By A Correspondent
Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW) has announced that Genesis BCW and Six Degrees BCW will function under one business group in India, effective immediately. The integration follows the completion of BCW’s acquisition of the significant minority held by Zach James and Rishi Seth, the co-founders of the erstwhile Six Degrees PR agency.
Both brands will be retained and continue to operate separately, but side-by-side, under the BCW India Group to enable sharing of the staff, resources and services of each firm to provide additional value to clients. The PPR and Alphabet brands and teams currently operating in India will be absorbed into Genesis BCW and Six Degrees BCW. Under this structure, Genesis BCW and Six Degrees BCW will maintain separate legal entities and secure safeguards where potential conflicts exist.
The BCW India Group will be managed by the ‘BCW India Board’ (BIB) and will report to Matt Stafford, Regional President, Asia-Pacific, BCW. BCW India Board appointments include:
Prema Sagar becomes Chairperson, BCW India Group, based in New Delhi. Sagar is currently Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Genesis BCW.
Zach James becomes Chief Strategy Officer, BCW APAC and Executive Sponsor, BCW India Group, based in New Delhi. James is currently co-Group CEO of Six Degrees BCW.
Deepshikha Dharmaraj becomes Chief Executive Officer, Genesis BCW, based in Mumbai. Dharmaraj is currently Managing Director at Genesis BCW.
Rishi Seth becomes Chief Executive Officer, Six Degrees BCW, based in New Delhi. Seth is currently co-Group CEO of Six Degrees BCW.
Vandana Sandhir becomes Chief Client Officer, Genesis BCW, based in New Delhi. Sandhir currently leads PPR India.
Said Donna Imperato, Global CEO, BCW and CEO, BCW Group: “India is a critical market for BCW and I’m confident this integration will boost our bold growth strategy for the market. I’m excited to see the formidable talent under BCW India Group continue to move people with the creativity and innovation that is at the heart of all we do.”
Added Stafford: “With the Six Degrees earnout complete, our clients can now tap the tremendous talent and capabilities from our incredibly strong team across both brands. The complementary capabilities of each brand and the resulting synergies will also make the new BCW India Group an even more attractive workplace for our employees and future recruits.”
Said Sagar: “I am delighted at the coming together of the people, ideas and resources of these two firms. I look forward to working closely with Deepshikha, Zach and Rishi to drive the integration of the teams under the BCW India Group, and to demonstrate our combined strength to our clients, our people and the industry.”