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Tag: Srija Chatterjee

  • 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.”

     

     

  • As part of his remit, Ishrath will manage the creative mandate and drive the next phase of growth for a host of brands under Publicis India

    Publicis India appoints Ishrath Nawaz as ECD

     

    Publicis India has announced the appointment of Ishrath Nawaz as Executive Creative Director. Ishrath joins Publicis India from McCann Worldwide where he was Senior Creative Director. He will be based out of Mumbai and report to Bobby Pawar, CCO & MD – South Asia, Publicis India.

     

    Welcoming him to the agency, Pawar said: “We’ve been on this journey of upping our creative game for the last three, four years. It’s resulted in some landmark campaigns. Ishrath adds to our talent pool, leadership pool and our drive. He’s a bright guy with a body of cool stuff in his bag, and I’m confident he will help us raise our game even more. Plus, he shares my love for poetry.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Srija Chatterjee, MD – Publicis India said: “Ishrath comes with a rich creative background having handled a host of brands across multiple agencies. His knack to come up with quick and customisable solutions on any given creative brief is what makes him a talent to watch for. Not to forget the many laurels his works have won across multiple award shows. We are happy to have him in our fold and look forward to a creative transformation on the brands that he will handle.”

     

     

  • He joins from Ogilvy & Mather and will report to Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO-South Asia, Publicis India

    Publicis India appoints Ramakrishnan Hariharan as Head of Creative

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ramakrishnan Hariharan

    Publicis India has strengthened its creative function with the appointment of Ramakrishnan Hariharan as the Head of Creative. He will be based out of Mumbai and will report to Bobby Pawar, MD & CCO – South Asia, Publicis India. He joins Publicis from Ogilvy India where he was the Senior Creative Director.

     

     

     

    Bobby Pawar

    Commenting on the appointment, Bobby Pawar, MD & Chief Creative Officer – South Asia, Publicis India said: “Creatively, the Mumbai office has been on a roll for a while, with great work on Ambuja Cement, Nerolac, HDFC Mutual Funds, Skoda, Zee and more. Ram comes to bat at the right time. He is not just a great creative guy who is adept at traditional and non-traditional ideas, he is also the kind of leader people rally behind. I am sure he will help us raise our game a few

     

    Srija Chatterjee

    Welcoming Hariharan on board, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India added: “Ram has been the face behind some memorable campaigns in the recent past, and it will be great to see him bring that creative spark across most of our work at Publicis. We are certain that under his leadership, the teams will imbibe a great creative culture and churn out an enviable body of work that will end up winning multiple laurels. We welcome him to the agency and look forward to seeing some great work from him soon.”

     

     

  • He will report to Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide India

    Paritosh Srivastava named COO of Publicis Beehive

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis Communications has announced the appointment of Paritosh Srivastava as the COO of Publicis Beehive. Srivastava steps into the role in place of Sanjit Shastri, who passed away in September 2017.The appointment is effective immediately.

     

    Srivastava will take over the reins of the agency apart from continuing to lead Publicis Ambience as its COO. He will report to Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide India.

     

    Publicis Beehive is the advertising agency under Publicis Worldwide, India and is focused on serving startups and entrepreneurial ventures, and manages media buying, creative, PR and activation to drive growth for clients. Some of the clients it serves include Games24x7, Stovekraft, Xseed Education, e-Seva (MoPNG), UBS, MAAC, Tourism Malaysia, DSK Benelli, UIDAI, Pitaara Namkeen, Chambor Cosmetics, Sangeetha Mobiles among others.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Srija Chatterjee said: “Publicis Beehive is what it is because of the relentless drive by Sanjit Shastri, whose untimely demise shocked one and all. Luckily, he has placed the agency on a pedestal that compares it to some of the best in the country. We are excited to have Paritosh Srivastava take over the reins and bring in his dynamism, astute business sense and ability to connect well with clients to drive the next phase of growth for the agency. I wish him all the luck for the role ahead.”

     

    Commenting on his additional role within Publicis Worldwide, Srivastava added: “I’m honoured to be given the mandate of leading Publicis Beehive. Unfortunately, the void left by my friend Sanjit Shastri is too big to be filled but I’m glad to be stepping in and look forward to further building on the legacy. Beehive is uniquely positioned in the market with its integrated offering and I see a huge potential for it in current business scenario. We have a solid team at Beehive and can expect some great momentum on both new business and work in the months to come.”

     

     

  • As part of the mandate, Publicis India will be responsible for preparing a pan India communication objective for the brand

    Cera appoints Publicis India to handle full-service mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Publicis India has been mandated to handle the full-service responsibilities of Cera, the Ahmedabad-based home solutions provider. The mandate will be handled by the Delhi office of Publicis India and was won after a multi-agency pitch.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Atul Sanghvi – Executive Director, Cera said:“Cerahas exponential growth plans for coming years—with product and brand extensions. We felt the need to bring in freshness into our brand communication and with that in view we narrowed down on Publicis looking at their international stature, past work and people strength.”

     

    On winning the business mandate, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide India said:“We’re excited to see our strategic insight and ideas resonate positively with brands. This has led us to win some high-profile accounts in the recent past including a cluster of channels under ZEEL, Linen Club, etc. Cera is a leading home solutions player in India and we’re keen to partner them and play a significant role in making it a future-ready player of tomorrow.”

     

    Adding to this, Ravpreet Ganesh, Executive Director, Publicis India said: “Cera is a leading name in home solutions and we’rehappy they chose us to accomplish their communication objective in India. Despite it being a familiar name with the masses, they have high expectations in terms of where they aspire to be in a few months from now. We are confident they will achieve this dream in the quickest and best way possible.”

  • Krishnendu Paul and Amitabh Sreedharan will report to Ravpreet Ganesh, Executive Director, whereas Prateek Suri will be reporting to Nitin Pradhan, Head of Creative

    Publicis fortifies Delhi ops with key leadership adds

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a bid to strengthen and grow its business operation, Publicis has appointed Krishnendu Paul and Amitabh Sreedharan as Vice President- Account Management and Prateek Suri as Creative Director. Paul and Sreedharan will report to Ravpreet Ganesh, Executive Director, whereas Prateek Suri will be reporting to Nitin Pradhan, Head of Creative.

     

    Commenting on the appointments, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India, said: ‘’The new appointments reinforce Publicis Groupe’s commitment to strengthening our teams with the right leadership and empowering them to accomplish our goal of increased collaboration through immense creativity. With Krishnendu, Amitabh and Prateek on board, we look forward to a refreshed outlook that will deliver long term sustainable growth for the organization.”

     

    Added Ravpreet Ganesh, Executive Director, Publicis India: ”We’re glad to have some great minds working with us towards delivering greater insights and strategic direction to our clients. It’s always a pleasure to welcome newer members to our family and benefit from their diverse experiences. We warmly welcome them on our exciting journey ahead and look forward to reaching greater heights.”

     

  • Lowe Lintas will handle the Zee Corporate brand amongst others, Publicis has on its plate the flagship Zee TV in its kitty

    Zee exits FCB Ulka, appoints Lowe Lintas & Publicis India for creative. Appoints Genesis BM for PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    The winds of change are blowing at Zee Entertainment. The network has appointed two agencies – Publicis India and Lowe Lintas – to spearhead its creative duties.

     

    So while Lowe Lintas will handle the Zee Corporate brand amongst others, Publicis has on its plate the flagship Zee TV in its kitty along with a slew of others channels. Meanwhile, although the channel has not made any official announcements, the WPP-owned Genesis Burson-Marsteller will be handling its public relations mandate.

     

    Announcing the move on the creative agencies, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, ZEEL said: “As we embark on this journey, we would like to thank FCB Ulka for the long and fruitful association in building some of the most loved channels that have become a part of our viewers’ lives. To build our equity further on this solid foundation, we welcome Lowe Lintas and Publicis on-board as partners who will help establish the organisation’s presence across all the entertainment verticals. By consolidating the entire business with two strong agency partners, the organisation is committed to building significantly higher capability in brand building, consumer centricity and strategic marketing thinking. Both agencies bring with them a strong consumer centric DNA and a deep knowledge of brands and business, which is core to our philosophy of driving future growth for the organisation. We look forward to Publicis and Lowe partnering with us to grow & develop our strong and evolving portfolio of brands.”

     

    Speaking on the development, Punit Misra, CEO – Domestic Broadcast, ZEEL said, “We are excited to have Lowe Lintas and Publicis on-board as our creative partners. The appointment follows an extensive pitch process which was evaluated by the key leadership team involving an in-depth assessment of creative, planning & servicing capabilities of the agencies, to cater to a large & diverse bouquet of channels & business needs. The move is to ensure that the channels build stronger consumer preference and loyalty for each of the individual brands and businesses. Together, we aspire to create the best in class brand andmarketing ecosystem for every channel and the overall organisation.”

