diminished, down 40-50% from pre-Covid levels, with an additional 8% drop recorded this year alone. (Image: News18)

Netflix’s co-CEO cites weak box office numbers and booming live events as indicators of the permanent shift away from cinemas.

Kansai Nerolac Paints appoints Pravin D. Chaudhari as Managing Director

Kansai Nerolac Paints is set to strengthen its strategic direction and continue its growth trajectory in the Indian market.

Chaudhari has been appointed for a three-year term, subject to shareholder approval.