NCLT approves recall of Zee-Sony merger order, allowing ZEEL to withdraw the scheme

Probe finds Amazon, Walmart's Flipkart breach competition laws in India

Microsoft lays off 650 Xbox employees; cites cost cutting, integration efforts

GenAI emerges as top priority for APAC C-Suite leaders, Salesforce study reveals

Google: Knowledge sets you free or deeper to monopoly?

Meet the female trailblazers at the top of the world's most famous ad agency - Ogilvy

Representational image via Unsplash

'Brand Tax': Experts urge for clear guidelines, say 'brand subscription fee' can hinder innovation, growth

Why are Indian brands advertising in NYC's Times Square?

What Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick teaches us about leadership

Advertising is in the position where tobacco was: IPG's Arun Kumar 

Biz Moves: Interactive Avenues, Verve Media, Foxymoron and Grapes

There is an opportunity for building a better agency, not just a different one: Manja's Prajato Guha

Virat Kohli-backed Wrogn’s revenue down 29% in FY24

Meet the executive team driving Ola's electric ambitions in post-IPO world

DPDP Act draft rules expected within two weeks; transition period likely to be restricted to 6 months

Tamil Nadu examining Australia-like gaming policy, video game industry tight-lipped

Piyush Pandey

Exclusive: Major leadership rejig at Nestle India; Rajat Jain to get significant role within group

Meghalaya becomes first Indian state to sponsor an esports team

Indian broadcasters' Himalayan challenge in Nepal

Big salary gaps in Indian communications: Freshers start low, women hit glass ceiling

Infosys, ITC, Titan, Biocon: Industry leaders join Storyboard18’s Share The Spotlight movement

Nobody’s Perfect Retro Porsche Ad

In Conversation With Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard

Shahid Kapoor And Varun Ganjoo Speaks On PokerBaazi's Campaign

In conversation with IHCL’s Puneet Chhatwal & GroupM’s Kate Scott-Dawkins

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Storyboard18 x The English Nut: How to pronounce these 10 brand names

Experts' Take On Reinvention Of Ad Campaigns Through Technology

Experts Speak On Key Emerging Trends In Cannes Lions Entries

Leaders of the future have to be outstanding human beings: Nestle MD

In conversation with VMLY&R’s Hari Ramanathan

Paytm founder and Chairman Vijay Shekhar Sharma on Thursday spoke about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) will revolutionize the fintech industry. Sharma, during the 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Paytm's parent firm One97 Communications Ltd, said, "Companies and businesses that will start adopting AI at a very early stage will become successful," and added, "GenAI will have a profound impact on every industry across the country".

The Paytm chairman also mentioned, "Just like India has taken the lead in the financial technology, the same way it will do it in the AI space. Paytm will lead the industry with AI capability".

Talking about Japan's PayPay, Sharma said Paytm has adopted AI in Japan, supporting risk management and fraud detection.

"Our risk management and fraud detection systems not only enhance our payment solutions in India but also support one of the largest mobile payment companies in Japan (PayPay), where we are also a potential shareholder. There is strong demand and high expectations for us to continue advancing our AI-powered risk management solutions," Sharma added.

	
<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/paytm-money-appoints-venkatesh-srinivasan-as-non-executive-independent-director-40670.htm">Paytm Money appoints Venkatesh Srinivasan as Non-Executive Independent Director</a>

He said that the company's goal right now is to harness AI in the fintech space.

"Our goal is to harness these technologies to improve our core business operations and drive down expenses," Sharma said.

Notably, the company laid off more than 1,000 employees from its operations, sales, and engineering teams in December after adopting AI in most of the operational work.

Apart from AI, the Paytm boss said he would reapply for a payment aggregator (PA) license to reserve Bank in due course.

Recently, the Centre allowed Paytm to invest in its payment services business.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/paytm-agrees-to-sell-entertainment-ticketing-business-to-zomato-for-rs-2048-cr-cash-40159.htm">Paytm to sell Entertainment Ticketing business to Zomato for Rs 2,048</a>

“We would like to inform you that PPSL has received approval from the government of India, Ministry of Finance, Department of Financial Services, vide its letter dated August 27, 2024, for downstream investment from the company into PPSL. With this approval in place, PPSL will proceed to resubmit its PA application. In the meantime, PPSL will continue to provide online payment aggregation services to existing partners,” Paytm had informed the stock exchanges earlier.

