Puneet Vidyarthi of CASE New Holland appointed President of RMAI

Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI), the premier body of rural marketers in India announced the appointment of Mr Puneet Vidyarthi as President of RMAI for the year 2023-2025. Mr. Vidyarthi takes over from the incumbent, Mr. Biswabaran Chakrabarti.  At the 18^th AGM held recently, RMAI also conducted general elections for the position of new office bearers and executive committee members.

Mr. Vidyarthi is Head of Marketing, Business Development at CASE New Holland, that’s into the construction equipment business. He brings on table his immense experience in marketing and business development.

Speaking on his appointment, Mr. Vidyarthi said, “I thank RMAI for the opportunity to lead RMAI, that has over decades become a pivotal industry body for rural marketers across India. I believe RMAI is the North Star of rural India and the go-to body for brands, Government, Industry bodies and others, as they look to further their reach into the semi-urban and rural areas of India. 

It will be my endeavour to continue the path breaking work undertaken by my predecessor and also further the goal to make RMAI relevant, not only for businesses, but also other important stakeholders like NGOs, civil society, students and the people at large in the society. The objective is to make RMAI an industry body that becomes the 'voice of rural India'”

Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI) is a premier industry body devoted to furthering the cause of rural marketing. Since its inception in the year 2005, RMAI has been helping marketers plan and implement their rural marketing activities across the country. With 12.2% of the world’s population, rural India represents the single largest potential market and accounts for 53% of FMCGs and 59% of durables sale in India. The rural market has therefore become vital for the growth of most companies. RMAI has approx. 150 members base of corporates/agencies, association and individuals that promote the cause of rural marketing. With the growing importance of the Rural Markets in corporate marketing strategies, there is an increased recognition of rural specialists in helping companies plan and implement their rural marketing activities. RMAI is proud to have long association with Tata Steel, ITC, HDFC, Kotak Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra, JCB, Pidilite, USHA, HeroMoto Corp, Kirloskar, JSW to name a few as their eminent members.

RMAI also organises flagship knowledge events namely- Flame Asia Awards, Flame Students Awards, Corporate Excellence Awards along with Rural Conclaves, Roundtables and various other online initiatives

The outgoing President Mr. Biswabaran Chakrabarti said, “I congratulate Mr Vidyarthi on his appointment and wish him the very best for the tenure ahead. RMAI over the years has been pushing the envelope to propagate the cause of rural marketing and also reiterate the importance of rural market to fuel India’s economic growth further. Even during the Pandemic, we attempted to stay relevant through various thought leadership initiatives like such as conclaves, awards, knowledge-sharing sessions like Rural Compass & Decades of Change to name a few. I am confident that the new team would take RMAI's vision and journey ahead.”

Also speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rajkumar Jha, the outgoing General Secretary congratulated everyone on the association’s journey so far, and also apprised about the recent developments and the new initiatives of the organisation.

The newly elected Office Bearers for the year 2023-25 are -Mr.Puneet Vidyarthi, Head Marketing & BD - India & SAR (Construction Equipment Business), CNH Industrial (India) Pvt Ltd  as the President, and Mr.Khurram Askari, Founder & Managing Director, Insight Outreach Pvt Ltd  as the Vice President. The other office bearers include Mr.Sandip Bansal, Chief Client & Field Officer, Dialogue Factory - GroupM Media as Treasurer, Mr.Sunny Vohra, CEO, Anugrah Madison Advertising Pvt Ltd as the General Secretary.

The Executive Committee include Dr.Rachna Patil Associate Prof. & Prog Incharge - Rural Management, Welingkar Institute ; Ms.Nidhi Singh CEOImpact Communications,  Ms. Priya Sampat Kumar Business Head - Emerging Markets, Rural & Agri, Brand & Marketing, SBI General Insurance,  Ms.Yuganti Lokhande, CEO, Rural Relations ; Dr.D. Ravinath, Professor, VJIM ; Mr.Kiran Zende Director Yadnya Brandscapes,  Mr. Mohd. Rafi Qureshi, Managing Director, Zeeco Media; Dr.Venkatram Vasantavada; Managing Director & CEO Seedworks International,  Mr.Rajeev Arora Zonal Manager – Rurban UP-Pidilite Industries

The announcement for the National Advisory (2023-25) was also made, with Mr.Sanjay Kaul, Founder, Impact Communications, Chairman-NAC; Mr.Pradeep Lokhande, Founder & CEO, Rural Relations,  Mr.Sanjay Panigrahi, Consultant, LMCE, Mr.Rajkumar Jha, Director, Rural Campus, Dr.Anup Kalra, Executive Director, Ayurvet Limited,