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Category: People

  • Ashish Medhekar joins Triton Mumbai as executive director

    Ashish Medhekar joins Triton Mumbai as executive director

    MUMBAI: Triton Communications has appointed Ashish Medhekar as executive director.  In his new assignment, Medhekar will be a part of the core management team with the mandate to drive growth.

     

    He moves in from JWT, where he was vice president and executive business director.

     

    Medhekar said, “We are in exciting times and I am looking forward to the opportunity of taking the Triton story forward. Triton has a history of building solid brands and has long and deep rooted relationships with its clients and I look forward to partnering them and taking the relationships to the next level.  The task is growth through great brand ideas and integrated solutions.”

     

    Triton director Ali Merchant added, “Bringing with him a wealth of integrated experiences in communication, we are confident and looking forward to Ashish’s leadership role in Triton.  Particularly in the areas of helping dynamic growth for our clients, converting new business opportunities into the Triton fold and building a team of professionals in each area of client need.  We wish him the very best in this leadership role.”

     

    In a career spanning over 20 years, he started his career with Contract Advertising and has worked with Agencies like Rediffusion Y&R as head of the Chennai office, Wunderman and Everest Brand Solutions where he headed the Mumbai office. He has also worked with Dentsu, and Enterprise Nexus.

  • Vdopia appoints Daniel Ahiakpor as VP, business development

    Vdopia appoints Daniel Ahiakpor as VP, business development

    MUMBAI: Vdopia has announced the appointment of Daniel Ahiakpor as its vice president, business development, a newly created position in Vdopia’s New York office. Ahiakpor will be responsible for striking and developing key publisher and mobile-app partnerships for the company.

     

    Vdopia co-founder, chief operating officer Chhavi Upadhyay said, “Daniel is an accomplished advertising technology professional with over 12 years of experience in sales, business development, publisher relations, and ad operations with a focus on video. He will be an important addition to our New York operation as we ramp up our mobile video programmatic buying and selling capabilities.”

     

    Ahiakpor began his career with Providian Financial (now owned by JPMorgan Chase) as a project coordinator – marketing operations.

     

    Ahiakpor comes to Vdopia from Adap.tv (New York), an AOL Company, and a video ad exchange and platform, where he led the company’s North American publisher platform business as Sr. director/head of publisher platform sales.

     

    Prior to that, he was a senior member of the publisher business development team at ScanScout, a technology-driven video ad network which was sold to Tremor Video in late 2010.

     

    Additionally, he has also held various roles in operations, ad technologies and sales development over several years for Yahoo and for Fox Interactive Media.

     

    “I joined Vdopia because of its solid global position at the intersection of mobile and video. As we know, both are among the most important and fastest growing categories in digital advertising. Simply put, mobile is the environment in which audiences are most engaged, and video is often the most effective and entertaining way to deliver branded messages to audiences,” explained Ahiakpor.

     

    He added, “With its proprietary, VDO format, Vdopia brings innovation into the equation by helping marketers target and deliver creative branded video messages across mobile and tablet devices, with greater ease and efficiency. Vdopia is also bringing automation to its ad solution to further streamline the process of planning, buying and selling mobile video.”

     

    Vdopia VP-APAC Preetesh Chouhan said, “Daniel is an accomplished advertising professional. He will play a pivotal role in Vdopia’s efforts to bring automation to its ad solution to further streamline the process of optimising mobile video. The recent inclusion of talented industry players like Daniel in our team will further boost the growth wave that Vdopia has been riding on.”

  • After Pops, exits continue at Leo Burnett

    After Pops, exits continue at Leo Burnett

    MUMBAI: It was in the month of April this year that the advertising fraternity got a shock with K V Sridhar’s exit news from Leo Burnett. Pops as the industry fondly calls him quit the creative agency after 17 years of association. Looks like with the legend leaving a few others too have decided to follow suit.

     

    Indiantelevision.com has learnt that over a dozen mid-level creative professionals have put in their papers at the agency. Highly placed sources within Leo Burnett confirmed the news.

     

    Leo Burnett chief creative officer RajDeepak Das was not reachable for comments at the time of filing the story.

     

    It can be noted that executive creative director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari who too had put in her papers a few months back is all set to make her debut in filmmaking.

     

    With Pops and Arvind Sharma, who bid adieu to the agency last year, gone the recent exits have definitely raised a few eyebrows. With the new leadership in place will the agency win back the confidence of creative guns? Only time will answer that.

