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Tag: creative

  • Havas Worldwide India ropes in Nikhil Guha & Neeraj Toor as group creative directors

    Havas Worldwide India ropes in Nikhil Guha & Neeraj Toor as group creative directors

    Mumbai: Havas Worldwide India, the creative arm of Havas Group India, has further strengthened its creative team with the appointment of Nikhil Guha and Neeraj Toor as group creative directors.

    The agency recently announced the appointment of Anupama Ramaswamy as its chief creative officer. The two new appointments demonstrate Havas Worldwide India’s commitment to consistently strengthening its team to make a more meaningful difference to its clients, said the agency in a statement.

    Both Nikhil and Neeraj will report to Anupama, who will join the agency in October 2022.

    Speaking about the appointments, Havas Group India chairman and chief creative officer Bobby Pawar said, “Nikhil and Neeraj embody the kind of creatives who are perfect for what we’re building—a brand-thinking-led, digital-first creative company. Both are strong idea people who are very comfortable with the craft and nuances of traditional and non-traditional media. Also, it doesn’t hurt that they are fun to hang out with. I’m sure they, along with their teams, will help Anupama achieve her goal of putting out great work.”

    With over 14 years of experience, Nikhil joins Havas Worldwide India from McCann Worldgroup. This is Nikhil’s second stint with the agency; he has also worked with Publicis India and Contract Advertising in the past. Over the course of his career, he has worked on well-known brands such as Nescafe, Zomato, Maggi, SpiceJet, MakeMyTrip, and Nokia, to name a few. His work has also received a plethora of global and local awards, including a Bronze Lion at Cannes Lions, a Gold and Grand Prix at the APAC Effies, as well as numerous Effies and Abbys. In fact, his campaign “No Child Bride” for Child Survival India won Havas Worldwide India a Bronze metal at Cannes Lions in 2014.

    Neeraj, who has over 13 years of experience, is a digital specialist and has worked in agencies including Dentsu Webchutney and Cheil India in the past. He has worked on leading brands including Samsung, Adidas, Canon, PVR, Adani, and Maruti Suzuki, among others. He was responsible for launching pharmacy brand Zeno Health in Mumbai and Pune with a campaign called Rahat ki Goli. He has won numerous awards for his work, including DMA Asia Echo Awards and the Abbys. He joins Havas Worldwide from Dentsu Impact.

  • Thought Blurb Communications elevates Renu Somani to national creative director

    Thought Blurb Communications elevates Renu Somani to national creative director

    Mumbai: Thought Blurb Communications, a full-service advertising and design agency helmed by Vinod Kunj, has announced the elevation of Renu Somani to national creative director. After steadily guiding the direction of the creative product of Thought Blurb Communications for the last ten years, Somani will now take over as the creative head at the agency from being the executive creative director.

    Renu holds more than 18 years of experience with creative departments of advertising agencies like Ambience Publicis, McCann Erickson and Saatchi & Saatchi and has worked for brands like Parachute Hair Oil, Savlon Soap, and ICICI Home Loans. At Thought Blurb, she has led creative communications for brands like Parle-G, Parle Marie, Parle 20-20, Vero Moda, Reliance Digital, Radio Mirchi, and Viacom 18, to name a few.

    Renu began her career as an art director before switching seamlessly into her role as a writer after joining Thought Blurb. She brings her combined talents in art, copy, scripting, and audio-visual media to bear on a 360-degree execution in traditional, electronic, and digital media. Renu now takes charge of managing the creative products of the company that has a presence in Mumbai and Kochi. She will be overseeing a diverse team of creative talent in these cities, helping in the development of brands across the country and also in planning the creative strategy for new clients here.

    Speaking on her new role, Renu Somani stated, “I have a degree in art, but writing comes as naturally to me as breathing. I believe I paint stories with my words. The creative industry is shape-shifting and each day a new avatar is being created. My mandate will be to give shape and voice and texture and personality to the avatar that we at Thought Blurb would like to give ourselves. We are known to nurture great talent, and I’d like to build on that tradition and get the team to come up with ideas that reflect the zeitgeist of the times.”

    Speaking about the appointment, Thought Blurb Communications founder and chief creative officer Vinod Kunj stated, “Renu is an extremely instinctive and creative person. She can pick up a castaway idea from a brainstorming session and polish it to perfection. We are a very close-knit unit, and we cherry-pick the brands we work with. In the process, we have built great case studies for some of India’s biggest brands. Renu will now work with her team and create campaigns that make a meaningful difference to those brands in the international markets.”

    Somani’s work has been recognised over the years by several Indian and international industry award bodies. She has also been a finalist at the One Show, Cannes, and Adfest Awards. She has won awards at the Abbys, D&AD Kyoorius, Golden Mikes, and Radio Mirchi Kaan Awards. Most recently, she won the IAA Awards for her work on Parle G. Her work has also been featured in the Communication Arts Guild magazine.

  • BBH India elevates Priya Gurnani & Arvind Menon as executive creative directors

    BBH India elevates Priya Gurnani & Arvind Menon as executive creative directors

    Mumbai: BBH India, a Publicis Groupe agency announced the elevation of Priya Gurnani & Arvind Menon as executive creative directors. Priya and Arvind have been senior creative directors and will continue to report to BBH India’s chief creative officer & CEO, Russell Barrett.

    With over 15 years of experience, Priya specialises in building creative communication that is at the intersection of brands, culture and consumer behaviour. In the past, she has worked with Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, McCann Worldwide and has created culture-defining work for brands like Stayfree, Yatra.com, Heineken, Kingfisher Ultra, Amstel and Zee5. Most recently, she conceptualised and wrote the lyrics to a rap song for the entertainment channel – Zing’s Apni Vibe Apni Tribe campaign. In 2009, she was amongst the winners of the Cannes Young Lions.

    Armed with 13 years of experience, Arvind also led the creative team at Publicis Emil as a senior creative director. With diverse experience, including a stint at a media agency, Arvind specialises in building medium-agnostic integrated campaigns. In the past, he has worked on brands like Mercedes, Frooti, Axe, Burger King, Aditya Birla Capital, Heinz, TRESemmé, Surf and Taj Mahal Tea. Arvind’s work has been awarded locally and internationally at forums including Kyoorius, AMES and Campaign Asia Digital Crest. He has represented India as a student at Cannes, and a young competitor at Spikes.

    BBH India CCO & CEO Russell Barrett said, “It’s always great to welcome brilliant talent to key leadership positions, but it’s even better when that talent is promoted from within.”

    Priya is a highly talented creative leader with a sharp and curious mind, great maturity and a clear vision for the kind of work both she and BBH want to produce. She has already proved an invaluable contributor by leading the PWW Bangalore creative team in the past.”

    “Arvind is an amazing new age creative thinker who led the creative mandate on Emil before joining the BBH team. He comes with rich knowledge of the digital and creative tech landscape and is the perfect fit for BBH’s Modern India’s Fame Factory philosophy,” he continued.

    “Both Priya and Arvind are “Good and Nice” and I’m convinced they will add significantly to BBH’s creative output. The creative leadership at BBH India is now fully in place and set to take the next giant leap forward,” Barett added.

    Priya Gurnani added, “I am looking forward to embodying and enjoying this new role. BBH has always been a place where ‘Outstanding is the norm’, and that applies to the work we do and the culture we have. As I continue my journey at BBH, I hope to zag for years to come.”

    Arvind Menon added, “I’m equal parts honoured, excited and terrified. BBH has an undeniably rich culture of creative excellence. And I know it’s only work that can help climb up to those rarefied heights. So I’m just going to focus on that.”

  • Sumanto Chattopadhyay to move on from 82.5 Communications

    Sumanto Chattopadhyay to move on from 82.5 Communications

    Mumbai: 82.5 Communications chairman and chief creative officer Sumanto Chattopadhyay will be retiring later this month after having been with the Ogilvy Group for 30 years, the network has announced. The company said in a statement that Sumanto’s journey with Ogilvy and then in setting up 82.5 was nothing short of excellence, and he leaves behind several proteges and a robust collection of awards from Indian and international platforms.

