CXO Moves: Exec movements across Mahindra & Mahindra, WPP, PepsiCo and more

Keep up with all the key people movements in the brand marketing ecosystem in Storyboard18’s CXO Moves. Here’s a round-up of the executives who've moved jobs, got bigger roles, switched industries and more.

Manjari Upadhye

Previous: Chief executive officer, Welspun World

Present: Chief marketing officer - automotive division, Mahindra & Mahindra

Manjari Upadhye has been appointed by Mahindra & Mahindra as chief marketing officer - automotive division.

Upadhye started her career at Colgate Palmolive as senior product manager, and went on to work across Ocean Spray Cranberries, PepsiCo, Mondelez International, Danone Dairy and Amazon.

Brian Lesser

Previous: Chairman and CEO, InfoSum

Present: Global CEO, GroupM

Brian Lesser, who served as the chairman and CEO of InfoSum, has been appointed by WPP as the GroupM's global CEO.

He succeeds Christian Juhl, who is stepping down after five years in the role. Juhl will take up a new position with WPP as President, Corporate Development.

Lesser spent 10 years with WPP including as CEO of GroupM in North America from 2015 to 2017. He will rejoin WPP and begin his new role with GroupM in September 2024.

Adam Warner

Present: Vice president - global sports and entertainment partnerships, PepsiCo

PepsiCo has promoted Adam Warner to the position of vice president - global sports and entertainment partnerships.

Warner began his career at PepsiCo as a senior brand manager and went on to hold various roles in different capacities. He holds a bachelor's degree in commerce from the University of Birmingham.

Pranav Mishra

Previous: Head of Liabilities, ICICI Bank

Present: Head of distribution, Kotak Mahindra Group

Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited unveiled its new Distribution structure as part of its growth strategy.

This is aimed at bringing together all the ways in which our customers interact with the Bank and to deliver an omni-channel seamless experience across all Group products and services, thereby elevating service standards and operational efficiency.

Anirban Mozumdar

Previous: Chief strategy officer, Havas Group India

Anirban Mozumdar, who led Havas Group India as chief strategy officer, has stepped down from his position.

Mozumdar began his career at Rediffusion DY&R, and went on to work across Leo Burnett, Mudra Communications, Publicis India, chlorophyll brand & communications consultancy and 82point5.

Harsh Bhutani

Previous: Vice President - Finance, India & Southwest Asia Operating Unit, The Coca-Cola Company.

Present: CFO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. (HCCB) today announced the appointment of Mr. Harsh Bhutani as its Chief Financial Officer. Bhutani will be responsible for leading HCCB’s financial operations, including Business Transformation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Tax, Treasury, Audit, Accounting & Controls, Reporting and Analysis, and Risk Management.

Anuj Arora

Previous: Chief marketing officer, Symphony Limited

Present: Global chief marketing officer and business head, Symphony Limited

Anuj Arora, who led Symphony Limited as chief marketing officer has been elevated to the position of global chief marketing officer and business head.

Arora, who began his career at Godrej Consumer Pvt Ltd, went on to work across Reliance Retail, A.W. Faber Castell, Piramal Enterprises and Welspun Group.

Compiled by Kashmeera Sambamurthy