Newsmakers of 2014: People In The News

The men and women in the limelight talk about the ups and downs of the year gone by, and their agenda for 2015.

Who: Anupama Ahluwalia, Senior Vice President, Reliance Jio Infocomm

In the news because: Moved from Coca-Cola to Reliance

'UPS' OF 2014:

2014 turned out to be the year of possibilities for me. This year, I became a part of the Jio family, which is wonderful. Joining Jio is a major 'Up'. I also travelled extensively across rural and urban markets in the earlier part of the year. It gave me an opportunity to meet consumers across markets and gain firsthand exposure on new insights and learnings on how life is changing for all of us, thanks to technology.

'DOWNS' OF 2014:

None.

AGENDA FOR 2015:

I am now looking forward to 2015 as I see a lot of opportunity for building Jio. In 2015, I hope to focus on my work, health and build positivity in all areas of my life.

DESCRIBE THE YEAR GONE BY IN ONE WORD: 'POSSIBILITIES'

Who: Vikram Sakhuja, Group Strategy Officer, GroupM Worldwide

In the news because: Stepped down from the position of Global CEO, Maxus

'UPS' OF 2014:

• One daughter graduating, the other entering college

• Completing 25 years of marriage with my wonderful wife, Simmi

• Living in New York, arguably the world's greatest city.

• An immersion into the way media will work in years to come: Programmatic

• Another amazing growth year for Maxus Global and

• Maxus India finally winning Agency of the Year.

'DOWNS' OF 2014:

Regaining the weight I lost.

AGENDA FOR 2015:

Embrace marketing driven by data and tech.

DESCRIBE THE YEAR GONE BY IN ONE WORD: 'ILLUMINATING'

Who: Mukesh Bansal, CEO, Myntra, and head of fashion, Flipkart

In the news because: The much-hyped Flipkart-Myntra merger and being at the helm of marketing activities for Flipkart

'UPS' OF 2014:

• 2014 has been a year of action and excitement. The industry's biggest wedding - the Flipkart-Myntra merger - took place, making our vision more realistic.

• We witnessed phenomenal activity on the mCommerce front, with smartphones gaining prominence as the preferred mode to shop for fashion brands online. Today, more than 60 per cent of our traffic comes from mobile devices.

• Our Myntra Fashion Weekend in Mumbai, a three-day consumer fashion event was a great success. Next was the Myntra Fashion Incubator supporting fashion business entrepreneurship.

'DOWNS' OF 2014:

Though e-commerce is evolving rapidly, it is still in its infancy with low internet penetration. We're looking at innovative ways to beat challenges. Today, we reach all corners of India with our interface for low-end smartphones and growing supply chain network.

AGENDA FOR 2015:

Focus on technology with mobile at its centre. Our understanding of fashion aspirations along with our knowledge of fashion will help us deliver beyond customer expectations.

DESCRIBE THE YEAR GONE BY IN ONE WORD: 'REVOLUTIONARY'

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