    Anuraag Khandelwal and Mayur Varma will take on the creative leadership role as joint chief creative officers, 82.5 Communications India. Both Anuraag and Mayur are home-grown leaders—seeped in the Ogilvy group culture, part of the 82.5 founding team, with a body of internationally and nationally acclaimed work to show.

    Ogilvy chairman global creative & executive chairman India Piyush Pandey said, “Sumanto Chattopadhyay has spent 30 glorious years with Ogilvy and 82.5 and retires after a well-played, long innings. Sumanto leaves with blessings and good wishes from all of us at Ogilvy and 82.5.”

    He added, “I am delighted to announce the appointment of two new CCOs who will work together to keep 82.5 shining. Mayur Varma and Anuraag Khandelwal are experienced and Ogilvy-trained creative stars who have received international and national recognition for their phenomenal creative work over the years. I am happy that Sumanto leaves behind a solid creative leadership for 82.5.”

    82.5 Communications India chairman & chief creative officer Sumanto Chattopadhyay said, “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the adventure called Ogilvy, including its 82.5 chapter. Now it’s time for me to seek new adventures. It’s good to know that I can pass the baton to capable hands. Mayur has grown up under me in Ogilvy Kolkata, then Mumbai, and finally at 82.5. It’s wonderful to see him come into his own. Anuraag is a fabulously creative person who has done 82.5 proud with his work and will, no doubt, shine brighter now. Kapil, my co-chairman, is a man for all seasons. With this leadership, the agency has a great future. My warmest wishes to them, to 82.5 and to all my colleagues past and present.”  

    82.5 Communications India co-chairman and chief executive officer Kapil Arora added, “I’ve had the privilege of being Sumanto’s partner these last three years and have much to thank him for, including helping build 82.5 Communications into a formidable agency in such a short period of time.  Sumanto is well known for grooming fantastic leaders throughout his career. As is the case with Anuraag Khandelwal and Mayur Varma, they are two of the best new-age, open and fearless creative leaders, and I can’t wait for them to bring their ideas, energy, and creative vision for the future of 82.5 Communications to life.”

    “We are super excited to be given the India responsibility of 82.5! Our endeavour is to work towards creating a more collaborative, creative and empathetic culture for our clients and us. With work that is both loved and fearless,” said Anuraag Khandelwal and Mayur Varma.

  • Dentsu Creative India appoints Ajeet Shukla as group executive creative director

    Dentsu Creative India appoints Ajeet Shukla as group executive creative director

    Mumbai: Dentsu Creative India on Wednesday announced the appointment of Ajeet Shukla as group executive creative director. He will report to Taproot Dentsu and Isobar India chief creative officer Aalap Desai.

    In his new role, Shukla will drive Dentsu Creative’s global proposition to transform brands and businesses through the power of ‘Modern Creativity’ in the western region of the country. His focus will be to breathe life into the best possible creative solutions that are strongly anchored in culture, innovation, and technology, said the agency in a statement.

    Prior to this, Shukla was with Publicis India as executive creative director. In his professional journey so far, Shukla has worked with brands like IPL, ZEE, Disney+ Hotstar, TATA Salt, Ferrero Rocher, Heineken, Amstel, Skoda, Aegon Life, TATA AIG, HDFC MF, HDFC Bank, BPCL, Mak Lubricant, CHINGS, ZEE5, Dish TV, Emami Navratna, Ghadi, among others.

    With more than 16 years of experience, Ajeet has won many national and international awards like Abbys, Kyoorius, Mirchi Kaan, Effies, Adfest, Promax Asia, to name a few. In addition to this, some of his notable works include IPL’s “Bulavaa aaya hai,” Aegon Life’s “Aegon toh tension gone,” Champions Tennis League’s “Tennis Ball,” Tata Salt’s “Namak ki baat,” Sony Six’s “Har koi six lagayega,” and ZEE5’s “Dekhte reh jaogey.”