  • DDB Mudra west appoints Manoj Bhavnani as senior CD

    DDB Mudra west appoints Manoj Bhavnani as senior CD

    MUMBAI: Joining DDB Mudra west’s formidable creative force under the leadership of creative head, Rahul Mathew, is Manoj Bhavnani who has joined as senior creative director.

     

    Bhavnani joins DDB Mudra west from Bates India, where he was creative director working on some of the agency’s biggest accounts such as Fiat, Tata AIG and Colgate. He was a part of the RedFuse team, a group created by WPP to exclusively handle the communication duties for Colgate.

     

    With over 11 years of work experience and a degree in Statistics, Bhavnani has also worked with top agencies in the country including FCB Ulka (earlier known as Draft FCB Ulka), Lowe Lintas, Grey Worldwide and Ogilvy & Mather. He has also authored a novel, ‘Screwed!’ which has been published by Penguin in September 2012.

     

    Bhavnani said, “It’s an exciting time to be joining DDB Mudra. The agency has been creating great campaigns that have picked up many awards. Rahul, Rajiv and Sonal have placed their faith in me to keep up the quality of work, and I hope I will repay their faith in the time to come.”

     

    Mathew added, “Over the past five months, Rajiv & I have been working hard at improving our product. Manoj is yet another step in this direction. He brings sound thinking and a lot of enthusiasm to our talented bunch. And am sure he will prove to be an essential cog in our creative machinery.”

       

    DDB Mudra west president Rajiv Sabnis said, “Manoj is talented professional who has cut his teeth on demanding large brands in some of the best agencies. His ability to produce consistently good creative work on global, process-driven businesses really got us talking. We look forward to his contribution, especially on J&J Beauty Care, and hope that he has long innings in DDB Mudra.”

  • Maxus brings Navin Khemka on board as managing partner

    Maxus brings Navin Khemka on board as managing partner

    MUMBAI: Maxus has appointed Navin Khemka as its managing partner. Khemka will be heading the north and east regions for the media agency and will also be responsible for new business development across the country. He will report to Maxus south Asia managing director Kartik Sharma.

     

    With over 17 years of experience in the advertising and media industry, Khemka’s last appointment was with ZenithOptimedia, where he left as managing partner. With a tenure spanning the last eight years, he was initially the trading lead for key accounts such as Nestle and HP. He subsequently took over the business leadership of the HP account, delivering some award winning campaigns such as the HP Serena Williams campaign at Lakme Fashion Week. Thereafter he took on the additional role of new business director for India. He was instrumental in bringing on new clients such as Honda, Toshiba, Uninor, McVities, Karbonn Mobiles, Godfrey Philips, Best Rice, Greenlam Laminates, Olx.in, Jabong.com, Yatra.com at ZenithOptimedia.

     

    Sharma said, “Navin comes with a varied skill set and extensive experience across various product categories. He is an ideal leader to spearhead the Maxus team, and uphold our PACE value system across the organistaion.  At Maxus we endeavour to push the boundaries to delivering excellence for our clients, to achieve our 10/10 mandate.”

     

    Khemka said, “I am delighted to be a part of India’s most dynamic agency – Maxus.  Brand needs are changing and Maxus is geared up to providing a holistic solution to its clients. I look forward to work closely with the team and help provide seamless, media neutral solutions to our clients. Driving growth for Maxus in existing and new geographies also makes my role challenging. I am looking forward to exciting days ahead.”

     

    A graduate of St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata and MICA, Khemka started his career with Mudra where he worked for five years. Prior to ZenithOptimedia, Navin worked at Cheil Communications, Mindshare and Carat.

  • Tata AIA Life Insurance ropes Amitabh Verma as COO

    Tata AIA Life Insurance ropes Amitabh Verma as COO

    MUMBAI: Tata AIA Life Insurance Company (Tata AIA Life) has added a new member to its senior management team with the appointment of Amitabh Verma as its chief operating officer (COO).

     

    Based out of the company’s headquarters in Mumbai, Verma will primarily be responsible for driving operational excellence across the company, and shall be reporting directly to Suresh Mahalingam, the CEO of the comany.

     

    Operational Excellence includes design, implementation and improvement of policies and procedures that Tata AIA Life uses to create and deliver its solutions.

