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Tag: Neeraj Bassi

  • Havas Group India appoints Neeraj Bassi as chief strategy officer

    Havas Group India appoints Neeraj Bassi as chief strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Havas Group India has further strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Neeraj Bassi as the chief strategy officer, effective immediately. This is in sync with Havas Group’s aggressive growth strategy and its mission to create meaningful work for its clients.

    In his new role, Neeraj will lead strategy and drive the next phase of growth across Havas Creative and Media and report to Havas Group India group CEO Rana Barua.

    Bassi moves from Publicis India, where he was chief strategy officer and managing partner and leverages over two decades of varied experience, across categories. He has worked with some of the most reputed agencies like Ogilvy, Wunderman Thompson, McCann and renowned market research networks such as TNS, IMRB, NFO in India and overseas.

    While Bassi is credited for many iconic brand campaigns, he has also provided strategic guidance and brand solutions for a host of brands including Unilever, Audi, Cadbury Dairy, BMW, Honda, Milk, Asian Paints, Unilever, Nestle, Philips, HSBC, Adidas, Voltas, Sprite, Max Life, and Dabur among others. He is also the recipient of multiple awards across reputed award forums in India and globally that recognises effectiveness like Effies (India & APAC), AME, WARC, etc.

    Bassi is a passionate teacher at his alma-mater MICA and also closely involved with the placement process for MICA.  

    Barua said, “Neeraj has been in the industry for over two decades and comes with rich experience and insights in handling strategic planning across brands and categories. He has a proven track record of building brands successfully and positioning them ahead of their competitors. His strategic inputs and a deep understanding of the consumer mindset will further help us to make a meaningful difference to brands and consumers.”

    Havas Group India group chairman and chief creative officer Bobby Pawar said, “Neeraj is a seasoned professional known for his deep strategic understanding of the brands. I am confident that his skill set, and experience will take Havas to new heights and will help us build a stronger foundation for the agency’s future. I am delighted to welcome Neeraj to the group and look forward to working with him and adding value to our client’s portfolio.”

    “Our industry is in transition today, where consumers’ preferences and behaviours are evolving on a continuous basis and they are spending time engaging with a host of media platforms. In this dynamic context, the Havas Village way of working, is exactly what clients need. I am looking forward to working with the dynamic leadership at Havas and leveraging the true potential of the “Together” strategy, to drive growth of brands that we work on and to add value to our client’s business,” added Neeraj on his new role.

  • Ajay Gahlaut joins Publicis Worldwide India as chief creative officer and managing director

    Ajay Gahlaut joins Publicis Worldwide India as chief creative officer and managing director

    MUMBAI: Ajay Gahlaut, who had recently stepped down from the position of chief creative officer of Ogilvy North and deputy chief creative officer of Ogilvy India, has joined Publicis Worldwide India as chief creative officer and managing director. Publicis confirmed the appointment in a press statement and shared that Ajay will be based out of agency’s Mumbai office.

    He will begin his stint at Publicis on 4 February 2019.

    On joining Publicis Worldwide India, Ajay said, “I’m looking forward to my journey with Publicis. The new age thinking here excites me. It’s a nimble set up based on the principles of collaboration and integration to deliver the ‘Power of One’. The quality of work is already solid and I look forward to working with the teams to raise the creative bar both in terms of variety and quality of work.”

    Prior to Ogilvy, Ajay has had stints with McCann, Saatchi & Saatchi, among others. With over 25 years of experience, he has worked on world-renowned brands such as Pernod Ricard, BMW, KFC, Taco Bell, Dabur, Perfetti Van Melle, Mother Dairy, Pizza Hut, Sprite, Best Foods, HT Mint, Philips, among others.

