MxMIndia

Tag: Rana Barua

  • This includes ACC Cement, Ambuja Cement, ICICI Securities and others

    Havas Media adds new biz worth Rs 500+ crore

    By Our Staff

     

    Havas Media Group India’s Mumbai office has reported a growth of 150% in 2020-2021, on the back of more than 15 new account wins.

     

    This includes ACC Cement, Ambuja Cement, ICICI Securities, De Beers Forevermark, Wai Wai, Gitam University, Dr Reddy’s, OZiva, and several others. In addition, the agency reports “tremendous growth” on the back of key clients like Tata Motors and TVS Eurogrip and their increased media spends even in 2020. In total, Havas Media Mumbai has added a total billing of Rs 500+ crore in 2020-2021.

     

    Rana Barua
    Rana Barua

    Said Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “Despite the market challenges, in the last 15 months we stuck to our task, defined our vision and kept investing in both our talent and product. In 2020, Havas Media Group India has garnered a growth rate of 35% (RECMA June 2020) – the highest among all media agency networks in India. From the group perspective, I am delighted as the overall results are a testimony of the leadership of Mohit, Uday, Venkat and the entire Havas Media team, which has been working relentlessly on both existing clients and also winning many new ones.”

     

    Mohit Joshi
    Mohit Joshi

    Added Mohit Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Media Group India: “Our North operations have always been extremely strong, and now it’s heartening to see the same being replicated in other markets. We have seen both organic growth and won some fabulous new client wins in the West in the last 15 months resulting in an unprecedented growth. The wide range of new businesses that we have added in our portfolio across industries and sectors demonstrates our talent and prowess as a media conglomerate.”

     

    Uday Mohan
    Uday Mohan

    Said Uday Mohan, President & Head – North & West India: “We are firmly aligned to the network’s global philosophy of creating Meaningful Media and Brands. Havas Media Group is growing the business on 4 pillars – product, people, pitches, and partnerships. Built on the Media Experience [Mx] operating structure, each phase of the Mx process is powered by Converged, an identity–based planning platform, which places the audience including data, convergence, automation and AI, strategy, e-comm and marketplace, and so on, at the heart of the media planning process and capitalizes on media that matters.”

     

  • To drive marketing and communications function of the Group

    Havas appoints Pritha Dasgupta as CMO

    By Our Staff

     

    Havas Group India has announced the appointment of Pritha Dasgupta as Chief Marketing Officer, effective immediately. She will be based in Mumbai and report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India. Dasgupta, who was earlier with IPG Mediabrands, takes the place of Priyanka Mehra, who moved out of Havas last month as Chief Marketing Officer.

     

    Commenting on Pritha’s appointment, Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India, said: “Havas Group has rapidly grown, both in size and in stature, in the last few years. With over 10 companies, 1000+ people, we have extremely ambitious plans of further expansion, acquisitions and creating a meaningful difference in the overall Indian media and advertising ecosystem. As a Group CMO, her vast experience and in-depth knowledge of the media ecosystem will prove to be invaluable to our network. She is a highly accomplished journalist and a professional with effective leadership and people skills. We are all thrilled to have her on board and look forward to a totally new way of marketing and communication in today’s times.”

     

    Added Dasgupta: “It’s hard to define the dynamic transformation the advertising and the marketing industry has gone through in the last decade, especially in the space of martech. This led to a huge transformation in the way networks built their communications strategies.”

     

  • Colors and Havas Group to partner discussion

    IAA to host discussion on gender sensitisation in media

    By Our Staff

     

    The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) will be hosting a high-powered virtual panel discussion with leaders of the marcom industry on July 27. The subject is Gender in media and the impact on children and their future.

     

    Said Megha Tata, MD- South Asia, Discovery Communications India and President, IAA: “A few weeks ago, we released the toplines of the results of a unique market research conducted on 1000 Indian advertisements by UNICEF and the Geena Davis Foundation. The IAA had facilitated this important research on gender representation in Indian advertising on July 27. UNICEF will present the results in depth, and then there will be a discussion on the implication of these findings on gender in media and the impact on children and their future. This will truly represent industry as the Voice of Change”.

