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Tag: Colvyn Harris

  • Colvyn Harris to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

    Colvyn Harris to be conferred with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2022

    Mumbai: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced that the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award for 2022 will be conferred on advertising veteran Colvyn Harris. This is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for his/ her outstanding contribution to the advertising industry.

     Harris has had a long and successful career in the Indian advertising industry spanning over 40 years. His career was built in one company – JWT (now Wunderman Thompson), a WPP Group company, across varied roles, across India and JWT Sri Lanka where he was managing director.  He began his career at Hindustan Thompson Associates (HTA), and went on to assume the role of CEO at Contract (now Contract Advertising), and then was designated JWT South Asia CEO.

    During his tenure he built the most formidable full-service agency, most admired for its creativity, scale and reputation. He has worked on India’s most admired brands, notably Hero, GSK- Horlicks, Boost, Citibank, Ford, Airtel, Nestlé.  He ended his career as executive director global growth & client development at JWT. He was also managing director marketing at L. Catterton Singapore, a global private equity company, part of LVMH, where his role was to help their investee companies working with the CEOs and chief marketing officers for achieving their growth and branding objectives globally.

    Harris took a lot of interest in Industry matters. He was a jury member at the Cannes Lions in 2015, in the Effectiveness Category. He was also president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in 2010 and chairman of the Goafest in 2009 and 2010. During his chairmanship, Goafest grew much faster and was recognized as the largest festival in India for celebration of creativity.

    Harris has been a speaker at London Business School, at the Wharton India Economic Summit, Spikes Asia 2010 and chairman of numerous forums, including a speaker at the World Economic Forum India. He was a WPP nominee to the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Development Council for four years. Under his leadership, JWT won several Global Awards, numerous Cannes Lions, including India’s First Grand Prix while he was CEO.

    Making the announcement, AAAI president Anupriya Acharya said, “Harris is in every sense a true pioneer and visionary. Apart from singlehandedly making JWT a top agency, he has also contributed significantly to the industry in various capacities, including as president of AAAI. He’s been a key driver and pivotal force in establishing Goafest as the largest advertising festival in India.  I am pleased to say that the entire committee was unanimous in selecting Harris as this year’s AAAI’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner. He is truly deserving of this honour.”

     For the record, the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has been a practitioner of advertising for twenty-five years and had been in the top management position; has been or continues to be an active participant in industry bodies and or made significant contributions in shaping the industry priorities which enabled the advertising industry to grow, prosper and  become more professionalized;  individual  known for his integrity, ethical practice and leadership qualities; contributed to his company/companies growth by innovative thinking and taking them in newer directions; involved in projects of social consequence which is seen as a role model for the industry at large and had been an industry veteran.

     Some of the past winners of this award include Subhas Ghosal, Alyque Padamsee, Mike Khanna, R K Swamy, Piyush Pandey, Sam Balsara, Prem Mehta, Roda Mehta, Ram Sehgal, Madhukar Kamath, Arvind Sharma and others.

  • RIP Mike Khanna: Ad man bids adieu forever

    RIP Mike Khanna: Ad man bids adieu forever

    MUMBAI: Indian ad fraternity’s father figure Mahinder K. Khanna familiar as Mike Khanna, who captained the titanic transition of Hindustan Thomson Associates (HTA) into J Walter Thomson (JWT) breathed his last on 7 June, 2015 at the age 76. Khanna had been unwell for some time.

     

    The entire business fraternity will speak highly about the numbers that he managed to secured as a leader of HTA first in Delhi and then in Mumbai but his achievements are way beyond those numbers. 

     

    Defining Khanna’s persona, HTA former national creative director Ivan Arthur writes, “And those who do not know him will have visions of a man like some others with similar achievements, men who draw attention to their success with big flourishes of the corporate wand and the abracadabra of individual style. With Mike there were no flourishes; no conjurer’s patter, no abracadabra showmanship. He almost seemed like a novice with a pack of cards, slowly dealing them out, stopping to spit-wet his fingers when suddenly you would notice: he has dealt you an ace. And then another and another. You looked in awe. And there he was, unimpressed with his own magic, intent on just dealing you those aces.”

     

    Arthur further adds in his blog, “A creative director will tell you how, on the occasion of the global CEO’s visit, her presentation was delayed by an hour, and how Mike went up to her, put his hand on her shoulder and said, Relax. This is not the end of the world. I could have kissed him then, she said. But I went about getting the job done. An office manager narrates how on his wife’s birthday, he had invited Mike home for dinner, at which he demonstrated the five-finger-and-palm bhangra clap.”

     

    In 2005 Khanna decided to hang up his professional boots and was replaced by Colvyn Harris as JWT India’s CEO. In January 2015, following Harris’ appointment as executive director for global growth and client development Tarun Rai was handed over the post of CEO of J. Walter Thompson South Asia.