    On Ajay’s appointment, Publicis Communications, South Asia CEO Saurabh Verma said, “Anyone who knows Ajay or even follows him on Twitter, will know that he’s one of the finest storytellers in the country. His ability, experience, and talent in transforming brands by creating stellar communication across formats or platforms, is truly remarkable. With, Srija, Neeraj, and Ajay at the helm, Publicis Worldwide India is going to be a force to reckon with. I welcome Ajay to the Publicis Groupe, and wish him the best of luck.”

    Publicis Worldwide India managing director Srija Chatterjee said, “We’re in this phase of transformation at Publicis Worldwide India. Today, the industry is all about constantly listening to clients and anticipating their needs. It’s about delivering the best-in-class creative idea and doing it over and over again for each of your brands. Ajay is one of those creative mavericks who has been able to do that, consistently for over a long period of time. I’m truly excited to work with Ajay and I look forward to a great partnership.”

    Publicis Worldwide India CSO and managing partner Neeraj Bassi stated, “I am most delighted to welcome Ajay on board at Publicis. He has been a friend and guide to me since 2011. Together we delivered some stellar work on marquee brands and have won several well-fought pitches. Ajay’s ability to simplify problems is legendary and his dogged persistence to ‘crack’ the real problem that will lead to a tangible impact on business is a big asset for any brand. I look forward to partnering him again and working on ideas that become part of life.”

  • Publicis India appoints Neeraj Bassi as managing partner & chief strategy officer

    Publicis India appoints Neeraj Bassi as managing partner & chief strategy officer

    MUMBAI: Publicis India has appointed Neeraj Bassi as managing partner and chief strategy officer.

    Neeraj will be based out of the agency’s New Delhi office. Along with Srija Chatterjee and Bobby Pawar, Neeraj will help in fostering collaboration and delivering on the Power of One synergies across the Groupe.

    With over two decades of professional experience, Neeraj has worked with some of the world’s most renowned brands including Coca-Cola, Asian Paints, Cadbury, BMW, KFC, Adidas, Samsung, British Airways, WeChat, Voltas, Audi, HSBC, Max Life and Tata Singapore Airlines – Vistara among others.

    He joins Publicis after a brief stint as an independent Consultant where he provided strategic guidance and brand solutions for multiple clients across various categories. Neeraj has worked with some of the top market research networks such as TNS, IMRB and NFO and led the Strategic Planning function in advertising agencies including Cheil, Ogilvy, JWT, McCann in India and abroad. Neeraj has also won multiple awards across reputed award festivals that recognise effectiveness such as Effies (India & APAC), AMES, WARC, etc.

    Announcing the new appointment and welcoming Neeraj aboard, Publicis Communications South Asia CEO Saurabh Varma says, “In Neeraj, we found a partner with a shared vision of driving a deeper level of integration within the Groupe by leveraging the Power of One model. Neeraj’s vast experience and media neutral planning approach will help clients in building a holistic brand experience which will aim to create one-to-one consumer engagement, at scale. I look forward to working with Neeraj and wish him the best of luck.”

    Publicis Worldwide India MD Srija Chatterjee adds, “Neeraj joins at a time when the Groupe is implementing a profound transformation which puts our clients front and centre of everything that we do. His wealth of experience of working across diverse sectors and with cross-functional teams, will help build a narrative around our clients’ business and marketing transformation that connects data, content and technology in an omni-channel world. I’m excited to welcome Neeraj to the Publicis Groupe family, and we look forward to him riding the next strategic wave at the agency.”

    Commenting on his appointment, and his plans for the agency, Neeraj Bassi mentions, “I am really excited to be part of Publicis India and looking forward to partnering Bobby and Srija to create stellar work that stands out in the market. Working with clients as an independent consultant has given me an insight on the primary concerns of CXOs and how communication can help resolve them. Clients today need an omni channel approach to planning that focuses on identifying and solving their business problems holistically, rather than getting trapped in a discipline specific approach. I am fascinated by the way all Groupe companies have come together at Publicis to create Power of One, and I look forward to wielding this power to build successful campaigns for our clients.”