Blippar has appointed former Nestle executive board member Doreswamy Nandkishore as its first external non-executive board member, with the business leader set to advise the image-recognition firm on its brand and marketing strategy.

Nandkishore, who is better known as ‘Nandu’ within the business world, will help Blippar promote awareness of its platform among advertisers, bringing his marketing and cross-cultural expertise to bear.

Blippar, which recently teamed up with M&M Global at Cannes Lions 2015 to host a networking party, works with clients including Coca-Cola, Conde Nast, Heinz, PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble.

Nandkishore spent 26 years at Nestle, most recently as board member with responsibility for Asia, Oceania and Africa. Before that he was an executive board member and global chief executive officer of Nestle Nutrition.

He said: “Blippar is driving an entirely new behaviour – visual browsing and discovery – and is the global leader in image-recognition and augmented reality experiences.

“The company’s proprietary technology has the power to totally transform the way brands engage with consumers. By overlaying the physical world with personalised augmented reality technology, Blippar provides consumers the ability to draw great content and engaging brand experiences directly from their favourite products.”

Ambarish Mitra, Blippar’s chief executive and co-founder, added: “As we continue our mission to activate the world with Blippar, it is increasingly important for us to become experts at digital brand and marketing strategy for our clients, and no one has been more successful at fostering and growing brand talent than Nandu…

“He will undoubtedly play a vital role in helping us to become an even more effective strategic partner for brands on an international stage.”