     

    Under Khanna’s leadership, HTA represented some of India’s biggest brands like Hero, Pepsi, several Unilever brands, and Air India.

     

    “The freedom to try and fail. A strong sense of self-worth, fairness, integrity, leadership, challenge, A sense of fun. Aces that they hold close to their chest. Aces that have led them to where they are today. Many are now happily retired and a good number are CEOs, chairmen of companies and leaders in their fields. They are all of them echoing one line, I am what I am today because of Mike,” concludes Arthur.

     

    We at Indiantelevision.com deeply mourn the passing away of this maverick ad man. RIP Mike Khanna (1939 – 2015).

     

  • JWT India announces leadership changes

    JWT India announces leadership changes

    MUMBAI: After an excellent show at Cannes Lion this year, JWT has announced leadership changes across the agency’s key offices in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Sri Lanka.

     

    JWT south head Rajesh Gangwani has been appointed as JWT Mumbai senior VP and managing partner effective immediately.

     

    JWT group companies Colombo president Himanshu Saxena will succeed Gangwani as JWT south senior VP and managing partner.

     

    Joy Chauhan will be taking over from Saxena as JWT group of companies Colombo president.

     

    Announcing their appointment, JWT south Asia CEO Colvyn Harris said, “Rajesh and Himanshu are both dynamic leaders with strong connections to the markets, the consumers and the clients. By leveraging their strengths and strategic insights, JWT is uniquely positioned to maximise growth in these critical markets.”

     

    “Having successfully established brands like Pepsi foods, Nestle and more recently Airtel, Joy’s move to Sri Lanka will help develop his career further. He has managed large teams and big brands and that experience will hold him good stead. JWT Colombo is one of the most admired agencies in Sri Lanka and that will continue under Joy’s leadership,” he added.

     

    It’s a homecoming for Gangwani, who joined JWT Mumbai as a management trainee in 1991 and worked on Hindustan Unilever, and other Mumbai clients. He was later transferred to Bengaluru in2002 and has been leading the office since January 2008 and later as head of south, since 2011.

     

    JWT India NCD Tista Sen will be Gangwani’s creative partner and together they complete the leadership team at JWT Mumbai.

     

    “I look forward to my second innings in Mumbai and to the opportunity of leading our flagship office. Having been part of some amazing journeys on brands like Nike, Levi’s, Madura, Lifestyle and others, it’s going to be exciting times ahead.  Mumbai has a great portfolio of brands, a fabulous client mix and a fantastic talent pool,” said Gangwani.   

     

    With 22 years of experience in advertising, branding, consumer research and sales, Saxena comes in with diverse experience of leading brands, offices and cross functional teams. As head of the JWT Group in Sri Lanka, Saxena was overseeing JWT and the recently set up Contract advertising.

     

    “In our 150th year JWT India has reached great heights of achievement.  It is both an honour as well as a huge responsibility to lead a region as dynamic as JWT south. I look forward to carrying on the good work and pushing the bar higher. Leading JWT Sri Lanka was truly an enriching experience and I am glad to move on to the next professional assignment after three years in Colombo,” said Saxena.

     

    JWT India NCD Senthil Kumar will continue to lead JWT south and Kolkata as Saxena’s creative partner.

     

    “It is an immensely exciting opportunity for me to be a part of a great legacy like JWT Sri Lanka. To be a part of a growing market like Sri Lanka, is the high that I really wanted at this point in my career. Armed with the rich experience of some of the best national and international brands like, Pepsi foods, Nestle, Hero and Airtel, I feel my learning will help me grow the brands and businesses at JWT Sri Lanka. JWT will continue to shine,” says Chauhan on his move to Sri Lanka.

  • Rana Barua promoted as the CEO of Contract Advertising

    Rana Barua promoted as the CEO of Contract Advertising

    Mumbai: Rana Barua has been elevated as the CEO of Contract India.

     

    Rana who is currently travelling will take charge with immediate effect.

     

    His elevation as the CEO is in recognition of the stability and growth that Contract has had in the last one year.  He has been able to successfully build a team of some of the finest talent in the industry, along with winning several new businesses for the agency and enhancing existing client relations.

     

    Announcing the development, JWT South Asia CEO Colvyn Harris said, “In Rana, we have a leader who has very ably carried the mantle of leading Contract to a renewed position of power that has made the agency a destination of choice for brands and talent.”

     

    Over the last twelve months, Rana has driven Contract’s diversification across mainstream, digital, design and other platforms of engagement marketing to ensure the best value proposition for clients.