    Speaking on the appointment, Aalap Desai said, “Right now, Dentsu Creative is a wonderful work in progress. It is at this time when you need the right people to join in and add to it. Ajeet fits that profile on every count. His body of work is brilliant, and his attitude and love for business are contagious. I am glad to have him on board for the journey.”

    Shukla added, “The bigger the challenge, the bigger the opportunity. And I am thrilled to take this opportunity in this role. It would really be amazing to work in such a great creative environment filled with the best of the creative minds in the industry. I really look forward to doing some great work here.”

    Dentsu Creative India was recently declared the ‘Agency of The Year’ at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2022-a first-ever for India. It also lifted a Titanium for the country for its ‘Unfiltered History Tour (UHT)’ campaign in addition to bagging three Grand Prix—another first, two Gold Lions and three Silver Lions—making UHT the most awarded work not only from India but globally.

  • Havas Worldwide India names Dentsu’s Anupama Ramaswamy as chief creative officer

    Havas Worldwide India names Dentsu’s Anupama Ramaswamy as chief creative officer

    Mumbai: Havas Worldwide India on Wednesday announced the appointment of Anupama Ramaswamy as its chief creative officer. She comes on board to further catapult the creative transformation of the agency, which has seen unparalleled business growth over the last three years. Anupama’s last stint was with Dentsu Impact, where she was working as the managing partner and national creative director.

    Ravinder Siwach, who has been leading the creative mandate of Havas Worldwide India as executive director and national creative director, is moving on to pursue new opportunities. He will be with the agency till October 2022.

    Ramaswamy will be reporting to Havas Group India chairman and chief creative officer Bobby Pawar, and will begin her new role at the agency effective October 2022. She will also work closely with Havas Worldwide India managing director Manas Lahiri.

    Ramaswamy will be based out of the agency’s Gurgaon office, overlooking the complete client roster of both Gurgaon and Mumbai offices that have witnessed tremendous business growth over the last three years. This includes some of the biggest global and Indian brands, including Reckitt, Dabur, Tata Group, P&G, Stellantis, Vivo, Aegon Life, Fortis, Suzuki, UTI Mutual Fund, Celio, William Grant, amongst others. In 2021 alone, Havas Worldwide India garnered over 30 per cent growth across its Mumbai and Gurgaon offices on the back of significant business wins, resulting in it being consistently ranked in the top three in the R3 New Business League Creative Agency list.

    Through her career, Ramaswamy has worked with some of the leading agencies in India and several marquee global and indigenous brands across sectors, including Maruti Suzuki, Ikea, Vivo, Paytm, Subway, Tata Tea Digital, Samsung Mobiles, Airtel, Dabur, Lacoste, Whirlpool and many more. Her recent campaigns, which include the Paytm Divide and Chotu, made her win the One Show, a couple of Spikes, New York Festivals and also featured as one of the Impact Creative Stars ’21.

    During her stint at JWT Delhi as senior creative director, Ramaswamy led the Delhi office to its first Cannes Lions and Clio Gold. She has also been a recipient of some of the most coveted awards, including Cannes Lions, Clio, Adfest, New York Festivals, Abbys, Effies, Spikes, Global Healthcare Awards, IAA Awards, and The One Show, and her work for FujiFilm has been featured in the prestigious Gunn Report as one of the top 20 most awarded print campaigns in the world. She has been on the jury of several prestigious awards, like The One Show, and the grand jury at AME Awards and New York Festivals.

    “We have steadily been building Havas Worldwide into a company that embodies Yannick Bollore’s ‘Together’ philosophy. Where skill sets from the old world and new work seamlessly and harmoniously. This and the rising standard of our work have made us the fastest growing agency. Now is the time for our work to take a giant leap. And I can’t think of a better person to lead this than Anupama. She is a hugely talented creative with a heap of awards and great work to prove it. But the one talent of hers that I value the most is her ability to nurture a culture that makes people and their ideas better. She is a team player and fits right into our philosophy. And I believe she will be a leader who will usher not just Havas but also our industry into the future,” said Bobby Pawar.

