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.”
The next time you are on the beaches of Bali, don’t be surprised if you run into good ol’ media boss from India, Satyajit Sen. Havas Group Indonesia has announced his appointment as CEO of Havas Media CEO. Sen takes charge of a position left vacant after the exit of Anwesh Bose in November last year. His mandate is to accelerate Havas Media Indonesia’s journey of transformation and exponential growth with a focus on collaboration, new business and building and leading a team. He will report to Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO Havas Group, SEA, India and North Asia. Sen’s appointment is effective immediately and he is based in Jakarta.
Sen joins Havas Indonesia from Samsung India where he led the media management function from 2014. Prior to the South Korean giant, Sen was CEO of Zenith Optimedia in India.
Commenting on the appointment, Mohan said: “Satyajit’s proven expertise in delivering value across the spectrum of media services encompassing digital, content and data coupled with extremely strong leadership skills will build on what we have already achieved in Indonesia, which has a strong portfolio of media clients like Indofood, Grab, and Godrej and take Havas Indonesia forward in its next phase of growth and expansion. His experience encompassing both brand and agency will be huge advantage in a critical market like Indonesia. I am delighted to welcome Satyajit to the Havas family and I am confident that he will propel Havas Indonesia in its next phase of evolution.”
Added Sen: “This is an interesting opportunity in changing and challenging times. Havas has been a pioneer in integration with its Village model of organisational structure and this multi-dimensional approach to marketing and advertising is exactly what clients are looking for. I am extremely excited to be a part of Havas Group’s futuristic agency model and looking forward to working with the team to start a new chapter for Havas Media in Indonesia.”
Bali, by the way, isn’t exactly close to Jakarta. It’s around 17 hours away by road given the 1154 km distance. That’s a little less than a couple of hours by air.
On October 11, MxMIndia reported on Anita Nayyar moving out of day-to-day ops at Havas Media. She had then moved to a larger group-level assignment with Vivendi, the holding company of Havas. But now the news is that Nayyar, the New Delhi NCR-based media agency veteran is moving on from the agency network and the holding company to pursue other interests. She will leave the group in the beginning of May 2020. Her India leadership role, as reported by MxMIndia earlier, has transitioned to Mohit Joshi, Group MD, who is reporting into Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India.
Nayyar joined Havas in 2007 as CEO of Havas Media India and save a few months when she moved to Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) as Head of Customer Strategy and joined back seven months later, she has been spearheading Havas Media. Joshi has also been working with the group since 2007. In 2018, Nayyar was promoted to CEO of Havas Media Southeast (SEA) Asia in addition to her role as CEO of Havas Media India.
Vishnu Mohan
Commenting on the development, Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group, India & Southeast Asia said: “Anita has played a pivotal role in Havas Media India’s success and growth over the years. A future forward-thinking leader with a deep understanding of people, brand and media, Anita has also been an inspiration to many young professionals. We are grateful for her significant and lasting contribution to Havas Media India and wish her the very best for her next chapter.”
On her departure, Nayyar added: “It has been an extremely fulfilling and meaningful journey at Havas India over the last 13 years. I am grateful for the opportunities given by the network including the broader remit of SEA in 2018. As Havas Group India continues to reinforce its integrated model of operations, I am confident the Group will continue to chart its success story and I wish the team at Havas Group well with its future development.”
Rana Barua
Said Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India in a statement: “Anita is credited with growing Havas Media India’s footprint and elevating its presence. Her dedication and passion are exemplary that has led to her becoming a strong voice in the industry. On behalf of the network, I would like to thank Anita for all that she has done and wish her all the best going ahead.”
And this is what Joshi has said: “Working with Anita for over a decade has been an immensely rewarding and learning experience. She has been an integral part of Havas Media and valued by both clients and colleagues alike. As I welcome the new challenge, I would like to thank the network for the opportunity and Anita for her mentorship and guidance.”
That, we must say, is a nice tribute for a mentor and former boss from Joshi, which is part of an official release from Havas.
Image courtesy a screengrab of the popular game Pacman
By A Correspondent
In 1974, the veteran Alyque Padamsee commissioned one of the biggest event organiser Rehamatali Tobaccowala to launch Rexona in India. Tobaccowala wa known as one of the biggest wedding celebrations in Mumbai and beyond. And then Rehmatbhai, as he was popularly called, was involved with the Indian versions of Evita, Man of La Mancha and Jesus Christ Superstar.
In 2016, Shobiz Experiential Chairman and Managing Director passed away at the age of 84. When in the early 1990s, this correspondent was to introduced to Rehamatali Tobacowala as the Father of the Indian Events and Experential Industry, the sector itself was in its infancy.
Today, three years after Rehamatbhai’s his company was acquired by leading communications marketing services conglomerated Havas for what’s being billed as a handsome sum.
This is Havas’s third acquisition in 2019, and perhaps its biggest. Shobiz may not be the #1 in size, but it’s decidedly the first and most experienced experiential agency. It employs over 300 professionals across its five offices in India. According to industry sources, a few years back Shobiz was close to inking a deal with WPP, but that didn’t happe. The current acquisition by Havas took over a year to fructify.
Headquartered in Mumbai, the Shobiz portfolio boasts of over 142 recurring clients. While Sameer Tobaccowala, CEO, Shobiz will continue to oversee the business along with Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group India & South East Asia, the daily operations will be led by COO Tejpal Singh Patpatia who will report into Rana Barua, CEO Havas Group India.
In May this year Havas Group acquired Think Design, the leader in user experience consultancy and design in India, followed by the acquisition of Langoor a full-service digital agency led and driven by creative technologists in September this year.
said Sameer Tobaccowala, CEO, Shobiz:
“Crafting unforgettable brand experiences has the power to engage consumers in ways not seen before. Havas Group’s integrated approach to brand building coupled with their entrepreneurial spirit resonated with us. We are confident that this collaboration will unlock unprecedented growth opportunities for us and forge stronger consumer connections that foster trust, loyalty and business results. We are thrilled to be a part of Havas and look forward to a meaningful journey ahead, together,”
Said Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO Havas Group comments in a statement: “India has increasingly become a priority for Havas, and even more so over the past 12 months. With the acquisition of Shobiz we have delivered on our ambitious growth plan to triple our footprint in India. Shobiz’s talented teams are renowned for their solid track record and their excellence in the planning and flawless execution of complex events. After strengthening our local digital and service design capabilities with the acquisitions of Think Design and Langoor, we can now significantly boost our activation and experiential offer on the rapidly growing events market in India. Shobiz is a precious addition to Havas and I welcome them warmly.”
Added Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group India & South East Asia:
“Experiential marketing is a critical component of an integrated approach to brand building as consumers are demanding personalized and meaningful interactions across all touchpoints. The acquisition of Shobiz will further strengthen the breadth of our multi-disciplinary Village model of working and bring on board a different kind of creative skills set. Shobiz’s transformation from a leading production house to be one of the country’s leading experiential communications agency is impressive and I am delighted to welcome Sameer and his entire team to the Havas family.”
Said Rana Barua, CEO Havas Group India: “Shobiz’s acquisition adds an enviable strength to Havas Group with its forte in the experiential space. Shobiz’s thirst for innovation, impact and results, adds tremendous value to our existing offerings as a group, and seamlessly fits in with Havas Group’s multi-faceted, integrated, client centric “Village” style of working, giving us a distinctive advantage and making it a much stronger force to reckon with.”
So what’s next for Havas. Accordiing to the grapevine, it has started discussions with a few leading PR agencies for a buy. But that’s possibly next year.
Veteran adperson Conrad Saldanha passed away in Auckland on Sunday evening. He was hospitalised with a brief illness. Rich tributes have been paid by industry persons, many of who owe their careers to Saldanha.
Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group – India/South East Asia/North Asia:
There are very few people that spellbind you instantly with their radiance, charm and genuineness. Human, kind, sincere, caring – the list could go on and on. That was Conrad.
Such was his gravitation that I don’t know when and how a relationship that began 28 years ago as a management trainee turned into being and believing in him as a parent.
The 7pm whisky, the cricket we saw together, the laughs we shared, the immense love for my daughters, the reprimands and advice replay endlessly
He taught the world and me how to always stay young.
A loss for the industry, his friends and his colleagues.
For me, I lost my Dad
Harsha Bhogle, cricket commentator, consultant, former adperson:
When I joined Rediffusion, I was petrified of Conrad.
I thought he was stern and hard. I was to learn later what a facade that was! Conrad was kind, understanding and played a big part in making generations of entrants to Rediffusion feel comfortable.
He was as much a guide as a boss. Our WhatsApp group is in grief but also full of stories of his help, his support and his guidance.
He was, just simply, a good man
Ambba Kuthiala, General Manager APAC, Talenthouse:
There can be only one Conrad Saldanha (fondly known as Connie) in this world.