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head – Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18 and Co-Chair – Women Empowerment Committee, IAA said: “Conversations and actions go hand in hand when tackling an issue as important and nuanced as gender representation in media and its impact. We are thus bringing together leaders across the ecosystem who can not only identify the change in discourse needed but also have the power to actually bring about that change.”

     

    The panelists include Rana Barua (Hon’ Treasurer, AAAI & Group CEO, Havas Group, India), Subhash Kamath (Chairman, ASCI & CEO, BBH & Publicis Worldwide, India), Atit Mehta (Head of Marketing, BYJU’s), Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari (Artist, Filmmaker and Writer), Kainaz Karmakar (Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India), Dr A L Sharada (Director, Population First), Nina Elavia Jaipuria, (Head – Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18) & Shreyasi Jha (Senior Advisor – Gender Equality, UNICEF, New York)

     

    Added Shreyasi Jha, Senior Advisor – Gender Equality, UNICEF, New York: “Gender related stereotypes are formed at very young age and prevent adolescents and young people from reaching their full potential. Advertising and media, more broadly, plays a key role in forming and perpetuating stereotypes. UNICEF is delighted to be the knowledge partner with IAA and its members for this important event that is the beginning of a very important journey to promote positive gender roles and practices through advertising so every young person can live a life free from stereotypes and achieve their full potential.”

     

    The discussion has UNICEF as its knowledge partner, Colors as the industry partner, Havas Group as an associate partner and Clutter Cutters as the on-ground knowledge partner.

     

  • She was last with the Grey group as CFO

    Havas group appoints Anjali Gupte as CFO

    By Our Staff

     

    Anjali Gupte
    Anjali Gupte

    Havas Group India has announced the appointment of Anjali Gupte as Chief Financial Officer. She will be based in Mumbai and will report to Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India and also to the APAC Group CFO, Brice Pinoncely. Gupte has experience of over two decades across industries spanning advertising, financial services, manufacturing and real estate. In her previous role as CFO at Grey group, she oversaw the financial operations of the agency’s creative, digital and activation businesses in South Asia and she was responsible for driving profitable growth across India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Prior to Grey, she worked at Thomson Reuters for 17 years in the financial risk division. She is also an Independent Director on the Board of Astec LifeSciences Limited, part of the Godrej group, where she also had a four-year long stint.

     

    Rana Barua
    Rana Barua

    Commenting on the appointment, Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India, said: “Havas Group India is now totally integrated and has over 1000 people working across 10 specialist agencies in three ‘villages’ in Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. We also have ambitious acquisition plans and multiple ongoing conversations for both media and creative groups. I welcome Anjali as Group CFO at this crucial juncture as we stabilise operations and action our growth plans. Anjali is a highly accomplished professional with leadership and people skills that have stood her in good stead as a business partner and strategist in her previous roles.”

  • Shashi Sinha and Boria Majumdar will go face to face

    The Advertising Club unveils next attraction of digital debate series

    By Our Staff

    The Advertising Club has announced a debate ‘There is no life beyond cricket in Indian sports’ as a part of its digital debate series ‘Vice & Versa’.

    Moderated by Gautam Bhimani, Vice & Versa edition to be held today (April 6) will see Shashi Sinha, CEO-India, Mediabrands and Boria Majumdar, historian and journalist going face to face to put forward their views on the biggest question in the minds of every sports fan in India – Is cricket’s domination complete or is India waking up to new sporting possibilities?

    The debate will be held on today, Tuesday, April 6 at 6.30 PM and is free and open to all. If you are interested you can register here https://bit.ly/3ueViRp.