     

    “I am very excited to help lead the company to its next phase of innovation through operational excellence initiatives, which will be a key part of the strategy of Tata AIA Life going ahead. Working together, we will not only accelerate the adoption of Right technologies and processes, but also do so in a way that delivers long-term value to customers and shareholders alike,” said Verma.

     

    Verma is an engineer and a management graduate from institutes of highest repute. He has over 23 years of experience in the Insurance and Information Technology business. Most recently, he served as the chief operating officer of Birla Sun Life Insurance, where he was responsible for scaling up the business and, developing and deploying strategies for growth.

     

    Verma has had a stint with Tata AIA Life during 2001 to 2005. He also worked with the AIA Group in Hong Kong from 2006 to 2008 as IT and operations vice president.

  • Micromax brings on board Sanjay Kapoor as chairman

    Micromax brings on board Sanjay Kapoor as chairman

    MUMBAI: Micromax brings on abroad Sanjay Kapoor, former CEO of Bharti Airtel, to the Micromax promoter group and chairman of the board with immediate effect.

     

    This development reflects Micromax’s vision of stepping up to the next phase of growth of the company.  

     

    Commenting on the development Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma said, “We are glad to have Sanjay to be a part of Micromax’s promoter group and on our board as the new Chairman. Sanjay is one of the most respected professionals in the Indian corporate world and has been instrumental in building some of the most successful technology brands in the country over the past three decades. I am confident that he will be able to provide required strategic direction to take our billion dollar business to the next level of growth and expansion.”

     

    “Sanjay’s strategic and inspirational leadership skills will certainly provide strong impetus to Micromax as we pursue our aim to be the first Indian hardware brand driving success globally. He will be instrumental in building synergies for our existing international businesses and spearhead our foray into other international markets in the near future,” added Sharma.

     

    On his appointment, Kapoor said, “I am excited as an entrepreneur to be a part of the promoter group and as a professional to lead the Micromax board & management. I look forward to adding value to all stakeholders leveraging my strengths in building scale, developing brands and understanding consumers. There is a tremendous potential for Micromax, a vibrant youth brand that has led the democratization of technology for masses, offering affordable innovations to the consumers.”

     

    “Micromax is truly the new age brand that has made an indelible mark on the industry within a short time by changing the dynamics of the mobile eco-system. Proliferation in data services and cutting edge devices that make technology affordable for masses will be critical for next phase of growth and I am confident that Micromax will lead this transition,” mentioned Kapoor.

  • Anil Dua bids adieu to Hero MotoCorp

    Anil Dua bids adieu to Hero MotoCorp

    MUMBAI: Hero MotoCorp has announced the resignation of senior vice-president for marketing and sales Anil Dua.

     

    The company statement mentioned that Dua has decided to pursue an opportunity outside of the company and will continue in his current role till 24 June 2014. Dua has been with the company since 2006 and is credited with having helped the company evolve its brand after it parted ways with its 26-year-old joint venture partner Honda Motor Co. in December 2010.

     

    Commenting on the development, Hero MotoCorp managing director and chief executive Pawan Munjal said, “He played an important role in doubling of sales volumes and increasing market share during the past eight years. I thank Anil for his contributions, and wish him all the very best in his future endeavour.” 

     

    According to a statement issued by the company, the national marketing and sales functions will continue to be headed by Sanjeev Shukla and A. Srinivasu respectively. On the other hand the national dealer development and after-sales service functions will remain with Ajay Dikshitand Rajesh Mukhija, respectively.

  • Contract hires senior CDs to beef up Tata Docomo team

    Contract hires senior CDs to beef up Tata Docomo team

    MUMBAI: Contract Advertising has brought on board Abhishek Chaswal and Rupesh Sahay as VP and senior creative directors on the Tata Docomo business. Both Chaswal and Sahay will be reporting to Contract Delhi executive creative director Mayur Hola.

     

     “Rupesh and Abhishek together bring a unique blend to Contract. Chaswal has his own special blend of madness and indeed an unfettered, entrepreneurial spirit. His approach to communication is unique and media agnostic. Rupesh on the other hand is a multi-talented and supremely gifted individual. A national award winning documentary film maker, he is also a brilliant art director and one of the most responsible leaders I have come across. I am sure that together they will make Contract proud and enjoy their time here as much as Contract will enjoy having them,” said Hola.

