MDR Brand Management has opened three new offices in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, coinciding with the two-year anniversary of its launch. The offices bring MDR’s network to 20 locations around the world, including a global team headquartered in London.

The India arm of MDR Brand Management will be led by Ashish Saxena, former business head at Bradford License India, with a team of 15 brand management specialists. Ashish has more than 14 years of combined experience in brand management and retailing, developing and managing iconic brands including Pepsi, 7UP and Fido Dido, Marie Claire Paris, University of Oxford, Manchester City, Swiss Military, Billboard, Hershey’s and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

India is poised to become the third-largest consumer market behind the US and China, with consumer spending expected to quadruple to nearly $6 trillion by 2030. In the last five years, online commerce has played a significant role in terms of broadening opportunities for international brands in India. Portals such as Myntra and Flipkart have taken licenses in multiple product categories to build strong brand portfolios and to lure increasingly brand conscious consumers.

Daniel Avener, CEO of MDR Brand Management, said: “India is a market of untapped potential and scale for brand owners. From licensors and licensees to retailers and consumers, all stakeholders in the consumer chain are yet to fully benefit from the true value of brand extension, making India an exciting territory for international and home-grown brands to operate in. We look forward to welcoming Ashish and his team to MDR Brand Management, and to work on brand strategies for existing and new clients and to help realise the full potential of their brands within the Indian market.”

Ashish Saxena added: “I am delighted to join the MDR Brand Management team, a company with a proven track record in the field of brand management and an exciting portfolio of brands. With offices in Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, our geographic reach coupled with our established network and experienced team of brand experts will help us to leverage the right opportunities for MDR Brand Management’s global stable of brands. We also bring a number of our own global brands across a range of genres including fashion, lifestyle, corporate and food & beverage.”

The latest office openings cap off a successful two years for MDR Brand Management since its launch in September 2018. It has successfully built a diverse and international client roster that accounted for more than $1.1billion in licensed retail sales in 2019.

Having been appointed as the global partner to confectionery giant The Hershey Company, the team are working on brand extension and franchise developments across the globe for numerous brands including Hawes & Curtis, eve sleep, The Wombles, Reese’s, Revlon, Sophie la girafe© and Amy Winehouse. The business also partnered with PURENorway on the launch of a new ethical canned water brand, PURENorway Water, to help address the environmental impact around plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.

About MDR Brand Management

MDR Brand Management is the first brand management business to be launched by a leading law firm in the UK, opening its doors in September 2018. It is the fourth non-legal business within The Mishcon de Reya Group, sitting alongside MDR Cyber, MDR Discover and Mayfair Private. MDR Brand Management also provides mentoring services to aspiring British luxury companies through Walpole’s Brands of Tomorrow Programme.