    Said Rana Barua, Chairperson, Vice & Versa, The Advertising Club: “The sporting culture in India is deep-rooted, and in the past few years, we have been time and again reminded of the potential that various sports behold other than cricket. This year The Advertising Club’s digital debate series has been curated to discuss and seek the answer to the all important question, is cricket’s domination in India complete or is India waking up to new sporting possibilities?,” adding: “We are delighted to have Boria and Shashi with us to present their views on this topic. These stalwarts do not need an introduction as they have closely observed the growth of sports as well as the sporting culture in India. After the tremendous success of the previous edition of Vice & Versa, this year adds to the entire excitement and anticipation of this debate. Brands today are heavily and actively investing in sporting properties and we hope to immerse the audience in a thought-proving debate session as a busy sporting calendar begins in India with the IPL shortly.”

     

     

  • Initiative to challenge traditional gender stereotyping in advertising and media

    UN Women launches Unstereotype Alliance’s India Chapter

    By Our Staff

    The Unstereotype Alliance has aunched the India national chapter with a coalition formed to tackle harmful stereotypes advertising with support from EU funded WeEmpowerAsia Programme. The Alliance will centre its work in India on broadening the representation of women and girls in non-traditional roles in advertising with a focus on women returning to the workforce.

    Convened by UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, the Unstereotype Alliance is a thought and action platform that seeks to eradicate harmful stereotypes from advertising and media. India is the ninth national chapter to launch worldwide, and the second in Asia.

    The Unstereotype Alliance’s India National Chapter Founding Members include: Hindustan Unilever (Champion), Diageo, WPP, Publicis Groupe, Havas Group, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), The Advertising Club and Samhita Social Ventures.

    Said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women: “The launch of the India national chapter is a significant milestone for the Unstereotype Alliance. It shows that the India advertising and media industry is coming together in all its strength and diversity to tackle the harmful stereotypes that hinder progress towards gender equality. This is critical to addressing the drivers of inequality such as violence against women and girls, intergenerational poverty and the lack of women in leadership and decision-making roles. We hope that you will join us in making unstereotyped advertising and content the norm rather than the exception.

    Stereotypes in advertising perpetuate negative social norms and hinder progress of gender equality. Harmful social norms contribute to increased acceptance of gender-based violence, lack of economic decision-making for women and constricted opportunities in the job market. The chapter has defined strategic priorities to address gender stereotypes with a focus on harmful patriarchal traditions and norms to broaden the representation of empowered and autonomous women in private and public life, including in business leadership; and to ensure progressive representation in media and advertising.

    Unstereotype Alliance research into gender equality attitudes shows that there is a clear role not only to remove stereotypes in advertising and media, but to challenge widely-held beliefs and norms in society. Data from the Gender Equality Attitudes study, conducted across 10 countries including India, shows that whilst many Indians recognize the importance of women’s rights, outdated beliefs persist. Specifically:

     

    Here’s what a host of spokespersons have said:

    Susan Ferguson, Country Representative, UN Women India: “UN Women India is excited to launch the India chapter of the Unstereotype Alliance. I am confident with the support of such committed partners, we will generate a positive and enduring impact in the advertising and media industry and contribute to shaping a gender-equal world.”

    Priya Nair, Executive Director,-Beauty & Personal Care, Hindustan Unilever: “Across the globe, consumers are increasingly expecting brands to take a stand on the issues they care most about – gender stereotype has been one such issue. At HUL, we are committed to driving gender equity, including stepping up of brand programmes, advocacy to challenge the status quo and #unstereotyping advertising. With one billion people using our products every day and even more seeing our advertising, we know we have the power to make a real difference. Various organisations need to come together to bring about this systematic change and set new standards of empowerment and equality. As a founding member of the Unstereotype Alliance, we look forward to supporting UN Women, to drive social change, encourage action, and put an end to gender stereotypes and discrimination”

    CVL Srinivas, Country Head, WPP, India: “WPP is delighted to be a founding member of the Unstereotype Alliance – India Chapter. We look forward to working with the Alliance to bring about positive change to the issue of Gender Equality through the creative use of our skills and the passion of our people in this area.”

    Deepika Warrier, CMO, Diageo India: “Diageo India is proud to be associated with The Unstereotype Alliance – India Chapter, which will work to  accelerate progressive gender portrayal in advertising. Together, we will lead the creation of a framework that encourages increasingly progressive codes with themes ranging from empowerment to celebrating the power and imperfections of womanhood to challenging stereotypes to ultimately moving beyond gender codes. We hope our efforts would contribute to empowering women regardless of their race, class, age, ability, religion, sexuality, language, education etc.”

    Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia:  “Publicis Groupe through Viva la difference is a company that celebrates talent, inclusivity and diversity. Our core values and people-first culture synergise seamlessly with the Unstereotype Alliance’s larger mission and objectives and we are pleased to be a part of its India Chapter. Publicis Groupe India looks forward to collaborating with other future-facing companies in building narratives that are progressive, purposeful, gender-equal, human and authentic.”

    Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “We are delighted to be coming on board at a crucial time as a member of the UN Women Unstereotype Alliance as they begin their chapter in India. At Havas Group, we are clear on driving gender diversity and want to bring about a cultural transformation and mindset shift that will encourage many more women leaders in the group. Our alliance with UN Women Unstereotype Alliance will surely help us in this journey.”

    Manish Kapoor, Secretary General, Advertising Standard Council of India: “Positive gender portrayals and depictions in advertising are high on ASCI’s agenda, and we aim to shape this narrative in the coming months through different initiatives. Partnering with the Unstereotype alliance is an important step in this journey. Working together helps synchronise voices of different stakeholders and we are very pleased to be a part of the alliance.”

    Sudhesh Kapoor, Secretary General, AAAI: “We are sure that this Alliance will go a long way in taking down some popularly held myths about genders which are consciously or sub-consciously propagated by popular media and advertising.”

    Namrata Tata, The Advertising Club: “While many organizations are taking initiatives to drive gender diversity & equality, collaboration at an industry level is needed to see the needle movement. As an integral part of the advertising industry ,The Advertising Club believes in driving real change when it comes to the portrayal of gender norms. We are delighted to join The Unstereotype alliance convened by UN women , which aims at removing negative gender stereotypes in Advertising and Media”

    Priya Naik, Founder and CEO, Samhita Social Ventures: “Companies, media and content companies, advertisers, and creative agencies have a social and ethical responsibility to break gender stereotype, as well as the capability to do so on a large scale. I am proud to be a part of the Unstereotype Alliance movement to dismantle traditional gender roles and their related”

     

     

  • Geet Nazir will lead the team

    Havas brings Conran Design to India

    By Our Staff

     

    Havas Group India has brought in Conran Design Group to India. This will allow Havas’ clients to tap into Conran’s expertise in brand strategy, visual identity, branded environment, and packaging. The Indian team will be led by Geet Nazir, Managing Partner, Conran Design Group Mumbai.

     

    Rana Barua

    Said Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “We are very excited to join forces with Conran Design Group (CDG). This joint venture complements our aggressive growth strategy and our mission to create meaningful work for clients. CDG’s competitive advantage of building brand strategy with deep consumer insights will add an enviable strength to Havas Group’s portfolio. I am delighted to welcome Thom and the team to the Havas Group Family.”

     

     

    Thom Newton

    Added Thom Newton, CEO, Conran Design Group: “I’m very excited about this partnership. India has vibrant creativity at its heart and rich design heritage. The forward-looking Indian consumer demands that global brands re-imagine their experiences and build a relevant local connection. This creates the perfect opportunity to test the impact that design-driven brand experiences can have to inspire, engage, and build long-term brand loyalty. We are confident that this joint-venture with Havas Group will help us become an even stronger identity and we look forward to a meaningful journey ahead, together.”

     

    Conran Design Group (CDG) is part of the Havas Group at a global level, as is Havas Group India.  The communique for CDG however mentions the entry is thanks to a joint venture. We have reached Havas Group India for a clarification on the same and will update this report when we hear from it.