     

    Chaswal, who joins in from Cheil was responsible for the work on Delhi Daredevils, Halonix and the Samsung TV range. With an experience of close to 14 years, Chaswal started his career in a direct marketing agency as a copywriter. Eventually he moved into main stream advertising where he worked with agencies such as Everest, Euro RSCG (now, Havas) and Leo Burnett. During the course of his career he has worked across a broad spectrum of brands such as PSI, Aaj Tak, Mortein, MakeMyTrip, Max New York Life, Voltas, Minute Maid, The Indian Express, Bilt and Tetra Pak to name a few. A well awarded creative, Chaswal’s work has received recognition in national and international advertising award shows like Goafest, New York Festivals, Adfest and The Work.

     

     “I join Contract with the hunger to realise brave ideas that work for the brand as well as for the audience and the agency; and with Ashish Chakravarty leading the creative, I am sure the journey to the sweet spot will be memorable,” said Chaswal.

     

    It’s a homecoming of sorts for Sahay for whom this is a second stint at Contract.  Sahay joins in from DDB Mudra where he was the senior CD. A graduate of the Banaras Hindu University, he has worked at McCann Erickson, Rediffusion-Y&R, Saatchi & Saatchi & RK Swamy BBDO during the course of his career. His brand roster includes Coca-Cola, Reebok, Aircel, Videocon, General Motors, Nescafe, and Domino’s Pizza to name a few. A very talented and highly awarded creative, Rupesh has won the 61st National Film Award for his short film ‘The Lost Behrupiya’.

     

     “This is my second stint at Contract and this place has always been very energetic. I am really excited to join good talented bunch of people. For me joining Contract is joining strong creative people such as Ashish Chakravarty, Vineet Mahajan and Mayur Hola,” said Sahay.

     

    Contract Advertising won the creative mandate for Tata Docomo in April. Post which the agency has made some very senior level hires to service the business which includes the hiring of Shruti Verma, who came on board last month as senior VP to head the Tata Docomo business.

  • ZenithOptimedia gets a new CEO and managing partner

    ZenithOptimedia gets a new CEO and managing partner

    MUMBAI: ZenithOptimedia has seen two major exits with Satyajit Sen and Navin Khemka moving on from the agency after eight years.

     

    Sen held the position of chief executive officer of agency while Khemka was the company’s managing partner.

     

    On their exit, ZenithOptimedia Group CEO Anupriya Acharya said, “After putting in eight years with ZenithOptimedia, Satya has decided to embrace a new challenge. We thank him for all his contributions to ZO and wish him all the very best. ZOG thanks Navin also for his contributions and wishes him well in his next assignment.”

     

    The agency has got on board Madison Pinnacle COO Dnyanada Chaudhari as the managing partner for ZenithOptimedia India and former JWT digital ECD Prasanna Kulkarni as the chief creative officer.

     

    Chaudhari will be based out of the agency’s Gurgaon office and on her appointment said, “I’m excited to be back and strongly believe in ZenithOptimedia’s Live ROI principle and am very keen on partnering marketing teams to not just look at efficiencies but to also strategically leverage alliances to drive thought leadership and brand ROI.”

     

    On her appointment, Acharya said, “Chaudhari brings with her the exact expertise needed for this role. Her diverse background across strategy, buying and media management as well as experience with large scale businesses, is especially suited to create and refresh our trading architecture and execution across all media including TV, print, radio, digital, OOH, experiential and other specialist services.”

     

     Based out of Mumbai, Kulkarni will be in-charge of creative and content marketing solutions across ZenithOptimedia, Performics, Resultrix and Newcast.

     

    Commenting on his new role, Kulkarni said, “Great opportunity to work across the focus groups like performance based marketing, content led communication solutions, and integrated campaigns with ZenithOptimedia and its divisions, extremely glad to be part of such multidisciplinary team at ZOG. I look forward to taking the organisation’s creative capabilities to the next level by elevating the bar for innovative content. I am confident we are on our way to making ZenithOptimedia, Performics, Resultrix and Newcast a stimulating place for creatives and patrons alike.

     

    On the appointment, Acharya said, “Increasingly we are finding our client requiring creative content solutions across not only online but even on integrated campaigns. Kulkarni’s role is towards driving competitive edge in our product through superior integration of creative and content solutions. In fact as we move ahead, we will be looking at getting more and more diversified talent on board.”