RBI had rejected Paytm’s PA licence permit application in November 2022 and instructed the company to reapply with Press Note 3 compliance under the foreign direct investment norms.

One97 Communications stock closed at 0.083% up at Rs 667.05 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Thursday.

AI will have profound impact on every industry: Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm

In a traditionally male-dominated industry, Ogilvy is standing out by fostering an inclusive culture where women are not only thriving but leading the charge. From Devika Bulchandani to Maria O'Keeffe, these inspiring female leaders are at the helm of creative innovation, brand strategy, and agency growth, pushing boundaries and redefining what success looks like in the modern advertising world. From managing global accounts to steering ground-breaking campaigns, the top women at Ogilvy are paving the way for future generations, while contributing significantly to the agency's renowned legacy of creativity and impact.

Let's get to know the woman leaders at Ogilvy:

Devika Bulchandani - Global Chief Executive Officer

Devika Bulchandani (popularly known as Dev) is a globally renowned advertising leader known for her passion, purpose, and unwavering commitment to creating meaningful impact. As the Global CEO of Ogilvy, she oversees all aspects of the agency's expansive business, spanning advertising, PR, Consulting, Experience, and Health across 124 offices in 88 countries. Prior to joining Ogilvy, Bulchandani spent 26 years at McCann in various leadership roles including President of McCann North America. 

Bulchandani's leadership is characterized by her belief in creativity as a powerful tool for social good. She has championed several notable campaigns at the intersection of brand-building and social impact, including the iconic "Fearless Girl" campaign promoting female leadership, the "Morning After Island" initiative that helped overturn a Honduran ban on emergency contraception, and the "WOMAN CORP" effort in support of the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. She also led Ogilvy's work with Dove to combat race-based hair discrimination through the CROWN Act.

She was the driving force behind Mastercard’s long-running “Priceless” campaign as well as “True Name,” a first-of-its-kind feature launched in 2019 that empowers transgender and non-binary people to display their chosen name on their Mastercard. Known for ideas that capture the cultural zeitgeist, Dev also helped launch “Fearless Girl,” an iconic and beloved symbol of women’s equality; the campaign became one of the most awarded campaigns in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. 

Born in India, Bulchandani earned her Bachelor's degree in English and Psychology from St. Xavier's College in Mumbai, followed by a Master's degree in Communications from the University of Southern California.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/watch-listen/ogilvys-devika-bulchandani-liz-taylor-on-their-relationship-with-each-other-personal-goals-and-more-9786.htm">WATCH: Ogilvy's Devika Bulchandani and Liz Taylor on their relationship, personal goals and more, in conversation with Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani</a>

Liz Taylor - Global Chief Creative Officer

Liz Taylor is one of the most-awarded creative leaders in the advertising industry, renowned for her championing of borderless creativity and ideas. As the Global Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy, she oversees the creative output across 131 offices in 93 countries, guiding the agency's five business units: Advertising, PR, Experience, Health, and Consulting. Under her leadership, Ogilvy has achieved unparalleled success, being named CLIOs Network of the Year in 2023, Cannes Network of the Year in 2022, and WARC Creative 100's top-ranked Network in 2022 and 2023.

Prior to Ogilvy she was Global Chief Creative Officer for Leo Burnett and Chief Creative Officer for Publicis Communications North America where she was a Founding Partner at Le Truc, a new business model threaded across the Publicis Groupe. 

Taylor has an Emmy nomination to her credit for her ground-breaking campaign "Lost Class" with Change the Ref, which was honoured in the Outstanding Commercial Category.

Taylor's influence extends beyond her own work, as she has served on numerous prestigious juries, including Cannes Lions, The One Show, and D&AD. She is also an advocate for workplace equality, serving as an inaugural chair for the Athena Advertising Awards in partnership with the 3% Movement.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Portfolio Center, Taylor is based in her native Chicago, where she lives with her husband and her two kids when they are home from college. When she’s not writing for work, she’s writing a memoir that she hopes will one day be published. And when she needs a break from writing, you can find her indulging in any number of her favorite things—whether binge-watching, fashion obsessing, pop culture devouring, vintage t-shirt collecting, mid-century modern furniture shopping or poker playing. 

Stacey Ryan-Cornelius - Global Chief Financial Officer

Stacey Ryan-Cornelius serves as the Global Chief Financial Officer at Ogilvy, where she oversees all financial operations across the company's global network. 

Prior to her current role at Ogilvy, Ryan-Cornelius was the Global Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Geometry Global. Before that, she held the position of Global Chief Financial Officer at WPP Health & Wellness.

Ryan-Cornelius first joined Ogilvy in 1999 and held several regional and global leadership roles, including Worldwide Controller, until 2018. Her career debuted at PriceWaterHouse Coopers, where she consulted on financial statement audits, mergers, and acquisitions, and IPOs for clients such as Simon & Schuster and Viacom's MTV Network.

Recognized as one of Black Enterprise Magazine's 75 Most Powerful Women in Business, Ryan-Cornelius is a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in the marketing and communications industry.

Fiona Gordon - Global Chief Executive Officer of Advertising

Fiona Gordon has been recently promoted to Global CEO of Advertising at Ogilvy. She will be responsible for ensuring the creative network's advertising, brand, and content capabilities are constantly adhering to meet the demands clients face in today's dynamic marketing landscape. 

Gordon will report to Devika Bulchandani, Global CEO of Ogilvy, and join the agency's Global Executive Committee. Previously, Gordon has served as CEO of Ogilvy UK since 2021.

Gordon has been with the Ogilvy Group and WPP across her career and previously led the WPP team for WBA in the UK for 4 years, leading on Boots and Global Brands. Prior to that she was Group Transformation lead at Ogilvy London. 

Gordon was in Asia for seven years, first in Hong Kong in a regional brand management role and then as Group Chairman of Ogilvy Singapore. Gordon also sits on the Advisory Board of Stella, WPP's Women's Network.

Sophie Hoffstetter - Chief Client Officer

London-based Sophie Hoffstetter is the Global Chief Client Officer at Ogilvy, responsible for working with leaders across the network to nurture and grow the agency's top 20 global clients. During her tenure, she has led two of Ogilvy's top five global clients, including Nestle and Unilever, to remarkable success. 

In addition to her client-focused responsibilities, Hoffstetter is a key leader in Ogilvy's Sustainability Practice, where she helps clients develop impactful sustainability strategies at both corporate and brand levels. She is also a passionate advocate for diversity, evidenced by her mentorship and recruitment efforts, as well as her commitment to building diverse teams.

Hoffstetter is an active member of Stella, WPP's female leadership group, where she champions female empowerment and leadership growth. With an international background that spans France, West Africa, Canada, and countries such as Morocco, Spain, and Thailand, Hoffstetter's global perspective enriches her approach to leadership and client partnerships. 

Maria O'Keeffe - Global Chief People Officer

Maria O'Keeffe is a seasoned executive leader specializing in innovative talent programs and inclusive workplace strategies. As Global Chief People Officer at Ogilvy since March 2022, O'Keeffe has been instrumental in reshaping the employee experience to be very modern and inclusive.

Before Ogilvy, O'Keeffe spent 25 years at Edelman, where she held various talent leadership roles, including Global Chief Talent Officer of Practices, Sectors & Clients, and CTO for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America regions. 

O'Keeffe is highly skilled in change management, mediation, and organization design. She is a certified trainer in Situational Leadership® II and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® and holds her SPHR certification. She has earned her Bachelor's degree in Management from Illinois State University.

Patou Nuytemans - Chief Executive Officer EMEA of Ogilvy

As Chief Executive Officer EMEA of Ogilvy, a post she has held since September 2021, Nuytemans is responsible for driving all aspects of Ogilvy’s business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, spanning public relations, consulting, advertising, health, and experience. 