     

  • Agency will be responsible to strengthen presence in India

    Havas bags campaign for Laughing Cow

    By Our Staff

     

    Havas Creative Mumbai has bagged the integrated communication mandate for Bel Group’s The Laughing Cow. The mandate for the agency includes creative, social, and digital creative duties including reputation management for the brand.

     

    Said Alamjit Singh Sekhon, Commercial Director, Fromageries Bel India: “India is a key focus market for the Bel Group. Our range of delicious cheese (Creamy Triangles, Slices, Blocks, Spread, and Cubes) under The Laughing Cow Brand has a taste that caters to the Indian palette. The entire range is nutritious, being made from cows’ milk with added fortification. Consumers find the Laughing Cow Creamy Cheese triangles to be unique as they are the only soft, spreadable portions of cheese in India. We believe that Havas Creative with their meaningful brand approach are the right partners for us to help amplify our presence. We are confident that this partnership will help accelerate our journey in India and grow the cheese category by creating impactful brand awareness.”

     

    Added Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas, “Bel Group’s iconic cheese brand – The Laughing Cow Cheese is one of the groups key global brands and relationships across many markets and I am delighted to win the integrated communication mandate in India. Our team is excited to work in a category that is growing fast and create a strong narrative and stories for the brand to strengthen its presence in India.”

     

     

  • The senior management team are part of Havas Media and Havas Creative

    Senior management at Havas go more senior

     

     

    Havas Group India has announced key elevations in its senior management team for Havas Media and Havas Creative.

     

    Uday Mohan, Managing Partner North & West, Havas Media will now be President, North & West. R Venkatasubramanian, National Head Buying, Havas Media will be President & National Head Investments. And Manas Lahiri, Managing Partner – North, Havas Creative has been elevated to President, North.

     

    Mohan and Venkat will continue to report to Mohit Joshi, CEO, Havas Media Group India and Lahiri will report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India.

     

    Said Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “I am excited to announce well deserved key elevations from our Havas Group Senior Leadership team, that will further accelerate growth and enhance the value proposition of our organisation and take the agency to greater heights. 2020 has been a challenging yet a very satisfactory year for the agency in terms of clients, revenue, awards, and fame. I look forward to Uday, Manas and Venkat to soar higher and take us to even greater achievements, and targets.”

     

     

  • The mandate includes both offline and digital media duties

    Havas Media to deliver for Domino’s Pizza

    By A Correspondent

     

    Havas Media has bagged the integrated media duties for Domino’s Pizza operated by Jubilant FoodWorks Limited. The account has been assigned after multi-agency pitches and participation from the leading networks. The mandate won by Havas Media includes both offline and digital media duties.

     

    Pratik Pota

    Said Pratik Pota, CEO and Whole-time Director, Jubilant FoodWorks: “We are glad to have Havas Media on board as our media partner. We are confident that their expertise, market understanding and integrated offering will help us in driving the next phase of transformation and growth for Domino’s. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership”.

     

     

    Rana Barua

    Added Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India: “We are absolutely delighted to partner with a prestigious brand as Domino’s Pizza, which is one of the most loved pizza brands in the world. And looking forward to playing an integral role in charting out the next phase of growth. Whilst, the Food and Beverage industry as a whole has gone through extremely challenging time during the past few months during the pandemic, we are confident, we will be able to contribute to the brand’s growth with our holistic village model and integrated offering”.

     

    Mohit Joshi

    Said Mohit Joshi, CEO – Havas Media Group: “This win is a testament to our continued efforts of scaling our operations further in India and the expertise we bring to our clients. At Havas Media, we invest in media that matters and drive Media Experience (MX) that connects a client with their target audience. This unique data-driven and content powered approach is the bedrock of all our strategies. With this mandate, we look forward to further strengthening Domino’s Pizzas’ meaningful journey and adding an esteemed brand to our stellar list of existing clients”.

