Visa appoints Gaurav Ramdev as head of marketing for India and South Asia

Visa appoints Gaurav Ramdev as head of marketing for India and South Asia, adding a seasoned brand builder to its leadership bench at a moment when digital payments and financial inclusion are expanding across the region. Based in Mumbai, Ramdev joins both the India and South Asia leadership team and the Asia Pacific marketing leadership team, underscoring the strategic weight of the appointment.

He shared news of the move through a LinkedIn post, describing it as an important new chapter in his career. Outside his corporate role, Ramdev remains deeply involved in industry bodies, serving as co chairperson of the National Council of Branding and Marketing at ASSOCHAM and as a council member of the Consumer Complaints Council at ASCI, giving him a front row seat to evolving advertising standards and consumer expectations.

What does Visa appoints Gaurav Ramdev as head of marketing signal

For Visa, the hire signals a push to combine strong brand equity with sharper local execution in a diverse region. India and South Asia are central to the future of digital payments, with large unbanked populations, rapid smartphone adoption and government led digital public infrastructure.

Ramdev brings experience that cuts across fintech, government linked services, consumer goods and beverages. That mix can help Visa craft narratives that speak not only to affluent cardholders but also to first time digital payment users and small businesses.

Previous roles that shaped his marketing approach

Before joining Visa, Ramdev spent more than two years at Protean eGov Technologies. He joined as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, later becoming executive vice president and chief marketing and growth officer.

At Protean, he built the company first dedicated marketing organisation, crafted its brand identity and led communication around its public listing. He also oversaw award winning campaigns across direct to consumer and business to business segments and set up the firm martech stack. His work covered key services such as PAN cards and the National Pension System, combining financial education with product awareness.

Prior to Protean, Ramdev led marketing for RazorpayX, the business banking arm of Razorpay. There, he expanded the function, launched the platform first brand campaign, strengthened relationships with venture capital networks and improved full funnel performance metrics for customer acquisition.

His longest stint was at The Coca Cola Company, where he spent more than six years working on brands such as Fanta, Coca Cola, Sprite, Kinley and Minute Maid across India and Southwest Asia. He led the Fanta trademark in the region and worked on multiple brand building initiatives with high youth salience and strong retail presence.

Earlier roles at Britannia Industries and Orkla Group MTR saw him manage portfolios in biscuits, dairy and packaged foods, giving him experience in categories where availability, pricing and distribution are as important as communication. He began his career at ITC Limited and Satyam Computers now Tech Mahindra, gaining early exposure to both consumer and technology environments.

How might Ramdev shape Visa marketing in the region

With Visa appoints Gaurav Ramdev as head of marketing, several priorities are likely to be on the table.

First, deepening consumer understanding outside metro centres. His work on food, beverages and financial products in smaller cities and towns positions him well to decode regional nuances and design campaigns that resonate beyond English speaking urban audiences.

Second, balancing brand building with performance. At RazorpayX and Protean, Ramdev worked across the full funnel, from awareness to conversion and retention. Visa can benefit from that lens as it designs programmes that both inspire trust in digital payments and drive real usage.

Third, strengthening ecosystem storytelling. Payments do not exist in isolation. They sit inside ecosystems that include banks, fintech partners, merchants and regulators. Ramdev experience with government linked services and startup networks can help Visa communicate its role as a collaborator rather than only a logo on a card.

Visa appoints Gaurav Ramdev as head of marketing for India and South Asia at a time when the region is moving from early digital adoption to everyday usage of cards, wallets and account based payments. His cross category background, from sodas and biscuits to fintech and e governance, equips him to connect with varied audiences and stakeholders. For Visa, the appointment is an opportunity to craft a marketing agenda that is as grounded in local realities as it is aligned with global ambitions.

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