Nuytemans joined Ogilvy in Belgium in 1993, and has steadily risen through the ranks of Ogilvy, taking on management roles of increasing responsibility. She has worked on three continents across a broad range of disciplines, categories, and clients. Her multidiscipline expertise has helped her serve as a leading contributor to Ogilvy's global digital strategy, integrating the group’s digital capabilities across the network. Prior to being named CEO of EMEA, Patou was Global Chief Growth Officer of Ogilvy Consulting from January to September 2021. In the short period she was in that role, she made significant impact to that business, operationalizing the network and its marketing function for growth. 

Before bringing her talents to Ogilvy Consulting, Nuytemans served as CEO of the Middle East and North Africa region for four years, where she grew Memac Ogilvy financially, operationally, and reputationally. Prior to her move to Dubai, Nuytemans combined her role of EMEA Chief Digital Officer with that of CEO Ogilvy & Social.Lab Brussels. As Chief Digital Officer, a role she had for over 15 years, she played a pivotal role in developing and implementing the strategy that transformed Ogilvy into a digital-age agency group and led numerous digital transformation projects for some of the world’s leading brands, including British Airways, IBM, IKEA, Nespresso, Nestlé, Philips, Unilever, Vodafone, and many more.

Julianna Richter - Global CEO of Ogilvy PR

As Global CEO of Ogilvy PR, Richter oversees all aspects of Ogilvy’s earned, social and influencer communications which span brand, advocacy, media, corporate and employee experience. Richter also serves as Chief Communications Officer of WPP Open X where she helps to assemble and lead integrated global teams across the agency network and partners with global clients to scale their business. 

An industry veteran, Richter is a strategic communications and operations leader with over 20 years of experience. Most recently, Richter was a partner at Waypoint Partners, a global growth advisory and M&A firm, that works with high growth companies to scale their business by increasing capabilities, capacity and capital. 

Prior to that, she spent over 17 years at Edelman. Before departing in 2018, she served as U.S. Chief Operating Officer responsible for driving growth and operational efficiency of the largest region and had management oversight of US practices and business functions including human resources, diversity and inclusion, client excellence, marketing, innovation and learning and development. Prior to her role as Edelman’s U.S. COO, Richter was President of Global Client Management where she was responsible for strategic growth and market expansion of the firm’s global client portfolio. Richter has worked with leading brands such as AstraZeneca, Genentech, Paypal, Campari, Cigna, Starbucks and Taco Bell to develop PR and communications strategies, launch consumer campaigns and manage company-wide issues and crises.

Starbucks has onboarded Brian Niccol, a seasoned leader in the restaurant industry, as its new CEO. Niccol, who has been hailed as a "dream hire" and a "hall of fame restaurant CEO," credits much of his success to a simple yet powerful piece of career advice he embraced in his 20s: "Believe in yourself."

In a May 2024 commencement speech at Miami University in Oxford, Niccol, 50, shared insights into the mindset that shaped his career. "I know it's a cliché, but you absolutely have to believe in yourself and have the grit to not give up when it at first might not be going your way," he said. 

The newly-appointed Starbucks chief is known for carrying a "beat-up notebook" with him, a tool he uses to track his progress toward career goals. 

His message to young professionals is clear: "Whatever it is you need to do to keep yourself focused on your goal, do it, and believe you can do it."

Niccol has also emphasized the importance of trusting one's instincts. "There will be times in your career when your gut will be tingling," he told CNBC Make It. "Make space for that instinctive intelligence and take action. Trust your instincts."

What truly set Niccol apart during the Starbucks CEO selection process was a phrase that resonated with the company's board. Speaking to CNBC, former Starbucks chair Mellody Hobson, who recently passed her position on to Niccol, revealed that his confidence was captured in five simple words: "I know what to do."

"He said, 'This is a speed bump in the company's history. This is not something that I fear going into,' and that was something for our board that was extremely encouraging," Hobson noted. 

Starbucks' new CEO Brian Niccol's "beat-up notebook" and simple success mantras

Fiona Gordon has been promoted to Global CEO of Advertising of Ogilvy. In her new role, Gordon will be responsible for ensuring the creative network’s advertising, brand, and content capabilities are constantly adapting to meet the demands clients face in today's dynamic marketing landscape.

