Two Indian advertising and marketing leaders Shubhranshu Singh of Tata Motors Business Autos and Sumit Virmani of Infosys have been featured on Forbes’ ‘World’s Most Influential CMOs’ checklist for 2025.
The checklist was introduced on the Cannes Lions Worldwide Pageant of Creativity. The annual checklist celebrates high world advertising and marketing leaders who’ve demonstrated distinctive influence by means of model innovation, data-led technique, cultural relevance, and enterprise progress. Virmani was ranked twenty fourth and Singh positioned thirty third, marking a major milestone for Indian advertising and marketing professionals on the worldwide stage.
How Sumit Virmani helped form Infosys as an moral AI-first model
Sumit Virmani, who leads advertising and marketing at Infosys globally, was recognised for aligning the corporate’s branding, communications and digital experiences with its wider enterprise targets throughout greater than 50 nations. Below his watch, Infosys rolled out a brand new model platform that positioned the corporate as “AI-first, at all times moral” a daring assertion in a world the place synthetic intelligence is quickly altering industries and elevating questions round belief, in line with Forbes report.
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However he didn’t cease there. Virmani additionally expanded Infosys’s attain within the sports activities world by means of high-profile partnerships with the ATP and the Mercedes AMG Petronas System One group. These tie-ups weren’t only for present, they got here with AI-powered fan instruments, immersive metaverse experiences and content material that bolstered Infosys’s tech-forward picture.
He additionally helped strengthen Infosys Springboard, the corporate’s digital studying platform, by making it a core a part of the model’s story. The platform is now seen as a logo of Infosys’s dedication to upskilling in areas like India, Africa and the USA.
How Shubhranshu Singh reworked Tata Motors’ picture utilizing AI and relatable storytelling
At Tata Motors, Shubhranshu Singh has been altering the sport in how business autos are marketed. As an alternative of conventional campaigns, he shifted to an always-on mannequin powered by AI and regional influencer content material in 11 Indian languages. Backed by a buyer information platform, the group constructed greater than 150,000 distinctive buyer profiles, making advertising and marketing extra private and efficient.
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Singh additionally turned YouTube into a serious storytelling platform for the model. With the assistance of native creators, the channel crossed hundreds of thousands of subscribers and garnered hundreds of thousands of views, bringing emotional worth and neighborhood connection to the corporate’s product lineup.
One other main win got here with the rebranding of Tata’s electrical car division as Tata.ev. The transfer helped the corporate seize 70 p.c of India’s EV market. In fiscal 2024, the business autos division additionally noticed over 11 p.c year-on-year income progress.
High 5 names on Forbes’ 2025 CMO checklist
The highest 5 advertising and marketing leaders on the Forbes 2025 checklist had been Marian Lee of Netflix, Chris Davis of New Stability, Asmita Dubey of L’Oréal Groupe, Marcel Marcondes of AB InBev and David Sandström of Klarna.
