MUMBAI: It is a big day for the MSLGROUP. The strategic communications and engagement consultancy of Publicis Groupe, and the largest brand and reputation advisory network in Europe, Greater China, India and Asia overall has announced 16 new hires in Asia. The new appointments have been made within corporate advisory and reputation management, marketing communications, financial communications, public affairs and social engagement across Greater China, India and Singapore.
Some of the key appointments include Amit Misra as the executive vice president and director of public affairs, MSLGROUP in Delhi; Rekha Rao has been hired as general manager, 20:20 MSL in Mumbai; Gaurav Trivedi will be working as a managing director, CNC in Delhi; Lusha Niu has been appointed at the position of director of Financial Communications and Corporate Advisory, MSLGROUP in Shanghai; Lan Jie will be working as director of Marketing Communications, MSLGROUP in Shanghai; April Chang will be taking the charge as director of Learning & People Development, MSLGROUP in Taipei; Fu Yumei has been hired as senior associate director of Healthcare, MSLGROUP in Singapore.
The appointments were planned much in advance, informs MSLGROUP Group CEO Jaideep Shergill. “Since our annual year begins from January, we wanted to be all set for the New Year. In these two months, the new hires will get enough time to get a hang of how we function and they will be ready to take complete charge of their responsibilities by the time the annual year begins,” says Shergill, also informing that most of the positions have been specially created in order to make an efficient progress.
In fact, Shergill adds that some of the appointments like Amit Misra and Rekha Rao are the senior most appointments at MSLGROUP in many years. “Plus, all the appointments are in different sections of the company and the new hires would be working out of different locations like Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai, which would add to our growth as we will be capturing different markets,” he says.
In his new role, Amit Misra will serve as the overall market leader for MSLGROUP in Delhi and the practice leader for Public Affairs across India. In addition, he will work in close conjunction with 20:20 MSL in Delhi for business development, talent training, key client relationship management, and providing public affairs counseling to clients.
Amit is a seasoned communications professional with over 18 years of experience spanning corporate and consulting roles in several international agencies, and is experienced in leading operations, building portfolio of marquee clients, and strengthening the company’s strategic communications practice.
Jaideep Shergill-MSL
Shergill says that they have observed that Delhi is a very potential market and thus they needed somebody with enough experience to grow in the region. “Amit would do just that,” he says.
Rekha Rao would take up responsibilities that include operational performance, growth, profitability, talent management and client engagement. Rekha has over 17 years experience and specialises in FMCG, consumer and lifestyle PR and she has the distinction of working with global giants like Unilever & P&G. She has also managed PR campaigns for major MNCs like Monsanto (BT Cotton Seeds), Revlon, Porsche, and Right Choice. Rekha’s work has also been awarded. She has 6 India SABREs and AFAQS awards in her kitty.
The advantage for the company is that, Rao also has a strong creative background, having spent 12 years with advertisement agencies such as Leo Burnett, Lowe and Triton. “Rekha comes from a non-technology background and would really help us grow. 20:20 MSL was a tech PR agency till sometime back and thus most of the employees on board are from a technological background. Now that the focus of the company has changed, we needed somebody from the consumer background and Rekha is just apt for that position,” says Shergill.
Hitesh Malhotra would be responsible for managing the social media marketing portfolio to develop integrated communications and engagement strategy for the online community. Prior to joining MSLGROUP, he worked at MakeMyTrip.com with social media marketing.
Rahul Lakhpati has over 12 years experience in public relations and journalism, specialising in strategic communications and content-focused storytelling. Prior to joining MSLGROUP, Rahul has worked at several international agencies and Lokmat, one of the largest Indian daily newspapers as a Sub Editor and Reporter.
The company has hired Madhavi Mukherjee for its Bengaluru office and they are really looking forward to grow with this new recruit. Madhavi has 10 years of professional experience, specialising in providing advisory in marketing communication and branding, media verticals, CSR strategies and digital communications. Prior to this role, Madhavi worked for MSLGROUP in India as well as other communications agencies.
MSLGROUP Asia president Glenn Osaki said in a press release: “Our strategy of bringing together the region’s best-in-class agencies across multiple disciplines has created a highly dynamic network to drive change in our industry. Our high-value strategic communications advisory, award-winning experiential, 360-degree marketing, digital and creative hubs, and integrated solutions in tandem with our investment in career development programs have set the standard in Asia. We are happy to see that the region’s top talent from diverse backgrounds including advertising, strategic consultancy, public affairs, and social media and digital marketing, have chosen to join the MSLGROUP family.”
