McDonald’s welcomes Sagar Kargutkar as Director - Marketing and Communications

Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd., master franchise of McDonald’s restaurants in West and South India, has announced the appointment of Sagar Kargutkar as McDonald's Director of Marketing and Communications.

A subsidiary of Westlife Development Ltd., Hardcastle Restaurants Pvt. Ltd.'s appointment of Sagar Kargutkar as McDonald's Director of Marketing and Communications will put him in charge of marketing communications strategy, digital marketing, product innovation and will work closely with the executive team to take McDonald’s brand in India to the next level.

Sagar Kargutkar joins McDonald's from The Times of India group where in his last assignment was National Lead, Marketing for Times of India’s metro supplements. He has spent over 12 years with the Times of India during which he was responsible for the financial health and marketing of the newspaper, its properties and supplements. He was a key member of a team that conceptualised and creatively executed high profile brand initiatives like Lead India, Teach India, Aman Ki Asha and steered Bombay Times towards becoming the most profitable publication within the Times group.

Commenting on his appointment, Seema Arora Nambiar, Senior Vice President – Strategy, Innovation & Capability, McDonald's India (West & South) said, “We are delighted to welcome Sagar to the McDonald’s family. Having successfully led various big-ticket campaigns, he is a perfect fit for this role. His immense knowledge and strong capabilities in brand building and marketing communication will add tremendous value to our ambitious growth strategy.”

Sagar has been a marketing and business professional for about 18 years. An alumnus of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, he is a strategic marketing leader with an expertise in consumer marketing and P&L management.  Prior to his brand –related role at Times of India, he was instrumental in setting up the group’s foray in the ‘Out Of Home’ business. Sagar started his career with Mid-Day Multimedia Ltd where he was part of their advertising sales team.