As the year comes to a close, we look back at a big highlight over at our India office, where a memorable and much-anticipated country visit by Kinesso’s Global Executive Leadership team finally happened after weeks of planning. Team India is comprised of 400+ staff, and we loved seeing the work hard, play hard mentality really come to life over the three-day visit!
Kinesso India and IPG India leadership teams were thrilled to have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with leaders Arun Kumar (IPG Chief Data & Marketing Technology Officer, Acxiom, Kinesso and Matterkind), Chad Engelgau (CEO and President, Acxiom), Ian Johnson (COO, Kinesso, Matterkind, and Acxiom), Tracy YoungLincoln (CCO, Kinesso), Renu Hooda (Global Chief Talent Officer, Kinesso), Ian Courts (Global CFO, Kinesso), Matt Ware (CEO, Kinesso APAC) and Aravinthan Tharmaindran (Regional CFO, Kinesso).
It was a productive agenda discussing business, but not without encouraging messages to continue striving and setting the foundation for achieving newer, bigger milestones. Arun in particular spoke about his Indian roots and connection with cities of Bangalore and Mysore. He discussed upcoming trends of data and adtech in the advertising industry, and recognized the team’s resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the growth of business amidst uncertainty.
Culminating the visit were the Town Hall and cultural show, attended by the India team in full force. Employees in Mumbai and Mysore attended the gala in person, and the rest of the teams were present via livestream. The evening kicked off with the opening note by Vikrant Bhargava (General Manager, India Operations, Kinesso), and more from Leigh Terry (CEO, IPG Mediabrands, APAC), Shashi Sinha (Principal CEO, IPG Mediabrands, India) and Savita Mathai (Group Chief Talent Officer, IPG Mediabrands India & FCB India).
What lay ahead was an evening filled with music, performances, laughter, food and fun – Team India certainly knows how to throw a party! There is certainly no shortage of talent either, with brave souls taking the stage with soulful singing and groovy dance performances lauded with cheers and claps. The finale was an unplugged live band act that played a medley of popular Bollywood and international hits, prompting a standing ovation from the audience.
We loved seeing the delegation being their most authentic selves, embracing the Indian culture with an open heart, from dressing up in Indian attire – to swaying on the Indian beats – to relishing Indian cuisines. The crowd was super excited watching the leaders take the stage alongside the performers – Renu Hooda taking the mic crooning to her favorite Bollywood number and Ian Courts matching steps to a foot-tapping Bollywood track.
Check out the rest of the photos below:
