MxMIndia

Tag: Saurabh Varma

  • Bassi will be based out of the agency’s New Delhi office

    Publicis appoints Neeraj Bassi as Managing Partner & Chief Strategy Officer

    By A Correspondent

     

    Neeraj Bassi

    Publicis India has announced the appointment of Neeraj Bassi as Managing Partner & Chief Strategy Officer. Bassi will be based out of the agency’s New Delhi office.

     

    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. Bassi has worked with leading 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.

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Announcing the new appointment, Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications, South Asia said: “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.”

     

    Srija Chatterjee

    Welcoming Bassi to the Publicis family, Srija Chatterjee, MD – Publicis Worldwide, India said: “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.”

     

    Added Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO – Publicis Worldwide India: “I’ve always believed great work is born out of a strong partnership between strategy, creative and clients. Neeraj Bassi has a history of creating strategic platforms that killer ideas can springboard from. His cross-platform approach to planning will also be a huge asset to our march towards the future of creativity. It also helps that he is fun to be around. I can chat with him for hours; the chemistry is very important when you are going to be more or less living out of each other’s metaphorical pockets.”

     

     

  • He is contemplating his next career move, which he will announce very soon

    Sudeep Gohil moves on from Publicis India

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sudeep Gohil

    Sudeep Gohil, Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Partner, Publicis India has announced that he is moving on from the agency. The move follows the end to his 18-month contract, which will end in August 2018. He is contemplating his next career move, which he will announce very soon.

     

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Commenting on Gohil’s tenure at the agency, Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications India said: “As a planning maverick, Sudeep’s role at the agency was second to none. He was instrumental in shaping up the future of a number of brands with his dynamic ideas and out-of-the-box solutions. Under him, the planning function was established as a well-oiled unit resulting in the agency winning multiple accounts over the past year or so. We will miss his dedication and passion that he bought to work every day but I am sure he will excel in whatever next he does. I wish him the very best for his venture.”

     

    Srija Chatterjee

    Sharing her views, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India said: “The past 16 months have been almost the same for Sudeep & me as we embarked on our journey at the agency around the same time. His mandate was to bring in finesse and ambition in the ideas that came out of the agency, and I am glad to say that he lived up to the promise to its fullest. Under him, the agency was able to throw up some fascinating and purpose-led work, which created quite an impact in the marketplace. We are sad to see him go, but are happy that he will be at his ambitious best in whatever he does next. I wish him the best for his future.”

     

    Sharing his experience, Gohil said: “My tenure with the Publicis India team has been amazing. The energy, enthusiasm and passion is genuinely infectious, but all good things come to an end. I’m looking forward to seeing what more the crew achieves in my absence.”

     

     

  • Both Sinha and Das will continue reporting into Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications India

    Leo Burnett elevates Dheeraj Sinha & Rajdeepak Das to MDs

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leo Burnett India has announced two key elevations in its senior leadership. The agency has elevated Dheeraj Sinha and Rajdeepak Das to Managing Directors. Sinha and Das currently serve as the Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett South Asia, respectively. The duo will continue to be based out of Mumbai and will report into Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications, India. Their new roles are in addition to their current responsibilities.

     

    Saurabh Varma
    Rajdeepak Das

    Speaking about the development, Varma said, “Four years back we started on an incredible journey as a team. We challenged every rule book, every status quo. We wanted to create ‘Wave Three’ where engagement, experience and utility would be celebrated as much as a piece of content. We wanted to create a maker culture. In this period, Indigo Consulting became a digital powerhouse. We launched Arc Worldwide and made it one of the leading experiential agencies, and built Prodigious into one of the finest production houses in India. We created epic work and had great fun doing it. Leo Burnett now needs a new chapter. The Power of One has given Leo Burnett access to the best specialist operations in the country. Backed by the expertise of Indigo, Arc, Prodigious MSLGroup and Publicis. Sapient, the agency is now in the best position to partner our clients’ businesses. Raj and Dheeraj have, together, transformed Leo Burnett India into the formidable force it is today. They have always led from the front and it is the right time to acknowledge the role they already play. Our collective ambition remains the same; to be the best in the world, bar none.”

     

    Dheeraj Sinha

    In his new mandate, Sinha will be responsible for the agency’s revenue growth, in addition to heading its strategic and planning output. Das’ new role will see him leverage Leo Burnett’s Humankind philosophy in order to elevate Burnett’s creative product.

     

     

  • Publicis Communications has announced the merger of digital experiential arm, Solutions, with Arc Worldwide

    Publicis creates a bigger Arc with Solutions

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a consolidation of its experiential marketing play, Publicis Communications has announced the merger of its in-house technology-enabled experiential arm, Solutions, with its brand activation and experiential shopper agency, Arc Worldwide. The merger is effective immediately.

     

    The entire Solutions team and its roster of clients will now come under the Arc umbrella. The newly merged entity will be called Arc Worldwide, and will be headed by Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President and India Head at Arc.

     

    The merged entity can now create deep impact in over 100 Indian towns and metros, further delivering on Arc’s ‘Irresistible Commerce’ philosophy, notes a communique.

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Speaking about the merger, Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications India and Leo Burnett, South Asia said: “By merging the two entities, Arc can leverage their combined expertise in ways that are unprecedented for the industry. The merger of Solutions with Arc will create even more momentum for Arc’s trajectory in India. Arc has deep capabilities across the entire experience landscape. With Solutions, we will create meaningful value exchange straddling the entire shopping experience for greater impact on our clients’ businesses. The merger is in perfectly in line with our ‘Power of One’ strategy.”

     

     

    Vandana Verma

    Speaking about her vision for Arc Worldwide, Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President and India Head, Arc Worldwide said: “Arc is focused on creating meaningful connected experiences. In India, Arc is a key platform within Publicis Communications. Solutions will add immense value to Arc through its expertise across technology-enabled solutions, paperless retail audits, merchandising and real time consumer feedback, among others. The merger will now help us lead experiential planning, data-driven shopper insights, and mobile-tracking and analytics-led initiatives designed to help our clients reach empowered consumers.”

     

    Virender Sharma

    Added Virender Sharma, COO – Solutions: “Arc’s superb experiential and shopper marketing capabilities, combined with Solutions’ superior technology-led approach will prove valuable for clients in this market. The merger with Arc means unparalleled access to all clients in the Publicis Communications portfolio. I look forward to seamlessly integrating ideas and solutions that will grow our clients’ businesses. We are happy to see the coming together of Arc Worldwide and Solutions at our new Big Apple office in Gurugram.”

     

    Arc Worldwide is the shopper marketing agency within the Publicis Groupe and is headquartered in Chicago. It works with some of the brands including Procter & Gamble, MillerCoors, Intel, Bridgestone, Kraft-Heinz, Alcon, Coca-Cola and Walmart.

     

     

  • Agency heads/clients acknowledge MSL role in winning Gold, Silver and two Bronze Lions at Cannes Lions 2017

    MSL demonstrates Publicis’ ‘Power of One’ with four Cannes Lions for group agencies

    By A Correspondent

     

    The honours may have been bagged by other Publicis Groupe agencies, but each of the four winning campaigns saw strategic inputs by MSL India, the group’s strategic communications and engagement firm.The winning campaigns of #GiveHer5-The Ammada Trust, HPCL Roads That Honk and Vicks #Touchofcare, involved crucial strategic communication approach to drive conversations and impact, notes a communique.

     

    Said Amit Misra, CEO, MSL India: “The wins are a true reflection of the power of strategic PR counsel in creating the right conversations that lead to measurable impact. As we continue to work with greater collaboration under PublicisGroupe’s ‘Power of One’, our mission is to consistently raise the quality of our work and partner our clients to deliver integrated solutions. All in line with our promise to be a communication partner that provides strategic counsel and creative thinking.”

     

    For instance, with the Gold Glass Lion for #GiveHer5, The Ammada Trust bagged by Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi, Praveen Kenneth, Chairman, Co-owner and MD at L&K Saatchi & Saatchi acknowledges the MSL role: “I am a firm believer that passion and hard work always deliver great results. Born from a self-interest to support betterment of girl child in India, the mission and goals of #GiveHer5 have surpassed all our expectations. In a campaign of such nature, while it was definitely imperative for us to drive mass reach to crowdsource support, the more important and tougher task was bringing to light the issue and creating awareness with action; a task more than well managed by MSL. Their strategic communication counsel and approach, makes them an equal partner in this win.”

     

    Said Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications India and CEO, Leo Burnett South Asia The Roads that Honk work created for HPCL which bagged a Silver Innovation Lion and a Bronze in Design (Promotional Item Design) for Leo Burnett India: “A great example of how collaboration and the right strategic communication mix can create a big impact. MSL’s role was instrumental in the win, since it was imperative for the campaign to create the right conversations around the idea and its innovation and earn credibility. MSL delivered and deserves as much credit for the win as Leo Burnett.”

     

    The Vicks #TouchofCare which bagged a Bronze in Entertainment Lion was created by Publicis Singapore. Endorsing MSL’s contribution, Nitin Darbari, Chairman and CEO P&G Teva JV China, Marketing Director Asia, Middle East and Africa said, “Vicks #TouchofCare work by MSL is a great example of how power of an idea coupled with strong agency can delivery wonders even at low budgets. The MSL team tapped creatively into the full network of celebrities and influencers with virtually no budget and based on the strength of the idea delivered outstanding value in amplifying the story of Vicks Touchofcare. Added Ritu Mittal, Country Brand Marketing Manager, Procter & Gamble: “The MSL team was exemplary in working the end-to-end PR plan and execution on the #TouchOfCare campaign. The team managed everything within a very limited budget and demonstrated superb agility. The campaign received an overwhelming response across global and national publications as a result of the relentless efforts made by this team.”

     

  • The shopper marketing and activations agency will now work with all Publicis Communications agencies in India

    Arc Worldwide is back, bigger

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ten years after it made its first appearance in India, Publicis Communications has announced the launch of Arc Worldwide, Publicis Groupe’s brand activation and experiential shopper agency in the country. Unlike the past where it was essentially a Leo Burnett arm, Arc will work closely with all Publicis Communications India agencies – The Leo Group, Publicis Worldwide (including Marcel), Publicis Beehive, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, and MSLGroup.

     

    Arc Worldwide specialises in creating shopper interactions with brands. It will provide clients with the same core expertise through acts and activations, events, exhibitions, shopper and rural marketing and retail design across metros and smaller towns and cities.Leo Burnett India’s below-the-line and experiential arm, Leo Burnett Experience, will now merge into Arc Worldwide. VandanaVerma, Executive Vice President at Leo Burnett Experience, will head the new entity.

     

    Saurabh Varma

    Speaking about the launch of Arc Worldwide, Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Communications India, and Leo Burnett South Asia, said: “Arc Worldwide is a critical piece in our ambition for Publicis Communications in India. Arc will create more momentum for our ‘Power of One’ platform. With Arc Worldwide we hope to create meaningful ACTS for our clients using data and technology.”

     

    Added Bob Raidt, Global President, Arc Worldwide: “Arc’s rapid growth is a testament to the agency’s strengths and capabilities. Our expansion to India, and merging with Leo Burnett Experience, will benefit our clients even further. This expansion, coupled with the power of all Publicis Communications India agencies, ensures that Arc can continue to stay at the forefront of the industry.”

     

    Vandana Verma

    Looking forward to leading the new division, Vandana Verma, Executive Vice President at Arc Worldwide said: “Arc Worldwide is one of the biggest brand activation and experiential agencies in the world, and I’m excited about the possibilities the India launch holds for us. People and their behaviour are the key pillars for Arc to create effective and meaningful brand activations. We create programmes that inspire consumers to connect with brands in new ways. Our proprietary tools uncover unique insights into consumer needs and help create measurable actions that have a dynamic effect on our clients’ business. I believe the solutions we can create for clients across Publicis Communications will remain unmatched.”

     

    Arc Worldwide currently employs over 2,000 employees in over 37 countries, working with 400 of the world’s biggest brands, and in India takes off with several brands in the kitty already. These include Nissan, Huawei, Bacardi, Vodafone, ITC Foods, P&G, FCA, Bajaj, Cipla, Amazon, Viacom18, Netflix, Haagen Dazs, Color Plus and State Bank of India.

     

    When it launched in 2007, Arc Worldwide was headed by CVS ‘Venke’ Sharma. Later, around 2012, the focus faded away and also Leo Burnett acquired Indigo Consulting.

     

  • Prodigious India will offer its services across all Publicis Communications agencies including The Leo Burnett Group, Publicis Worldwide (including Marcel), Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi and MSLGroup

    Publicis Communications launches Prodigious in India

    By A Correspondent

     

     

    Publicis Communications has launched Prodigious, Publicis Groupe’s specialist production company that produces and delivers video, digital and print-led branded content, in India. Prodigious India will offer its services across all Publicis Communications agencies including The Leo Burnett Group, Publicis Worldwide (including Marcel), Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi and MSLGroup.

     

    Speaking about the launch of Prodigious, Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications India said, “There has never been a better time to announce the launch of our own specialist production division. We hope to make Prodigious a major player inproduction in India in the next three years. To that end, we have made deep investments and put together a team of the best talent, technology and equipment to deliver world-class quality content for our clients. I am confident with Prodigious we have the most progressive content production company in India.”

     

    Added Loris Nold, Global COO of Publicis Communications: “Launching Prodigious in India was incredibly important to add to our existing footprint in the region, including China, Singapore and Australia. It’s exciting news for our clients and agencies.”

     

    Said Jean-François Valent, CEO, Prodigious Worldwide: “With the launch of Prodigious not only are we capable ofoffering our global clients with valuable local capabilities, but we are also opening new doors to local clients as we provide the support of our 3,000-people and 37-location strong network to Prodigious India.”

     

    Prodigious’ first initiative in India is the introduction of its video content stream, to be spearheaded by VandanaWatsa.Speaking about her new role and her vision for Prodigious, Watsa said, “We have huge ambition for video production at Prodigious, and it is backed by the work we have done for some of the country’s biggest brands–Thums Up, Bajaj V, McDonald’s, Jeep, Amazon –over the past year. The team of executive producers, directors, line producers and editors is hand-picked by us, and it is only going scale up in the months to come. I am excited to be a part of the global roadmap and Saurabh’s vision for Prodigious. I am confident of making it a reality.”

     

  • PubCom CEO Saurabh Varma unveils new top deck: Nakul Chopra turns Advisor. Srija Chatterjee & Sudeep Gohil to join Bobby Pawar. Launches Marcel in India

    Rejig time at Publicis Worldwide

     

    It was the day of the Effies. A few days before the announcement, we had received indications that it could happen. But then it was an announcement that was long overdue.

    At the Effies itself, the new boss ensured that he’s not seen just as head of one of the arms that he led thus far.

    We’re talking about Publicis Communications and Saurabh Varma. On December 16, it was announced that Varma, the Leo Burnett Group CEO South Asia, would be incharge of Publicis Communications for India.

    The announcement assumed significance as Varma would also be incharge of three other major agencies: Publicis Worldwide, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and MSLGroup and their respective subsidiaries.

    While MSL wasn’t going to be much of a problem with Amit Misra being at the helm after the exit of joint head Chetan Mahajan and he would report to Varma, there could be a problem at the other two. The communique sent to us then said that Nakul Chopra, the head of Publicis Worldwide for some years and Praveen Kenneth, head of L&K Saatchi & Saatchi will not report to Varma, even as Varma was to be incharge of the agency. Hmmm.

    But later it became clear. While Chopra continued to be in his position, he was no longer head of business (or overseeing the P&L).

    In the case of Kenneth, his commitments with Publicisare reported to end soon. The picture will get clearer on that front in the next two quarters.

    For Varma, the job on hand was tough.

    Having done a clean-up at Leo Burnett, getting an all-new team (okay, okay, we are euphemising the exiting of the old guard), integrating Indigo and Orchard into the system in a bigger way, it was time to look at Publicis Worldwide.

    A press release sent to us confirms the intent. Though the mainstay of the story has been tucked in at the end: Nakul Chopra, CEO, Publicis South Asia, will now be the Senior Advisor at Publicis Communications India. Chopra has spent over 20 years helming Publicis in India. He is currently President of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (coincidentally when Varma took charge at Leo Burnett, CEO Arvind Sharma was also President of the AAAI).

    But along with the overhaul, there is also the announcement of the entry of Marcel from the group’s international shores to Mumbai. Marcel is a combo of a digital agency and creative boutique. Its clients include Uber, Instagram and Ray-Ban, but these aren’t coming to India with it for now.

    Said Charles Georges-Picot, Global CEO, Marcel: “We are thrilled to open a new office in Mumbai. Marcel is a precious brand that we only share with like-minded people. I know that together we will create amazing work. It is what drives us at Marcel.”Marcel has offices in Paris, Sydney, New York and Sao Paolo. In India, it will be headquartered in Mumbai.

    But while Marcel is good news on any day, here’s what make the March 30 announcement significant, other than the official announcement of Chopra’s advisory role: Currently, Publicis Worldwide has three agency brands – Publicis Ambience, Publicis Capital and Publicis Beehive. This will change with immediate effect.  Now, Publicis Ambience and Publicis Capital will become Publicis India. It will continue to build on the momentum of creating shareworthy ideas that impact share of wallet.

    And Publicis Worldwide will have a new leadership at the helm. Srija Chatterjee (Managing Director) and SudeepGohil, (Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Partner) will join forces with Bobby Pawar, (Chief Creative Officer and Managing Director). They will run all the Publicis Worldwide operations in India, including Marcel, and report to Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications, India.

    We aren’t yet sure of who will have have the P&L responsibilities, because there’s got to be one clear leader for PublicisWW.

    Speaking about the new developments, Varma said: “I believe it is the right time for Marcel to come to India. ‘Lead the change’ can only happen through a disruptive model and a world-class International-Indian team. The leadership team has been carefully put together to deliver on our ambition for Publicis Worldwide, in India.”

    Chatterjee joins from MullenLowe Singapore, where she was the Global Business Director. On her new role, Chatterjee said: “When I met Saurabh and discussed the plans for Publicis, the potential and ambition for the agency left me both, excited and nervous. With its mantra of ‘Lead the Change’, and the focus on true integration across all our different platforms, I believe that Publicis is now at a crucial juncture, poised for exponential growth and recognition. I look forward to being part of this journey with Bobby, Sudeep and the team here.”

    Gohil moves from 72andSunny LA, where he consulted on the agency’s Asia-Pacific plans, and led the Adidas business globally. On his appointment, Gohil said, “The Publicis team really impressed me with their bold ambitions, tenacious attitude and passion for great work – they have great clients and an enviable team. The opportunity to work with Bobby, Srija and Saurabh was a big part of my belief and excitement for the plan ahead for Publicis. All of this combined with the bold mandate for the business both locally and in the region made it an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

    Echoing Varma’s sentiments on the evolution of Publicis Worldwide, Pawar added, “I am really excited for our people and our clients. We’ve been doing some cool work. With the addition of the world-class talent and global experience of Sudeep and Srija, I’m sure we will take it up a few notches. It’s game on.”

    Meanwhile, Publicis Beehive will stay focussed on offering holistic marketing solutions to Indian entrepreneurial clients. SanjitShastri continues as the CEO of Publicis Beehive and will report directly to Saurabh Varma. Paritosh Srivastava, the COO at Publicis Ambience, is now COO at Marcel.

    Next stop: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi.

     

  • Leo Burnett Orchard has handpicked a team to match its ambitious vision for the agency

    Leo Burnett Orchard appoints Mahuya Chaturvedi as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mahuya Chaturvedi

    Leo Group has appointed Mahuya Chaturvedi as Chief Operating Officer of its second agency, Leo Burnett Orchard. She takes over from Kaizad Pardiwalla who quit the agency as COO in November 2016. Meanwhile, the Leo Group has elevated the status of the agency as the second agency in the group and not just as a subsidiary of the Leo Burnett India.

     

    The core management team of Saurabh Varma, Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett, South Asia, and Dheeraj Sinha, Chief Strategy Officer, Leo Burnett, South Asia, will oversee both the agencies in their respective capacities.

     

    Said Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Communications, India: “Both the agencies will have the same DNA and will work to further the core philosophy of HumanKind that is so distinct to The Leo Group. In the last three years, the group has invested in assets like Indigo Consulting, IndigoiStrat, Leo Burnett Experience, and Greenhouse. These core offerings will be deployed by both agencies to create integrated solutions for their clients. Leo Burnett Orchard will also access MSL Group, Publicis.Media and Sapient in India to offer transformative solutions to its clients.”

     

    Meanswhile, Chaturvedi will be based in Mumbai and will report to Varma. Rohitash Srivastava has been appointed as National Head of Strategy at Leo Burnett Orchard. He comes in from Sapient.Nitro, where he was the Strategy Planning Lead – North India. Rohitash will be based out of Bengaluru. AmodDani has joined the agency as the Executive Creative Director, Mumbai. Daniis a multiple award-winning creative powerhouse with 10 years of solid creative knowhow. He has worked across agencies like Sapient.Nitro and Publicis, and has spent over five years in Leo Burnett, during the course of his career.

     

    Sharmine Panthaky will continue to be the Branch Head at Leo Burnett Orchard, Mumbai. Partnering her will be Amritraj Thakur, who has joined as the Vice President – Brand Strategy, Mumbai. Amod will work closely with Sharmine and Amritraj to further the creative product from the west region.

     

    Ganga Ganapathi, Branch Head, Leo Burnett Orchard, Bangalore will continue to work closely with Neel Roy and Vinod Eshwer, Executive Creative Directors, Bangalore. Additionally, Rina Francis, Finance Director, and Reena Nair, the People & Culture Manager and Head of HR at Leo Burnett Orchard, will oversee respective functions across the Mumbai and Bangalore offices. With this, the key leadership structure at Leo Burnett Orchard is now in place.

     

    On her new role, Chaturvedi said:“I am extremely excited to be a part of Leo Burnett Orchard, especially to lead over a 100 people across Mumbai and Bengaluru. I couldn’t have come in at a more opportune moment, when the agency is seeing such dynamic momentum and is handling some of the most marquee brands in the country. My vision isn’t to just make Leo Burnett Orchard the fastest growing agency, but to also create some incredible integrated work using the ‘Power of One’ and harnessing the Group’s cutting-edge specialist functions.”

     

  • He will report to Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications India

    Prashanth Challapalli joins Leo Burnett as Chief Integration Officer for South Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Prashanth Challapalli

    Leo Burnett has announcedthe appointment of Prashanth Challapalli as Chief Integration Officer for South Asia. In his new mandate, Challapalli will report to Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Communications India, and will work with leaders across Publicis Communications to drive integration. His last stint was with iContract, where he was the Executive Vice President and Digital Head.

     

    At Leo Burnett, his key mandate predominantly includes operationalising and scaling up Leo Burnett’s, Play methodology, which puts context at the heart of creating content.  Challapalliwill also be a key bridge between Publicis Communications and Publicis.Sapient, responsible for bringing the best of Publicis.Sapient to all Publicis Communications clients.

     

    Speaking about the new appointment, Varma said, “Prashanth joins us at a critical stage in our transformational journey as Publicis Communications. He brings with him boundless energy, and the ability to integrate across mediums. He will be key as we put digital at the core of our offering and increasingly create cutting edge ideas and stories which emanate from the product itself.”