Gordon will report to Devika Bulchandani, Global CEO of Ogilvy, and join the agency’s Global Executive Committee. She has served as CEO of Ogilvy UK since 2021 and has led a resurgence for the agency in the market. In 2024, Ogilvy UK ranked as #1 creative agency in the UK on WARC's 2024 Creative 100 list, the definitive benchmark for creative success.

Bulchandani said, “Fiona is a proven champion of creativity, trusted partner to many of our top clients, and passionate steward of the founder culture that makes Ogilvy shine. She leads with both her head and her heart, inspiring those around her with her vision and her unwavering belief in the power of the talent she works with. That is what has propelled Ogilvy UK forward during her tenure as CEO, and now I’m thrilled that our global network will benefit from her leadership as she steps into this role.”

Gordon added, “I'm invigorated by the boundless potential of creativity to not only propel businesses forward but to leave an indelible mark on culture. Collaborating more closely with Dev, Liz, and Ogilvy’s Worldwide Creative Council to harness our network’s collective creative brilliance on behalf of our clients is a tremendous opportunity to create work that drives real impact in today’s ever evolving landscape."

Fiona Gordon promoted to Global CEO of Advertising of Ogilvy

India's dairy brand Amul has won a trademark infringement case against an Italian brand.

Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), owner of Amul filed a lawsuit arguing that the dairy company is a household name in India and has a global reputation, Times of India reported.


On the other hand, Italian company Terre Primitive "blatantly" copied the script, style, and manner of Amul packaging and only added "eti" as a suffix in its name, making it Amuleti, Singh contended.

	
<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/advertising/the-butter-half-how-the-amul-girl-became-the-toast-of-india-41677.htm">The Butter Half: How the Amul girl became the toast of India</a>


Henceforth, the English daily said that the Delhi High Court granted an injunction in favour of Amul, the world's 8th dairy organization. Justice Mini Pushkarna passed the order restraining the Italian firm from using or dealing with any marks identical to "Amul" and directed them to remove infringing products from their website. 

"In the above said circumstances, the plaintiffs have demonstrated a prima facie case for grant of injunction and, in case, no ex parte ad interim injunction is granted, the plaintiffs will suffer an irreparable loss," an Informist media report quoted Delhi HC.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/amul-tops-as-the-worlds-strongest-food-brand-brand-finance-report-40143.htm">Amul tops as the world’s strongest food brand: Brand Finance report</a>

Additionally, Meta Inc. has ordered to block or delete the social media account of Terre primitive for promoting Amuleti.


GCMMF's managing director, Jayen Mehta, called the order a relief for Amul and an example of protecting indigenous brands from foreign infringement. GCMMF has used the trademark "Amul" for its products since 1958. However, the Italian firm created its website in 2020.

The next hearing of the case is scheduled for January 7, 2025

Amul wins trademark infringement case against Italian brand Amuleti

Godrej Consumer Products Limited has elevated Ashwin Moorthy to the position of global head of category direction and innovation. He will handle the responsibilities along with the responsibilities of his present role, which is head of marketing. 


Moorthy was also inducted into the GCPL Global Management Committee and will be part of the senior management.


He began his career at Mindshare as a media planner and went on to work at Unilever.


As the category head at GCPL, Moorthy was responsible for Indian Soaps & Aircare business. He leads category direction, Innovation, Equity & CMI teams for global categories across GCPL's operating countries. He has continued responsibility for India Marketing function, P&L performance and business delivery.


During his time at Unilever, as the brand manager of Taj Mahal and Lipton, Moorthy was responsible for managing mix deployment in market, P&L, media and promotion planning and expenditure, pricing strategy, in-market activation and distribution of the Taj Mahal and Lipton Tea Indian business.


<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/watch-listen/bombay-is-the-global-mecca-of-advertising-gcpls-sudhir-sitapati-18114.htm">Read more: Bombay is the global Mecca of advertising: GCPL's Sudhir Sitapati</a>

GCPL elevates Ashwin Moorthy to Global Head of Category Direction and Innovation

Electric 2-wheeler manufacturer Ather Energy CEO Tarun Sanjay Mehta's annual remuneration has witnessed a 36.3% rise in annual remuneration to Rs 3 crore per annum in fiscal year (FY) 2025 from Rs 2.2 crore in FY2024. 