If you were tired he was your go to guy, If you are feeling low & lost at work? Connie was the man. Need advice? Need help? Or need a drink? Or need many drinks to cheer you up? Or just simply bored and lonely? Go to Connie. Everyone in the industry and our agency knew that you could find Connie at “Gallops” or “The Jewel of India” after six in case you needed a kind and a good listener. It did not matter if you were young or old, or if you were a client or a colleague……Connie was a ray of cheer for everyone
And this pattern continued even when Connie and Lynett visited me in Singapore. After a long stressful daym I would go home to find Connie at home fixing me a drink or russling up a meal or waiting with a goody bag to cheer me up. He was sent there as my guardian angel to help me settle in.
A man with many endearing names- “Papa bear” “Cuddly & warm” “Toughie with a heart of gold” “drinking buddy”…..
You touched everyone’s life in your special way…….
Cheers to you Connie wherever you go…… I am sure there will be many waiting to welcome you with a hearty drink and a warm smile.
The ad industry has truly lost its lustre with your precious loss.
We’ve been hearing these rumours for a few months now. But now it’s confirmed.
Anita NayyarMohit Joshi
Anita Nayyar, longstanding CEO of Havas Media India and Southeast Asia, has now moved out of her day-to-day operational role at Havas Media to a larger group-level assignment with Vivendi, the holding company of Havas, with reporting directly (and only) to Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas India & South East Asia. Nayyar’s mandate includes working on inorganic growth, identifying new business opportunities and new revenue streams, and facilitate partnership.
Havas Media meanwhile is now being helmed by Managing Director Mohit Joshi who reports to Havas Group India CEO Rana Barua. According to information received by MxMIndia, things have changed since around a fortnight via communication sent out to all internal stakeholders by Mohan.
Nayyar joined Havas in 2007 as CEO of Havas Media India and save a few months when she moved to Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) as Head of Customer Strategy and joined back seven months later, she has been spearheading Havas Media. Joshi has also been working with the group since 2007.
L to R – Venugopal Ganganna, Chief Executive Officer, Langoor, Ruchir Punjabi, Founder & Chair, Langoor, Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas India & South East Asia, Bobby Pawar, Chairman & CCO, Havas Group India, Girisha Gowda, Chief Operations Officer, Langoor, Kishore Karumbaiah, Chief Creative Officer, Langoor and Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India
By A Correspondent
When the Havas group announced the ‘acquisition’ of two veteran industry persons last year, it was clear that it had huge plans for India. After Rana Barua and later Bobby Pawar joined to helm the group in the country, the message sent out was that the advertising agency-led conglomerate is not going to sit pretty on its existing lines of business.
If it were to match the big girls or boys in the business, it had to broadbase its line of businesses. The Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) experiment in India had been a huge success. Acquire, Grow and Shine.
In May this year, Havas gobbled up Think Design, a strong player in user experience and design advisory in India. And today (September 18), it announced the acquisition of Langoor, an eight-year-old tech-led independent agency with presence across India, the Middle East and Australia. The deal size has not been disclosed.
With a team size of 170 people, Langoor has earned its stripes as an agency that’s not in the mould of a typical digital advertising agency. It’s driven by technology, and it’s hence different from many others.
Langoor will be rebranded Langoor Havas and be led by its co-founder – Venugopal Ganganna – who will take on the newly-created position of Chief Digital Officer, Havas Group India, reporting to Barua who is Group CEO, Havas Group India. Langoor Havas will have three key focus areas – health, business and vernacular – and will expand these services to markets outside of India in the coming months. The deal itself took over a year to fructify and was inked earlier this month.
The agency has been growing 30 per cent and some of its key clients include Unilever, Fossil, Wipro, Emami, Epson, Adobe, Infosys, Moneygram among others.
While an exponential growh new business continues to be something that Havas in India is seeking to fructify, according to industry and Havas insiders, the inorganic DAN-like growth path is clearly on the agenda: there are many domains that are still need Havas’s presence. For instance, activations, public relations/communications and perhaps more in digital. The appetite is to acquire another four to five agencies, an executive told us requesting anonymity.
To a pointed question from MxMIndia, a Havas spokesperson said: “Our acquisition approach is distinctively not a multiplier approach but one of relevant expertise building. You will be hearing from us soon on the acquisition front, in line with this approach.”
A communique was issued by the group bearing the following statements:
Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO Havas Group: “Digital business is booming in India and bringing Langoor on board is an important new step to further strengthening our digital skills locally. Through their unique blend of data, creativity and technology, Langoor enables brands to engage their customers meaningfully and drive growth. Earlier this year, we acquired the leader in user experience and digital design in India, Think Design, making Langoor our second acquisition in the country in 2019. The combined expertise of Think Design and Langoor boost Havas’ digital offer in the world’s fastest growing ad market. India continues to be a priority for the Group, we aim to triple our presence there by the end of 2019 and have put in place a solid new management team to lead this expansion.”
Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group India & South East Asia: “The acquisition of Langoor complements our aggressive growth strategy that we started last year with the creation of Havas Village India that brought together different disciplines under a unified, client-centric leadership structure. Langoor adds an enviable strength to Havas Group with its distinctive approach of Creative Technologists who challenge marketing every day with their expertise in balancing, data, technology, strategic thinking and the power of creative.”
Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India: “The Langoor acquisition also demonstrates Havas Group’s commitment to expand its scale and expertise in India with a focus on exponential growth, new business momentum, and building & leading future-ready teams. The acquisition will reinforce our integrated offering and digital expertise in India and complement our existing capabilities.”
Ruchir Punjabi & Venu Ganganna, co-founders of Langoor: “We pride ourselves in having created an agency focused on digital brand thinking – which is the future. The integration with Havas Group will add scale to the depth of our services and help us to grow even further. This acquisition is an incredible opportunity for Langoor and the team and we are excited to be part of this new journey towards further success.”
Havas Group has announced the acquisition of Think Design, a leading user experience consultancy and design firm in India. Founded in 2004, Think Design has five design centres in India and the US (Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Denver).
The team size of Think Design is 125 and 30 per cent of revenues comes from overseas markets. Notes a communique: Think Design will continue to be led by its co-founders – Deepali Saini, Hari Nallan and Rama Aleti – and will become a key part of Havas India and Ekino Global, led respectively by Vishnu Mohan (Chairman & CEO Havas SEA/India) and Yann Doussot (CEO Ekino).
Said Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO Havas Group, in a statement: “We really believe that in today’s world, customer experience is key to all brands to make them more and more meaningful to their audiences. It is mandatory to have the right solutions across touch-points. Over the past few years at Havas we have been reinforcing our digital experiencecapabilities in Europe, Asia and North America with the acquisitions of Boondoggle, Project House, Fullsix/Ekino and Plastic Mobile. Adding Think Design to the Havas family allows us to further strengthen our global digital experience offering and increase our footprint in India where we aim to triple our presence and operations. I am delighted to welcome the teams on board.”
Added Hari Nallan, Founder and CEO of Think Design: “At Think Design, we have always believed that collaboration with the right minds can lead to the greatest results. During our conversations with Havas leadership, we experienced a very strong connection and equally great synergy. We have no doubt that Think Design’s integration into Havas Group will help us become an even stronger, global force to reckon with. We are now several steps further towards realising our vision of being a leading global player in Design for the connected world. This is an exciting time for us and the results are just around the corner!”
Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas India & South East Asia said: “Think Design is poised to be among the largest design innovation consultancies in the world and their addition will further strengthen Havas Group’s integrated offering, ensure an agile, seamless and dynamic service to our clients as well as add greater momentum not just to our India operations but to the network, globally.”
Emma Sheller, Global Head of Brand and Marketing of Standard Chartered and Vishnu Mohan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Southeast Asia and India at Havas Group have been appointed as Heads of Jury for the 2019 APAC Effie Awards. They are the first two of eight Heads of Juries to join the Judging Committee, and will lead the jurors to review the most effective work from the region.
On his appointment, Mohan said: Effectiveness is arguably one of the most important factors to consider when it comes to judging the success of a campaign and something we always strive to achieve in our industry.  The Effie Awards stand for inspiring, effective work that drive results and I am both honoured and humbled to take on the role of Head of Jury for the 2019 APAC Effie awards. I look forward to working with my peers to reward great ideas that drive positive business outcomes as we review the best work the region has to offerâ€.
Had it been another day, it would have made way for the Big Story. But, then, Bobby Pawar would agree, the merger of J Walter Thompson with Wunderman calls for the top slot in our newsdeck.
But the move is a clear indicator that the Havas group intends to boost its play in India. In early October, Havas appointed Rana Barua as Group CEO. Now Pawar has been appointed Chairman and Chief Creative Officer. Notes a communique: “The appointment is in sync with an aggressive growth strategy that will further integrate the management structure of Havas Group’s India operations to create a simple, unified and client-centric organization in line with the Group’s “Together†strategy.†Also, in October, Havas announced the elevation of Anita Nayyar as CEO of Havas Media Southeast in addition to her role as CEO of Havas Media India.