    Talking about her new role, Ramaswamy said, “The complete resurgence of Havas Group India has made it one of the most sought-after networks. The group has been working in an integrated manner long before other agencies had even thought about it. So, the opportunity to work with Bobby again, who is an institution in his own right, along with Rana’s overall vision for the network, drew me in to be part of this unprecedented growth story. But what excites me the most is the task bestowed upon me by Bobby and Rana-to induce a new and fresh creative culture.”

    Speaking about Ravinder’s exit, Bobby said, “Ravinder has played a key role in the resurgence of Havas Worldwide. However, he has been chomping at the bit to do other things, many beyond advertising, for a while. Which means his journey with us is over while another one begins. We all wish him the best in his new adventures.”

    Ravinder Siwach said, “The reputation that Havas Worldwide India has built over the last three years is truly inspirational. Being part of this growth journey was an enriching experience. I thank Rana, Bobby and the entire team at Havas Worldwide India for their tremendous support and wish them luck for the journey ahead.”

  • Wunderman Thompson North America names Tom Murphy as chief creative officer

    Wunderman Thompson North America names Tom Murphy as chief creative officer

    Mumbai: Creative talent Tom Murphy will join Wunderman Thompson North America as chief creative officer, the agency has announced. He will report to CEO Audrey Melofchik. Wunderman Thompson’s global chief creative officer, Bas Korsten, has been acting as NA CCO for most of 2022.

    Known for his track record of creative excellence that drove McCann’s most celebrated work of the past decade, including the iconic “Fearless Girl,” Murphy has spent 16 years at McCann, most recently as North American CCO, and has influenced creative talent and effective work over the course of his career. His work has impacted brands including Verizon, Mastercard, Microsoft, Ulta Beauty, Lysol, Mucinex, MGM Resorts, NY Lottery, USPS, and HomeGoods.

    “Wunderman Thompson has such a massive breadth of capabilities. When those capabilities meet creativity, they become superpowers,” said Tom Murphy. “From my earliest conversations with Audrey and Bas, I sensed their ambition for the future of Wunderman Thompson North America. On our first call, I underlined two key words in my notebook: ambition and creativity. I could immediately tell we value the same things and will achieve great things together.”

    During Murphy’s tenure at McCann, he oversaw some of the most talked about and award-winning ideas of the past decade, ranging from “Fearless Girl” for State Street Global Advisors, the “True Name” campaign for Mastercard, “Universal Love” for MGM Resorts, “Generation Lockdown” for March for our Lives, and “Changing the Game” for Microsoft – which centred on the brand’s adaptive Xbox controller that makes gaming accessible to players with disabilities. He originally joined McCann as a group creative director in 2004, from DDB Chicago, where he worked on top brands like McDonald’s, Budweiser, and Bud Light.

    “Growth challenges facing clients today require an agency partner steeped in expertise across their entire ecosystem with creative firepower to ignite it in completely new ways,” said Audrey Melofchik, who became CEO of Wunderman Thompson North America in 2021. “From the moment I met Tom, I knew he was the perfect partner to lead Wunderman Thompson NA as we blaze a trail of inspiring creativity and growth with our client partners. He is an amazing thinker, leader, and human being.”

    “Tom coming on board is a testament to our future-forward creative ambitions for clients that we have as Wunderman Thompson in North America, as well as globally. He has proven himself as a powerful and inspiring creative leader that can impact business and culture,” said Wunderman Thompson global chief creative officer Bas Korsten. “I really can’t wait to see how Tom is going to inspire our ambitious clients and our people. He is the real deal.”