  • JWT Mindset gets new leadership team

    JWT Mindset gets new leadership team

    NEW DELHI: MUMBAI: JWT South Asia has announced two major changes in the leadership at the JWT Mindset, Hyderabad. JWT South Asia CEO, Colvyn Harris announced that MD Santha John will be taking up an advisory role as Chairman Emeritus and Ram Gedela will be taking over as a head of JWT Mindset effective from 1 January, 2014.

    Santha John is an industry veteran with over 30 years of experience. She established Mindset Advertising. along with Ram Gedela in 1998 that grew into one of the most awarded agencies across Hyderabad’s key sectors. JWT acquired a majority stake in Mindset Advertising in 2011 and was renamed as JWT Mindset.

    Before setting up Mindset, John was the senior vice-president at Saatchi & Saatchi, Hyderabad.

    Ram Gedela was 31 when he co-founded Mindset. Gedela has a senior management degree from IIM Calcutta. He was formerly group account manager, Saatchi & Saatchi, Delhi; and headed the account management team on prestigious clients such as Panasonic and the DuPont brands.

    Announcing this, Colvyn Harris said, “In recognition of her contribution in bringing JWT Mindset to the forefront and making it a leading advertising agency in the South of India, Santha will continue her association with JWT in an advisory role. It’s been a pleasure working with Santha over the years, as she has partnered us comprehensively in the growth of JWT. I would like to thank her for helping us spread our footprint in this region and her contribution to our success.”

    JWT Mindset consists of a team of 47 people and offers a full-service range of creative services, strategic planning and execution in digital, print and television. Its major clients include Airtel (AP& Kerala), ADP, Broadridge Financial Solutions, Coromandel International, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, Food Fats & Fertilizers, Gati, HIL, HSBC, Oakridge Group, PHI Seeds, Videocon and LOT Mobiles amongst others.

  • JWT to host Portfolio Night 11 in Mumbai

    MUMBAI: JWT India will be hosting Portfolio Night 11, a platform to nurture young talent in the industry in Mumbai. The event gives them an opportunity to showcase their ideas to the most creative minds of the country.

    Portfolio Night is an annual property of ‘IHAVEANIDEA’, the creative founders and the world’s first and largest community of the international advertising industry.

    This year the event is scheduled to take place simultaneously in over 20 cities on the same date across the world, including Athens, Austin, Beijing, Boston, Costa Rica, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, Paris, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Tokyo and Toronto. It will be held on 22 May. This is the fourth year that the event is taking place in India.

    JWT South Asia CEO Colvyn Harris said, “We are delighted to host Portfolio Night 11 and would like it to be an entry point for unleashing creativity in the new world order. Portfolio Night is an ideal platform that identifies and recognizes fresh creative talent and offers them a unique opportunity of getting mentored and nurtured by the best in the advertising fraternity. This is also the perfect opportunity for industry experts to give back to the industry, by guiding aspiring young creatives and helping them carve a niche for themselves.”

    JWT India chief creative officer and managing partner Bobby Pawar said, “JWT India has always encouraged budding talent and Portfolio Night 11 is a platform that celebrates creativity. It is a brilliant opportunity for us to unite the advertising and design communities as the next generation of creative talent makes an exciting foray into the industry.”

    Portfolio Night director of content and communications Brianna Graves said, “Portfolio Night is thrilled to have JWT representing Mumbai on the global stage that will be highlighted in May during #PN11. We expect JWT to execute an amazing event that supports the young creative community in Mumbai and allows its best creative leadership to give back to the industry and nurture the advertising leaders of tomorrow.”

    Portfolio Night 11 is open to young creative professionals from advertising, digital and design agencies and also senior students of art colleges. JWT India will viral the promotional campaign through broadcast and digital medium. Participants will need to register on their respective city’s page on the Portfolio Night website.

  • Rana Barua joins Contract Advertising as COO

    MUMBAI: Rana Barua, the former Chief operating officer (COO) of Law and Kenneth, has joined Contract Advertising India in the same position.

    Barua succeeds Umesh Shrikhande, who recently left to pursue other opportunities. He will partner the senior leadership team at Contract to ensure the best value proposition for clients.

    JWT South Asia CEO Colvyn Harris said, “Rana has diverse management experience with a proven track record that makes him an ideal choice for Contract, one of India‘s leading independent integrated advertising agencies. I am confident that Rana with his experience across advertising and integrated brand solutions will ensure that Contract continues to be a very successful agency.”

    Barua said, “I am excited with the opportunity of being a part of the Contract story. It is a wonderful time for our industry as it continues to evolve so rapidly. Contract is uniquely positioned to take advantage of this and I am confident I will be able to facilitate this process by partnering with the senior management team.”

    In his 19 years of experience Barua has served varied roles like COO of RED FM and the head of marketing for Radio City where he successfully repositioned the radio station to make it amongst the top two stations in the country.

