Allied Blenders and Distillers (ABD) has announced the appointment of Bikram Basu as Group Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer. Basu is currently Managing Director of ABD Maestro, a subsidiary of Allied Blenders and Distillers. The new appointment will come into effect on August 1, 2026, and is part of an internal shake-up in the company.

Basu will continue in his role of MD of ABD Maestro as well. However, his appointment in the group-level role will now classify him as a senior management personnel.

The appointment was cleared by the company’s board yesterday.

Meanwhile, Pradipta Basu, who was named Chief Marketing Officer and a senior management personnel of the company in April this year, will no longer be classified as a senior management personnel post July. However, he will continue in his role of CMO.

Bikram Basu is a spirits industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience. In the past, he has worked with United Spirits for six years, with Pernod Ricard India for 14 years, and his association with Allied Blenders and Distillers goes back nearly 11 years.

In his previous roles, Basu has handled responsibilities across business and brand strategy, marketing and sales.

Basu has also served as vice-chairman of the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies from 2015 and 2018. He is currently a member of the Confederation’s board.

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McDonald’s India has appointed Mehak Jaini as the Head of Marketing for its West and South India operations.

Mehak, writing on LinkedIn, detailed her first few days on the job, stating they had little to do with presentations or campaigns, and were mostly spent inside McDonald’s restaurants where she made burgers, packed orders, served customers, delivered meals and even cleaned dining areas.

This was her hands-on induction, stated Mehak, adding it was important for her to understand the operations before she could tell the brand’s story.

“I’m incredibly excited (and equally humbled) to share that I’ve joined McDonald’s India (West & South) as head of marketing (Westlife Foodworld Limited),” Mehak posted on LinkedIn, announcing her appointment.

She said a key role of marketing would be to ensure audience for the hard work of thousands of employees who contribute behind the scenes. Frontline staff mostly work unnoticed, only coming to the limelight when customers require assistance or when there is a complaint, she added.

She further urged greater respect for the staff involved in the customer journey at different levels, including security personnel, building staff and delivery partners.

Mehak has joined McDonald’s India after having spent the last 18 years working on brand strategy, understanding consumers, and handling marketing across the agency and FMCG sectors.

Mehak has worked for McDonald’s in the past as well, from the agency side, when she was employed with DDB Mudra Group. She spent nearly 16 years at the company and worked on brands like McDonald’s, Lipton, Godrej, HBO and Disney+ Hotstar.

She has also worked with Godrej Consumer Products Limited for more than two years, in her recent assignment.

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Fast food giant Burger King has awarded its creative mandate to the Kinnect agency. The mandate is valid for India and will include elements like brand strategy, creative communication, digital storytelling, and culture-led campaigns.

The mandate has been awarded after the brand received pitches from some of the industry’s leading names. The selection of the agency was done after a highly-competitive process.

Burger King is now aiming to strengthen its connect with Gen Z and millennial audiences across India. The agency is expected to further establish the brand as the go-to burger destination for young India.

Kapil Grover, group chief marketing and digital officer at Burger King, said on the development, “In India, Burger King has established itself as a culturally relevant brand with a differentiated tone, driven by off-centre humour and a fresh perspective on Gen Z and millennial consumers. As we approach our next phase of growth, we are happy to partner with the Kinnect team, who have done some outstanding work with our core TG of Gen Z and millennials. Kinnect will bring in the sizzle to our sauce, and we look forward to clutter-breaking, TG-relevant, insight-driven work in the days to come.”

Chandni Shah, CEO of Kinnect, stated: “Burger King is one of those rare brands that has built both product love and cultural relevance at scale. What makes the brand so exciting for us is that it understands modern brand-building. It doesn’t just participate in culture, it contributes to it. As a brand, it has consistently shown the courage to be distinctive, entertaining, and sharply relevant to young audiences. We’re thrilled to partner with them at such an exciting phase of growth.”

Kinnect CCO Neville Shah added, “Burger King is a great opportunity to do great work and make it part of the conversation.”

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Cult.Sports, one of the fastest growing sports brands in India, has awarded its integrated creative mandate to Wunderman Thompson India to drive forward its brand strategy and communication initiatives.

Cult.Sports, known for its commitment to promoting an active lifestyle and offering top-notch sports and fitness products, is gearing up to take its brand to new heights. With a focus on creating innovative and engaging campaigns, Cult.Sports aims to inspire athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike to unleash their true potential.

Wunderman Thompson India, a globally acclaimed creative agency with a rich history of delivering groundbreaking campaigns, is all set to bring its creative prowess to elevate Cult.Sports’ brand positioning and communication strategy.

Commenting on this new partnership, Shamik Sharma, MD, Cult.Sport said “While India has the world’s largest youth population, only a few take up any sports or fitness activity. As a sport-first brand of this country, we want every Indian to make sports an indelible part of their everyday life using our range of Cult.Sport products. In Wunderman Thompson India, we have found an agile agency that understands this sporting culture, which is evident through its award-winning sports films and campaigns. As a team, we plan to up the game and create some clutter-breaking communication for the brand.”

Vijay Jacob Parakkal, Managing Partner, East and South, Wunderman Thompson India, further added, “Amidst the fierce competition in the high-performance sports and fitness market, it’s important to recognize that in India, sports and fitness transcend mere performance—it embodies a way of life. Cult.Sport‘s distinctive business philosophy of simplifying sports and fitness resonates deeply with all of us. We are committed to forging a close partnership with our client team to help them achieve their ambitious business objectives. Leveraging our expertise in creative, data, and technology, we are uniquely positioned to provide comprehensive end-to-end solutions tailored to their specific business needs.”

Arjun Mukherjee, VP & Sr. Executive Creative Director, Wunderman Thompson India, said, “Interestingly we are an office full of sports fanatics and this pitch was like a 100-meter dash that got our adrenalin flowing at every step. It was a high to present ideas for an awesome, homegrown, sports shoe brand and we are elated to be the first to touch the finishing line.”

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