    Beyond Tom’s appointment, Wunderman Thompson has been building out its bench of talent with the additions of FCB’s business development leader, Wunderman Thompson North America chief growth officer Laura Cona; Wunderman Thompson New York BBDO ECD Susan Golkin; Swift (a Wunderman Thompson Company) chief creative officer, BBH LA creative lead Ned McNeilage and Inclusive Design global head Josh Loebner. Earlier this year, they acquired influencer agency, Village Marketing.

    Wunderman Thompson North America is enjoying momentum with a series of new business wins, including Snap and Courvoisier, while expanding its portfolio of work for Pfizer, Samsung, and Walgreens. In June, Wunderman Thompson was awarded the first BtoB Grand Prix at Cannes for Sherwin-Williams Speaking in Color, a voice-activated AI color system.

  • Langoor ropes in Ferzad Variyava as chief creative officer

    Langoor ropes in Ferzad Variyava as chief creative officer

    MUMBAI: Digital marketing agency, Langoor has appointed Ferzad Variyava as its chief creative officer. Variyava will drive brand strategy and creative thinking upstream, and help synergise big brand creativity with technology, data and Web 3.0 as part of the digital marketing transformation process.

    Langoor CEO Venugopal Ganganna said, “We are super excited to have Ferzad join us to drive brand strategy and creative thinking. Ferzad’s role as the chief creative officer will enhance our products by augmenting creative value for our clients by using cross-cultural skills of digital engineering and experience immersion. Ferzad will help us create Meta and Web 3.0 deliverables for our clients by leveraging the combined strength of our in-house technology capabilities and a growing roster of live case-studies.”

    “The marketing tapestry has changed now more than ever,” said Ferzad Variyava, talking about his appointment. “Digital marketing experiences today demand marketing enablement through tech, data, meta and so much more. What excites me about Langoor is that they are geared to deliver on digital marketing transformation many steps ahead of the curve. With several live metaverse and Web 3.0 projects, combined with clients and partners spread across continents, Langoor isn’t just another digital agency. I look forward to working with Venu and the Langoor team to provide our customers with all that they would need to prosper and carve a niche for themselves in the ever-changing digital market.”

    In his last role, Variyava was responsible for the creative delivery & brand strategy of key brands in FCB Interface Communications. With over 22 years of mainline experience at some of the biggest network agencies in the country, his cross-category experience is reflected in the portfolio of work he has done on automobile, real estate, luxury, FMCG and e-commerce brands (having worked on brands like Twitter, Lodha, Volkswagen, Mahindra, Snapdeal, Nestle, to name a few).

    Going into the second half of 2022, Langoor has aggressive plans of building a global presence and is in several conversations with clients to deliver enterprise, consumer and Web 3.0 experiences, said the agency in a statement. It also recently announced its partnership with Logicserve Digital to form an independent integrated digital marketing and transformation platform.

    Commenting on the plans, Ganganna added: “It’s an exciting time for brands to add Web 3.0 & Meta experiences into their digital marketing mix and we couldn’t be happier to be the frontrunners in enabling this digital marketing transformation through our tech, data and creative service capabilities. Ferzad’s appointment comes at a time when we are looking to build scale, and deliver export projects while sitting here in India.”

  • Taproot dentsu’s Titus Upputuru launches own company

    Taproot dentsu’s Titus Upputuru launches own company

    MUMBAI: After eleven plus years at Taproot dentsu, national creative director Titus Upputuru has moved on to launch his own advertising and films firm – The Titus Upputuru Company. Upputuru was with dentsu since April 2011 and was elevated as national creative director in March this year.

    “I have been in this industry for 25 years now. I thought a silver jubilee is perfect time for me to launch this company,” Upputuru said. “Its time now to look ahead and I am so excited about this brand’s new journey. In my career, I have always been interested in the craft of writing, art direction, design, and photography. Over the last decade or so, I have also had the opportunity to direct ad films and short films for brands. I wanted to combine these skill sets and offer the last mile in execution too, because execution is what the audience ultimately sees,” he further said.