    He started his career in advertising having worked at HTA (JWT), Ogilvy, McCann and Y&R. His category experience includes working with brands like Renault, eBay, ING Life, Godrej, Reckitt Benckiser, J&J, Gillette Parker, Microsoft, HP, Tata Tea, Zydus Cadila, Levers, Tata AIG & AIA, Marico, Virgin Atlantic, and ITC.

  • JWT appoints Mohit Hira as SVP & regional biz director

    Mumbai: JWT India has appointed Mohit Hira as SVP and regional business director. He will be based in Delhi.

    Hira has joined from NIIT where he was the chief marketing officer for their retail individual training businesses and the recently launched NIIT University.

    JWT South Asia CEO Colvyn Harris said, “Mohit’s proficiency in creative, content and strategic planning skills and his experience as a brand custodian will work towards creating a great value proposition for our clients. His strong creative and digital capabilities make Mohit a great asset for JWT.”

    Hira brings with him 26 years of diverse experience in advertising, marketing, print and digital media. He has also worked with The Times of India Group with ET and Navbharat Times and later went on to become the director of Times Internet.

    Before joining the corporate world, he was with Contract Advertising (Kolkata and Delhi) and DDB Needham (Oman) where he had creative, account planning and business responsibilities.

  • Colvyn Harris is named JWT South Asia CEO

    MUMBAI: JWT India CEO Colvyn Harris has been elevated to South Asia (India, Sri Lanka and Nepal) chief executive officer.

    He will report to JWT Worldwide chairman and CEO Bob Jeffrey.

    Harris will take on added responsibilities of JWT‘s India operations, including Contract Advertising, Hungama Digital Services, JWT Mindset and Encompass.

    The agency has also promoted JWT director – North Asia Area and CEO- Greater China Tom Doctoroff to take the role of JWT Asia Pacific (APAC) CEO at the end of this year. In his new role, he will oversee Northeast and Southeast Asia, as well as Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand.

    According to the statement, the leadership restructure reflects Asia‘s growing global importance, and underscore JWT‘s commitment to the region‘s diverse and vibrant markets.

    Doctoroff and Harris will succeed Michael Maedel in the restructured region. Maedel will move into the role of non-executive chairman for Asia.

    Jeffrey says, “Tom and Colvyn are both dynamic leaders with strong connections to the markets, the consumers and the clients. By leveraging the strengths and strategic insights of these two very talented people, JWT is uniquely positioned to maximise growth in this critical and dynamic region.”

    These changes come at a time when JWT APAC continues to gather “greater” momentum. The company has also deepened the scope and scale of the services it offers in the market, from digital to shopper marketing, through organic growth and acquisitions.

    Doctoroff says, “I am very excited to build on JWT‘s past accomplishments across Asia Pacific. We are in the midst of a revolution of consumer empowerment. I look forward to working with client partners in this fast-changing region to find new synergies between classic brand building and next-stage consumer engagement in the digital era.”

    The restructuring also reflects a renewed focus on India by JWT Worldwide. JWT employs over 1,500 people in India, more than any other single market worldwide, and earns a significant amount of revenue from this critical, high-growth country, the company statement read.

    “We will continue to build and acquire the most diversified platforms to deliver on the market ambitions of the clients we service, thereby further consolidating our leadership position. Brands are the center of our focus, and with our skills and capabilities we deliver marketing solutions across the most diverse of offerings to meet the challenges of the dynamic markets we operate in. This new development ensures that our clients continue to have greater access to the best of our services and talent, not only in the country, but across South Asia,” Harris added.

    Maedel, who will remain in Singapore, will work with Doctoroff and Harris in an advisory role until he retires 2014.

    Harris, who has 33 years at JWT, continues to lead the advertising agency as CEO South Asia. He has held various industry leadership roles, including president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India.

  • JWT wins Louis Philippe’s creative biz

    JWT wins Louis Philippe’s creative biz

    MUMBAI: JWT India has won the creative mandate of apparel brand Louis Philippe following a multi-agency pitch.

    This win consolidates two of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle (MFL) brands, Louis Philippe and Van Heusen, under the same roof.

    The account will be serviced from JWT‘s Bangalore office.

    JWT India CEO Colvyn Harris said, “The business was awarded to JWT based on a strong strategic recommendation and a sharp point of view on positioning the brand in the competitive premium branded apparel market. This win deepens our relationship with one of our most admired clients and is testimony to the confidence they have in JWT. We are very proud of this win.”

    JWT Bangalore has been handling Van Heusen with sub brands like Van Heusen for Women and club wear offering V. for over a decade. Louis Philippe is another addition to the agency‘s roster of brands that include Nike, Lifestyle and Denizen (from Levi‘s) and Kingfisher.