ASIA PACIFIC – Global capability consultancy Brand Learning has appointed Sandeep Khanna as the first Managing Director of the company in Asia Pacific. Khanna started last July 29.
Khanna was formerly Vice President of Corporate Marketing APAC at LG Electronics and Head of Marketing at Nokia and Akzo Nobel ICI Paints.
In a press release, Brand Learning said: “Sandeep is a specialist in Emerging Markets with over 25 years of branding and marketing experience in Asia and will support Brand Learning in its continued expansion in the region.”
Khanna started his career in India, working for leading advertising agency networks like DDB and BBDO, before moving on to senior client side roles at Akzo Nobel in India & Vietnam.
He then moved to Nokia where he played a significant role in enhancing their brand equity and market share in the Philippines, before going on to drive the regional marketing vision at LG Electronics in Singapore. Until recently, Khanna ran his own branding and marketing consultancy in Singapore. He is also an executive coach.
Mhairi McEwan, chief executive and co-founder of Brand Learning commented: “The launch of our office in Singapore is a hugely exciting milestone for Brand Learning and we’re delighted to have a person of Sandeep’s high calibre and experience leading our Asia Pacific team as we continue to grow in the region. He brings a wealth of senior client and agency experience, a great network and deep regional understanding to our business in Asia. Sandeep is passionate about people development, continuous self-improvement and learning – and is building an expert and engaged capability team which we are confident will enable our clients in the region to experience outstanding support.”
Meanwhile, Khanna said, “ I am absolutely delighted and humbled to be here at Brand Learning. It is a privilege to lead Brand Learning into Asia and make it the definitive, pioneering thought leader in the category. I am looking forward to the journey ahead with much excitement and energy. In addition, I am also looking forward to working closely with and learning from the incredibly talented community within.”
When asked what made him accept the new role, Khanna said: “The role brings together two of my passions—Marketing and Capability building. I have always enjoyed building brands and being a part of strong marketing ideas across Asia.”
“In addition, I have always been passionate about building people and teams. This role allows me to work on these supported by the unique expertise Brand Learning has developed over the last 14 years working with global clients in diverse geographies,” he told adobo.
Being the first to take on the role in the region comes with additional responsibility, Khanna said.
He explained: “It’s a clean slate to work off from and yet one has to be very focused to optimize resources to deliver the best results.”