     

    The business will be handled out of the agency’s Gurugram office led by Uday Mohan – Managing Partner – North and West.

     

     

  • … to foster gender diversity and women leadership across all its group companies

    Havas launches ‘Women Who Inspire’ initiative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Havas Group India has kickstarted ‘Women who Inspire’, an initiative to foster gender diversity and women leadership. A core group has been formed which consists of members in senior roles, across the six Havas agencies. This core team will meet every alternate month to discuss key issues, opportunities, and changes relevant for the group as a whole and works towards recognising and celebrating the great work that women leaders do across the group.

     

    Said Rana Barua, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Group India: “Being diverse is all about enabling a culture that is conducive to freely express, share thoughts & perspectives. As we embark on this journey, we are excited about the potential cultural and mindset change that it can bring to the lives of women employees within Havas Group India. We see this as a step to bring about a huge transformation and one that will help us move in the direction of building a versatile workforce that is futuristic and aligned to the changing global world order and economy.”

     

    Added Vandana Tilwani, CHRO, Havas Group who is leading the initiative: “As we gear up for our next phase of (post-covid) growth at Havas, we have to adapt to a different way of working which involves merging of work and life, remote working and adapting to agile and flexible team structures. Becoming a gender-diverse organization, breaking of many fixed rules and taboos and thus encouraging more women leaders is not only important in creating a futuristic workplace, it is now a necessity in order to have a competitive advantage.”

     

    Members of the core committee:

    # Rana Barua, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Group India

    # Vandana Tilwani, Chief HR Officer, Havas Group India

    # Mohit Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Havas Media Group India

    # Susan Josi, Managing Partner, Havas Life Sorento

    # Deepali Saini, Co-founder and Design Director, Think Design

    # Priyanka Mehra, Director Marketing and Communications, Havas Group India

    # Toral Shah, General Manager HR, Havas Group India

    # Sanchita Roy, Head – West, Havas Media

    # Geetika Thakur, Senior Vice President – Client Servicing, Havas Creative

    # Dr Rasika Bhat, Senior Manager Scientific Communications, Havas Life Sorento

    # Sreyashi Datta, Creative Director, Shobiz

    # Pavithra Eshwar, Head HR, Langoor Havas

     

     

  • He will continue to report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India

    Mohit Joshi is now CEO, Havas Media Group

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mohit Joshi

    We thought he was CEO of Havas Media already, but now it’s formal and official. Havas Group India has announced the elevation of Mohit Joshi to Chief Executive Officer of Havas Media Group with immediate effect. Prior to this, Joshi was Managing Director of Havas Media Group. He will continue to report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India.

     

    Joshi has spent over 13 years at Havas Media and has 20+ experience in the media. He is also in the mancom of AAAI and IAMAI and is actively involved in other industry bodies as well.

     

    Vishnu Mohan

    Added Vishnu Mohan, Chairman and CEO, Havas Group, India and Southeast Asia: “I have had the privilege of welcoming Mohit to Havas almost 14 years ago. A true dynamic leader with an in-depth understanding of consumers, brands, and the changing media landscape. Mohit’s experience and long association with Havas makes him an ideal choice for the leadership role, as we look to significantly scale our presence in the media space.”

     

     

    Rana Barua

    Said Barua: “Over the last few years, Mohit has not just driven existing clients and business but has also played a lead role in driving the growth for the agency. He is a passionate and a visionary business leader, who brings invaluable expertise. His long-term vision coupled with his acumen will help us make a more meaningful difference to brands and consumers. I am happy that its Mohit who will lead Havas Media Group into the next phase of growth.”

     

    Added Joshi: “In today’s dynamic and evolving business environment, Havas overall is undergoing a massive change to stay differentiated, relevant and meaningful. I’m excited to take on this huge responsibility and new responsibilities and combating the challenges during this crucial time and I look forward to the next chapter working closely with Rana, the senior management of Havas Group India, my wonderful colleagues and clients and the entire team across the region and all our global offices.”