The WhatPackaging? focuses on people trends of the week

Ashish Bahl joins DY Works as Tresa Paul exits
DY Works has announced the appointment of Ashish Bahl as CEO. He takes over from Tresa Paul who has moved out of the agency. Paul has been MD and CEO since January 2020. Bahl joins the agency after an entrepreneurial stint as co-founder of Happinessperkm.

Bahl said, “I’m honoured to join an incredible team at DY. My key focus will be to use design-thinking and semiotics to build purpose-driven brands. In this new phase at DY we will expand the definition of design where we will build brands committed to human-centric business design. I look forward to this new journey and creating some fantastic work with the DY team.”

In a career spanning over 21 years, Ashish Bahl has also worked with JWT, Contract Advertising and McCann, among others.

Amul's RS Sodhi to move on, Jayen Mehta to take interim charge
Sodhi had joined Amul in 1982 as senior sales officer. From 2000 to 2004 he was the general manager (marketing) and in 2010, he was elevated as managing director. In 2017, his managing director role was extended by another five years. 

According to media reports, Sodhi's term had ended two years ago, but he was offered an extension.

Jayen Mehta, chief operating officer, GCMMF, will take over as the interim head.

Sodhi tweeted, “After working 40 years and 9 months with Amul , I am indebted to  36 lacs farmers of Gujarat for  giving me all the love , recognition, fame ,well being and respect.
Shall continue to work for the benefit of them.”

Dentsu Creative's Gia Fernandes is ambassador for Gerety Awards
Dentsu Creative's group creative director, Gia Fernandes, is the India ambassador along with a jury president. Mumbai is one of the locations for the executive jury sessions.

The other locations include London, Chicago, Dubai, Berlin, Bucharest, AUNZ, Madrid, Bogota, and Stockholm.

As well as defining the shortlist the executive jury sessions each president and ambassador select the agency and production company of the year from their country. This is chosen from the entrants of the Portfolio Cut.

In 2023, the Gerety Awards entrants will be able to submit entries for strategy as well as emerging commerce into any of the Gerety cuts for communication, media, innovation, B2B, health, pharma, Works for Good, entertainment, experience and humour.

Gia Fernandes said, “The Gerety Awards have been a symbol of inclusion and balance that the advertising industry in India needs. And I’m delighted and honoured to serve as 2023’s India ambassador and jury president with a team of diverse and progressive creative ninjas that have become agents of change over time.”

Stanton Ambrose joins Celio India; moves from Reliance Brands
Celio has announced the appointment of Stanton Ambrose as head of marketing and PR. Ambrose moves from Reliance Brands, where he was marketing head.

Satyen Momaya, CEO, Celio India, said, “We are glad to have Stanton join our leadership team and lead brand strategy and integrated marketing, as we scale rapidly and build a stronger consumer franchise in India. With an impressive background and a stellar work record in the apparel industry, we are excited to have him drive the agenda of strengthening the brand narrative and driving salience to the next level."

Ambrose said, “It is an absolute honour to be associated with a French brand like Celio. The brand has a strong presence in the country and I am keen to further strengthen the foot print and engage with the gen Z and millennials whilst increasing market share. Moreover, I eagerly look forward to learning & growing with the brand and building a community of consumers who resonate with the brand’s ethos."

In a career spanning 11 years, Stanton Ambrose has also worked with Bestseller and Future Group.

Rajeshwari Rao joins Wunderman Thompson
Wunderman Thompson India has announced the appointment of Rajeshwari Rao as senior vice president and executive creative director.

Rao joined the agency on 9 January. She's based in Mumbai and is the creative head of the agency’s Unilever’s business.

She moves from Publicis Worldwide, where she was executive creative director. She will report to Anurag Tandon, managing partner, Wunderman Thompson Mumbai.

Rao said, “I’m excited to be taking on this role and looking forward to creating some good work with the incredibly talented and dynamic team at Wunderman Thompson India. Wunderman Thompson is a legacy agency that commands a formidable standing in the industry with an enviable client roster of long standing relationships. The agency is on an exciting growth trajectory and I am thrilled to be part of their journey.”

Rajeshwari Rao has worked with Ogilvy, McCann, DDB and BBH.