Chief Technical Officer Swapnil Babanlal Jain also saw a similar rise in his annual package in the current fiscal year. 

Both Mehta and Jain hold 10,841,418 equity shares and 37,074 preference shares each in the IPO-bound company. Mehta will be selling about 10 lakh shares as per the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) of the company. Among investors, Tiger Global, GIC, and Binny Bansal's Three State Ventures will also sell their shares on the OFS window.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/ipo-bound-ather-energy-plans-aggressive-marketing-push-to-strengthen-ev-brand-41879.htm">IPO-bound Ather Energy plans aggressive marketing push to strengthen EV brand</a>

Mehta holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in technology in engineering design from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras under the dual degree programme. He has over 10 years of experience in the electric vehicles sector. 

Mehta has been associated with Ather Energy since October 21, 2013. He was re-appointed as the Executive Director and the CEO of the company for a period of five years with effect from May 30, 2024. 

Ather Energy is likely to debut in the stock market next year. The competitor of Ola Electric plans to raise Rs 3,100 crore.

Last month, Ather turned unicorn following $ 71 million in funding from NIIF. The company's valuation stood at $1.3 billion.

Ather Energy CEO Tarun Mehta's annual remuneration rises 36.3% to Rs 3 crore in FY25

Shares of Bikaji Foods International, Gopal Snacks, and Prataap Snacks jumped on Tuesday after the government cut GST on Namkeen. During the 54th council meeting, the Centre reduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) levied on Extruded Namkeen snacks to 12% from 18%. 

Gopal Snacks Ltd shares closed at  Rs 348.35 up 6.82%, Bikaji Foods International Ltd shares closed at Rs 860.85 up 3.11% and Prataap Snacks Ltd shares increased by 0.17% and closed at Rs 815 on Tuesday, respectively.

The GST rate of extruded savoury/salted  (other than un-fried or un-cooked snack pellets), falling under HS 1905 90 30 has been reduced from 18% to 12% at par with namkeens, bhujia, mixture, chabena (pre-packaged and labelled), classified under HS 2106 90 label.

Earlier, the GST rate on chips, namkeen, bhujias, and other related snack foods attracted 12% of the GST. However, the Centre has now added the extruded snacks to the same GST tax bracket on 9 September.

Besides, the government also brought down the GST from 12% to 5% on cancer drugs this week.



Bikaji Foods, Gopal Snacks, Prataap Snacks shares jump after govt slashes GST rates on namkeen

The Board of Directors of Asian Paints has approved the appointment of Varun Berry as an Independent Director for a period of five years with effect from 23rd October 2024 to 22nd October 2029. 

A veteran FMCG leader Berry is Vice Chairman and Managing Director of foods major Britannia Industries Ltd. He joined Britannia as Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2013. Berry has over 38-years of experience, including stints at companies like Hindustan Unilever and PepsiCo, both in India and overseas. He also has a successful track record in leading start-ups, turnarounds, joint ventures and growth businesses. He is also on the Board and Committees of the Board of several other leading companies. Berry studied engineering and Business Administration at Punjab University. 

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/storyboard18-visionaries-britannias-varun-berry-shares-leadership-lessons-24840.htm">Read more: Storyboard18 Visionaries: Britannia's Varun Berry shares leadership lessons</a>

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/varun-berry-britannia-industries-rural-market-share-grew-at-a-faster-clip-than-urban-38718.htm">Read more: Varun Berry, Britannia Industries: Rural market share grew at a faster clip than Urban</a>

Britannia MD Varun Berry joins Asian Paints board as independent director

Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, is not just a celebrated entrepreneur but also a prominent voice on social and educational issues. 

His candid comments often stir debate and inspire discussions across various platforms.

Below, we explore some of the most provocative statements he had made over the years.