     

    Added Challapalli, “When I met Saurabh, the people, ambition and momentum at Leo Burnett were the deciding factors for me. Publicis Communications is poised at the cusp of transformation right now with a diverse range of skill sets across mainline, digital, shopper marketing, PR and content production. My role will be to bring all of these together through PLAY. I have always been a big believer in the one brand, one consumer and one communication approach and most of the leaders at Publicis Communications are either ex-colleagues or friends for a long time. I am really looking forward to partnering all of them.”

     

    With over 19 years of experience, Challapalli has worked with agencies like Ogilvy, Lowe, Dentsu, Publicis Ambience and Rediffusion Y&R, and has also successfully built and lead Jack in the Box Worldwide and iContract in the digital space. He has won multiple national and international awards like the Effies, Spikes, and AME, among others, for his work across brands and campaigns like Puma, Pepsi, Slice, Louis Philippe, Durex and Kolaveri Di.

     

  • He will continue to helm Leo Burnett, South Asia, as Nakul Chopra & Praveen Kenneth will continue reporting to Publicis Comms Global CEO Loris Nold

    Saurabh Varma appointed as Publicis Communications’ India CEO

     

    Publicis Communications has announced the appointment of Saurabh Varma as CEO of Publicis Communications India. Varma’s appointment comes on top of his existing responsibilities as CEO of Leo Burnett’s South Asia operations, and he will be based in Mumbai.

     

    Varma, as well other country leaders Nakul Chopra and Praveen Kenneth, will continue reporting to Loris Nold, global COO of Publicis Communications, incharge of the APAC & MEA region. In the Indian subcontinent, Publicis Communications comprises Leo Burnett, Publicis India, Law & Kenneth | Saatchi & Saatchi, Orchard India, MSLGROUP, Publicis Ambience, Publicis Capital, Indigo iStrat and Publicis Beehive.

     

    “With Saurabh leading our India efforts,” said Nold, “I am very confident that we will drive significant acceleration across Publicis Communications, ultimately for the direct benefit of our clients”  Said Varma on the announcement: “I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to help our creative brands fully leverage the strength of our collective expertise around digital, shopper marketing, PR and production platforms. In my mind, Publicis Communications is first and foremost about giving our clients full access to our capabilities, talent and resources across the country, as our aim is to deliver end-to-end solutions to all of our clients.”

     

    It may be recalled that Varma was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Leo Burnett India in 2013, and a year later, was elevated to a South Asia role. He has about 20 years of industry experience, seven of which were spent as Chief Strategy Officer for South Asia, in Singapore.

     

  • He will report to Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett, South Asia

    Indigo Consulting brings in Rajesh Ghatge as CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Rajesh Ghatge

    Indigo Consulting has brought on board Rajesh Ghatge as Chief Executive Officer. In his new mandate, Ghatge will lead the 300-plus employees across Indigo Consulting and Indigo iStrat. He will report to Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett, South Asia, and will be based out of the Mumbai office.

     

    Welcoming Ghatge on board the Leo Burnett Group, Varma said: “Indigo is already one of the largest full-service digital agencies in the business, with a reputation for using technology and intelligence to solve business problems. We wanted a leader who can create a new curve for a team of 300 plus Indigo employees; Rajesh brings with him the energy, the passion and the drive to create a new destiny for Indigo Consulting. My brief to him is to make us the most respected digital agency in the country, bar none.”

     

    Speaking about his new role at Indigo Consulting, Ghatge said, “Driving effective consumer engagement on omnipresent digital touch-points is a function of technology, content, analytics and the ability to execute flawlessly in an ‘always on’ mode. Using data and platforms to create impactful and relevant experiences has been my ongoing work. Indigo Consulting, built on a deep foundation of technology has emerged as a leading digital agency. I am excited at the prospect of working with a team of passionate strategy, technology and creative champions at Indigo Consulting to grow the agency into the future and leverage ‘digital’ comprehensively for brands and businesses.”