CXO Moves: Exec movements across Bata Group, Sharechat, Renault, IPG Mediabrands and more
Executive moves in the world of brands and agencies.
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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.
Sandeep Kataria
Previous: Global CEO, Bata Group
Sandeep Kataria has departed from Bata Group. Kataria previously served as CEO of Bata India. Before joining the company in 2017, he spent 24 years in leadership roles at Unilever, Yum Brands, and Vodafone across India and Europe, overseeing prominent consumer brands with wide-reaching global footprints and strong customer loyalty.
Panos Mytaros succeeds Kataria as the global CEO.
Luca De Meo
Previous: CEO, Renault Group
Renault Group's chief executive officer, Luca De Meo has stepped down from his position in order to pursue opportunities outside the automotive industry. It has been reported that Meo would head the French multinational conglomerate company Kering, which owns Gucci, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent, as its CEO.
He has worked across Toyota Motor Corporation, Volkswagen Group, Audi AG, and SEAT.
Gaurav Jain
Previous: Chief business officer, ShareChat & Moj
Gaurav Jain, Chief Business Officer at ShareChat & Moj, has stepped down from his role. He has worked across NVIDIA, Citibank, Google, Meta and Snap.
Yatish Bhargava
Previous: Business head - home and furniture, Flipkart
Present: Chief business officer, Honasa Consumer
Mamaearth parent firm Honasa Consumer Limited has appointed Yatish Bhargava as Chief Business Officer with effect from June 17. Bhargava has worked across Nokia and Hindustan Unilever.
Sanchayeeta Sharma
Previous: CEO, Carat
Sanchayeeta Verma has moved on from Carat India, sources close to the development confirmed to Storyboard18. She has worked across companies such as Lintas Media Group, JWT, Kiwi TTK, etc.
Paul Bulcke
Nestlé S.A. is preparing for a leadership transition as Paul Bulcke, the company’s long-serving Chairman, announced he will step down following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 16, 2026. Marking the end of a near five-decade journey with the company, Bulcke will not seek re-election.
Mukund Acharya
Previous: Head of engineering, Disney + Hotstar
Present: Chief technology officer, SPNI
Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) announced the appointment of Mukund Acharya as its new chief technology officer (CTO), effective June 19, 2025.
In his new role, Acharya will spearhead the company's consolidated technology portfolio, encompassing the Enterprise Technology Group (ETG), LIV Technology, and Broadcast Operations and Network Engineering (B.O.N.E.).
Dimitri Maex
Previous: Global president, IPG Mediabrands; global CEO, Initiative
Present: Global marketing practice lead, Accenture Song
Dimitri Maex, who currently leads IPG Mediabrands as global president, and global CEO of Initiative, is stepping down from his position later this year. He is joining Accenture Song in the role of global marketing practice lead, stated an Adweek report.
At Accenture Song, Maex will be tasked with leading Accenture Song's brand, content, engagement, activation and media offerings, added the report.
Prior to joining Initiative, Maex headed Reprise as global CEO, building end-to-end performance marketing capabilities for global brands. Maex has also served as the U.S. president of OgilvyOne and president of Sentiance.
Pilar Lopez
Previous: Vice president - strategic partnerships, Microsoft
Present: Chief financial officer, Vodafone Group
Vodafone Group appointed Pilar López as chief financial officer designate effective 1 October 2025. López will succeed Luka Mucic who, as announced on 7 May 2025, has decided to leave Vodafone. She has worked across JP Morgan and Telefonica.
Compiled by Kashmeera Sambamurthy