    Talking about the importance of video content, Upputuru  added, “We all know that video sits right on top of the marketing tools that marketers are using today across the world. So, along with brand strategy and static creative solutions across mediums and platforms, we will offer our expertise in video too”.

    To announce the entrepreneurial venture, the agency came out with a five-film campaign. The company has released a set of short, intriguing films that aim to establish the identity. Each film begins with the initials TU and goes on to form a different face, that has correlation to the drama occurring in the video and audio.  

    The 12-second films use illustration, design, music, and drama to bring out the unique identity of the company.

    Embed Links to the films:

    “We are excited to tell stories using different mediums. The idea is to keep human at the heart of it and manifest empathy. People still choose brands that have a certain quality about them, that profess a certain human belief; brands that move people, that respect them. As a Creative led company, we will wish to partner such brands, while obsessing about craft.”, the founder added.

    A two-time gold medalist in English Literature, Upputuru got interested in advertising after he saw a billboard that said, ‘Looking for top 10 writers in India’. After getting selected, he spent 25 years in advertising, film making, brand building and in helping grow businesses, while working with some of the best global networks including Ogilvy & Mather, Publicis, TBWA and Dentsu.

    Besides winning the DadaSaheb Phalke Award, Upputuru has won several national and international awards, including The One Show, British Design, the New York Festival, Adfest, Spikes Asia and the Abby’s.

  • Weekend Unwind with: Thought Blurb Communications managing director & chief creative officer Vinod Kunj

    Weekend Unwind with: Thought Blurb Communications managing director & chief creative officer Vinod Kunj

    Mumbai : With yet another weekend upon us, it’s once again time to unwind with our special series ‘Weekend Unwind’. Where we take a peek into the mind of a corporate head through a fun lens in an attempt to get to know the person behind the title a little better.

    In this week’s edition, we have Thought Blurb Communications managing director & chief creative officer Vinod Kunj sharing with us his musings on the daily rigmarole that life and work has to offer. Having worked with a clutch of big names in adland like Saatchi & Saatchi, Enterprise Nexus (now Bates), FCB Ulka, Lowe Lintas and Rediffusion DY&R in a span of thirteen years, Kunj was ready to take the entrepreneurial plunge. His last stint as an employee was in the Mumbai office of Capital Advertising, a Delhi-based ad firm, heading its creative department.

    Kunj then teamed up with his life partner, Razia, even as the couple leveraged their individual strengths- his in advertising, and hers in design- to launch their own advertising agency, Thought Blurb Communications – “a one-stop shop for advertising, designing, strategy planning and activation services” in the year 2007.

    So without further ado here goes…

    Your mantra for life

    ‘You are what your deep driving desire is.’ From the Upanishads.

    A book you are currently reading / plan to read

    ‘Daily Rituals’ by Mason Currey on the routine that more than 160 creative people followed throughout their lives.

    Your fitness mantra, especially during the pandemic

    Yoga for 30 minutes every day.

    Your comfort food

    Fish curry and rice. (like more than 30 million Malayalee brethren)

    When the chips are down a quote/ philosophy that keeps you going

    ‘This too shall pass.’

    Your guilty pleasure

    A Single Malt with a dash of Perrier and a cube of ice.

    When was the last time you tried something new?

    I am in advertising, if I do not try something new everyday, I would be extinct!

    A life lesson you learnt the hard way

    That you lose a battle at the precise point you stopped trying.

    What gets you excited about life?

    People! Every single person I meet. Each one is such a mystery and it’s so much fun trying to figure them out knowing fully well that I won’t.

    What’s on top of your bucket list?

    Launch an app. I have been planning to for a long time now!

    One thing you would most like to change about the world

    Do we still need organised religion to bring us closer to God!

    An activity that keeps you motivated/ charged during tough times

    A nice long drive into the countryside, preferably the hills.

    What lifts your spirits when life gets you down?

    A good piece of creativity by one of my colleagues or a peer. A nature trail also has the same effect on me.

    Your go-to stress buster

    Classical Indian music or a Kishore Kumar song.

    If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?

    Leap before you look!