     

    Other than planning and executing a 360-degree creative mandate for the ‘Zee’ Corporate Brand, Lowe Lintas will also work on the bouquet of cinema channels- including Zee Cinema, Zee Classic and Zee Action, the ‘&’Brand – &TV and &Pictures, and Zee’s South Cluster regional channels.

     

    And for Publicis India, other than Zee TV, there’s Zee Anmol, Zee Café & Zee Studio, the youth andmusic channels- Zing and ZETC and the regional channels in Marathi, Bengali and Odia – Zee Marathi, Zee Yuva, Zee Talkies, Zee Bangla, Zee Bangla Cinema and Sarthak.

     

    Interestingly, the Zee Entertainment communique on the announcement carries a statement from Nitin Karkare, CEO, FCB Ulka: “We are proud of our partnership with the Zee Group.  It’s been a wonderful relationship and we have together had many successes across channels and programmes. We wish them the best and many more successes in the years to come.” It may be noted that the &TV creative mandate was with Infectious, the boutique agency set up by Ramanuj Shastry and Nisha Singhania.

     

    Highlighting his agency’s mandate on the new business win, Raj Gupta, CEO-Lowe Lintas said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to partner ZEEL, who pioneered a series of revolutionary television watching experiences and much more for India in the last 25 years. At a time where content networks are competing to get attention with serials/shows, multi-crore blockbuster movies, digital content and millions of shares on digital - we’re excited about the possibilities of imagining and reimagining purpose-led strategic and creative ideas for all the ZEEL offerings, that will inspire Indians to dream more, do more and become more.”

     

    Elaborating further on the partnership, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis Worldwide India said: “Zee is an iconic brand that has been in the minds and hearts of millions of Indians over almost 25 years. We are delighted that we were able to demonstrate our strong strategic approach through the use of proprietary tools that enable brands to grow at the speed of culture and creative capabilities across the different consumer segments that the brand appeals to, that enabled the ZEEL team to choose us for this very exciting challenge. We are truly excited and looking forward to this partnership to create iconic work that takes the brand and its offerings forward in the minds of the consumers.”

     

    On PR, Genesis B-M has been appointed for the corporate mandate, but there are rumours that this could extend to the various or at least some Zee brands.

     

  • The brand's activities will be managed by the agency's office in Delhi

    Publicis bags Big FM’s creative mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big FM has appointed Publicis as its creative agency. The brand’s activities will be managed by the agency’s office in Delhi.

     

    Srija Chatterjee

    Commenting on this victory, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India, said, ‘We are extremely delighted to win the creative mandate for Big FM. This win means a lot to us, as Big FM proudly owns the most distinguished position in the radio category.’’

     

     

     

    Ravpreet Ganesh

    Elaborating on the win, Ravpreet Ganesh, Executive Director, Publicis India, said: “Big FM as a brand has established itself as a leader in the FM space and we look forward to a great partnership with them. Having similar creative inclinations and outlook, gives us all the more pleasure to work together. The vibe between the teams on both sides has been great and I think this is the beginning of an effective partnership. We are keen on doing some exciting work together and look forward to this journey ahead.”

     

     

    Praveen Malhotra

    Added Praveen Malhotra, Chief Business Officer, Big FM: ‘It gives us immense pleasure to announce our partnership with Publicis to take forward our creative mandate. I’m sure this association will be rewarding for the brand, as we place trust in Publicis and their diverse expertise. We look forward to an enriching association with the team and await to work on some great ideas together.’’

     

  • This mutual decision marks the end of relationship of almost four years in July this year

    Publicis Ambience parts ways with Ambuja Cement

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ambuja Cement and its creative partner Publicis Ambience have decided to mutually part ways. This mutual decision marks the end of relationship of almost four years in July this year between Publicis Ambience and Ambuja Cement.

     

    “When we started our journey together – the goal was to set stage for Ambuja to be counted among India’s Top 10 brands. We all knew that this task can only be accomplished over many years. Nonetheless our Khali campaign did go a considerable way to move us towards the goal. Together we have celebrated that fact that this campaign won accolades from every national and international award – be it for creativity or effectiveness. However, as we assessed the way forward, we understood that we have differences in our vision for the brand and the category and agreed that it would be best if we parted ways at this point in time,” said Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India.

     

    “It was a fruitful partnership. Khali certainly was a new high in our brand building process. Not only that it locked strength with Ambuja inseparably, but also took the brand to a new level,” said Vivek Deshpande, head of Brand and Marketing Strategy, Ambuja Cement. “However”, he added, “going forward, we have mutually agreed to part ways to explore a different approach to branding. My best wishes will always be with Publicis. I am sure, they will continue to turn out great work for their clients.”

     

  • 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.