Shashank Sharma joins DAN Consult in its Gurgaon office
DAN Consult has appointed a new Principal to its Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) practice in India to help improve the firm’s client relations in the sector. Shashank Sharma joins from global FMCG giant Nestlé and will work out of DAN Consult’s Gurgaon office, reporting to Lalit Bhagia.
The consulting arm of the Dentsu Aegis Network, DAN Consult was launched in India last year under the leadership of Lalit Bhagia. The firm offers a range of digital solutions for its clients, with a focus on marketing, and has thrived in the rapidly growing digital environment across the country.
DAN Consult’s growth in the Indian market is exemplified by growth in its India leadership recently. Earlier this year, the firm appointed Milind Shah as a new Partner for the MarTech and Robotic Process Automation domains. Sharma’s appointment as Principal is the second high profile appointment in three months.
Sharma is a vastly experienced professional, with more than a decade of experience in branding and marketing. A graduate of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, his first permanent position came at pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy, where he spent two years and became Brand Manager.
He then spent more than half a decade at Indian FMCG firm Dabur, where he began as a Product Manager and eventually ascended to the position of Group Product Manager. Following a two-year spell as Marketing Manager at Pernod Ricard, Sharma joined Nestlé as Marketing Manager in June last year.
Now, he will focus on providing growth consultancy services to FMCG organisations in India, as the sector looks to navigate growth and digitalisation. His experience with clients from across the globe delivering branding support will DAN Consult with improving its service offering to the FMCG sector in India.
“I am looking forward to contributing growth hacks across FMCG clients, leveraging today’s tech and DAN Consult’s growth hacking toolboxes and expertise. Consumer centricity remains the core driver of long-term value and this new era of doing business has completely redefined the underlying process. Real-time actions of consumers in the digital world now lead to much more meaningful and actionable insights than any simulated research method of the past. I look forward to helping our FMCG clients become successful in today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world,” said Sharma on his appointment.
CEO at DAN Consult Lalit Bhagia added, “Shashank’s rich experience in FMCG and new-age marketing will be a huge advantage for us. With Shashank coming on board, we have started our journey to move from a horizontal only consulting organization (Customer Relationship Management & Loyalty, MarTech, Customer Experience etc) to creating vertical industry-focused practices too. Our FMCG clients will see an increase in value with this rich confluence of horizontal and vertical expertise.”