1. On Parental Responsibility in Education

During the launch of Paul Hewitt's 13th edition of Conceptual Physics in Bengaluru on September 9, Murthy emphasized the importance of parental discipline in children's education. He critiqued parents who engage in entertainment, expecting their children to study in a non-conducive environment. "If the parents are going and seeing movies and then telling 'children, no, no, you study' (that won't work)," he said.

Murthy highlighted how he and his wife, Sudha, would dedicate more than 3.5 hours each day to his children Akshata and Rohan Murthy during their school years, setting a personal example rather than merely instructing them.

2. The Coaching Class Culture

Addressing the high suicide rates in Kota, Rajasthan - a hub for coaching institutes - Murthy pointed out the inefficiencies in the reliance on coaching classes for competitive exams. "Coaching classes are the wrong way to help children to pass examinations. I don't believe in coaching classes," he stated at the unveiling of a best-selling book in Bengaluru. 

He expressed concern over students not paying attention in regular classes and the inability of parents to assist, leading to a cycle of dependency on these costly institutes. "Most people who go to coaching classes, they don't listen to their teachers carefully in the class and poor parents, they are not as competent to help them and therefore they see some value, Murthy said.

3. 70-Hour Work Week 

Murthy ignited a debate by suggesting that young Indians should work 70 hours a week to increase the nation's productivity and competitiveness on the global stage. "Unless we improve our work productivity... we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress," remarked Murthy on the first episode of 3one4 Capital's podcast 'The Record'. "So therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, 'This is my country. I'd like to work 70 hours a week," he added.

His comments, which were perceived as promoting an extreme 'hustle culture,' drew backlash from various quarters on social media, with critics arguing that such demands could lead to burnout and were particularly insensitive to the challenges of working women.

4. Infosys COO Pay Controversy

In 2017, Murthy publicly criticized the substantial pay hike approved for Infosys' COO, Pravin Rao. He argued that the decision was "not proper" and would erode trust among employees, highlighting a discrepancy between top executive and average employees compensation. His stance reflected his ongoing concern for equity and fairness within corporate compensation practices.

5. Opposition to Remote Work

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, as companies worldwide were embracing remote work or 'WFH', Murthy expressed his opposition to this model for India. "I am not a great fan of work from home at all,", Murthy quoted. He further stressed that working from the office is crucial for productivity and advocated for a return to traditional work environment to boost efficiency and collaboration. 

Murthy also went on to say that a work from home system does not suit a country like India where people live in 'multi-generational households,' 'have poor Internet bandwidth,' and 'do not have a separate room to convert into a home office.' This comment was met with mixed reactions on social media creating a debate on the efficacy of a remote work system being picked by organizations.

Narayana Murthy's statements often challenge the status quo, pushing for a more introspective and proactive approach to societal issues. Whether it is education, entrepreneurship, or national identity, his words continue to provoke thought and debate among the public and policymakers alike.

Source: BBC, The Economic Times, Business Today, The News Minute, Moneycontrol, India Today

Decoding Narayana Murthy: A look at his most controversial statements

Rehan Hasan has been appointed as Senior Management Personnel and head of sales for Dabur India. 

Hasan started his career with Dalmia Industries and Excelcia Foods (Dabur Nestle JV). He joined Dabur in August 2000 as Brand Manager. Over the years, Hasan has held various commercial roles as Regional Sales Manager, Zonal Sales Manager, Head of Sales - Fern, Head of Trade Marketing in India until 2012.

In 2012 he was appointed Head of Sales and Marketing for Hobi Kozmetik, Turkey, where his last role was as Business Head. In 2022 he was given responsibilities for H&B Stores Limited's Business and business operations of Nepal and Bangladesh.

Hasan has been deputed as Whole Time Director and CEO of Badshah Masala Private Limited since January 2023 till August 9, 2024.

An MBA from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), the fifty-year old executive has gained, during the course of his career, experience in driving business across multiple channels, with core expertise in sales, strategic decision making and building a future ready sales organization. 

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/dabur-ceo-mohit-malhotra-warns-that-too-much-premiumization-can-lead-to-market-share-loss-38996.htm">Read more: Too much premiumisation can cause market share loss, warns Dabur’s CEO</a>