Pawar will report to Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO of Havas Group, India & Southeast Asia, and work closely with existing leadership teams, including recently-appointed Havas Group India CEO – Rana Barua. The appointment is effective in January 2019. Nayyar, as per the October 23 communique, will also report to Mohan.
Pawar joins Havas Group from Publicis Worldwide where he is Managing Director and Chief Creative Officer for South Asia. Publicis has confirmed the development and informed the media that Pawar, will be moving on from the agency after a five-year stint, and will leaved after serving his notice period which ends in January 2019.
Said Saurabh Varma, CEO, Publicis Communications, India & South Asia: “Over the last five years, Bobby has played a key role in transforming the creative output of Publicis Worldwide India. Under Bobby’s leadership we’ve created some truly fabulous work for our clients. We’ve enjoyed working with Bobby and will miss his sense of humour and the raw energy he brings with him. We wish him the best of luck for his future.â€
Commenting on the appointment, Mohan said: “Collectively, as a network, we are focused on providing clients with great work by investing in the best talent. We hire for the future, not the past and we believe that Bobby is a timely and critical hire for Havas Group. Bobby’s work has made him one of the most awarded Indian creatives in the industry and he is known for transforming agency culture and reputation on the strength and quality of the creative product. Additionally, his experience across traditional, digital, experiential, and media agencies will bolster our overall integrated product. Bobby’s appointment will fuel our ambition for India and herald a new chapter of success and I am delighted to welcome him to the team.â€
“It’s a great time to be in the advertising industry as data and technology has added depth and breadth to the creative product. Havas Group provides the perfect platform to reinvent our industry by blending the best of both worlds: relentless creativity and smart media accountability. Additionally, by being a part of Vivendi, Havas Group has a huge opportunity to make tangible in-roads into the entertainment industry. The prospect of leveraging the assets of Universal Music, Dailymotion, Gameloft (Vivendi companies) to solve a business problem is extremely exciting and I am delighted at the opportunity and looking forward to my new role,†added Pawar.  On his exit from Publicis Worldwide, Pawar added: ““I’ve had a blast working with Saurabh, Srija and the incredible creative talent as Publicis Worldwide India. But as they say, all good things do come to an end. I’m the kind of person who has always been excited about trying new things and broadening my horizons, and that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. I am fully confident that Publicis will continue to rise and make stellar work for its clients. I would like to thank the Groupe for the great memories and work we’ve created over the years.â€
Havas Group has promoted Anita Nayyar to CEO of Havas Media Southeast (SEA) Asia on the back of an accelerated growth strategy in the region. This is in addition to her role as CEO of Havas Media India. In this newly created role, Nayyar’s expertise will enable brands in India to expand their footprint to SEA and facilitate cross-fertilisation of clients. Nayyar will work closely with regional and local leadership in SEA to drive new business and local client strategy with a sharpened focus on driving growth leveraging Havas Group’s integrated abilities. Nayyar will report to Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO of Havas Group, India and Southeast Asia. The appointment is effective immediately.
Vishnu Mohan
Said Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO, Havas Group, India & Southeast Asia: “The Southeast (SEA) Asia region has enjoyed remarkable economic progress in recent years, especially the ASEAN countries capitalising on urbanisation, and technology. There is a tremendous opportunity for brands in India to tap into the region’s growth story and Anita’s experience is an asset that will help us move ahead in that direction. Anita’s determination and passion is a testament to Havas Group India’s success and growth over the years and I am confident that her elevation will enhance the value-proposition of our established SEA media operations.â€
Anita Nayyar
Added Nayyar on her elevation: “The ASEAN markets and the overall SEA region is a pivotal market of the future for brands across a range of verticals and the possibilities for growth are endless. As Havas Group continues to build on its integrated model and new organisational structure, I’m excited to take on the new challenge and reinforce our commitment to creative excellence and smart media accountability to create new opportunities to boost Havas Media SEA’s growth and momentum.â€
In the relatively new office of Havas in Mumbai, there is a ‘hava’ or winds of change that are blowing. For the first time in its existence under the Havas umbrella, the media and creative units will now work under a Group CEO. Rana Barua, a seasoned CEO in the A&M industry, has joined today (October 3) as Group CEO of Havas Group India.
This is in sync with Havas’s overall global strategy of accelerating integration by breaking silos across creative and media functions. In his new role, Barua’s mandate will be to chart Havas India’s journey of transformation and exponential growth with a focus on collaboration and partnerships, new business momentum, and building & leading future-ready teams.
Barua will report to Vishnu Mohan, Chairman & CEO of Havas Group, India & Southeast Asia, and work closely with the existing leadership teams. Significantly, current CEOs of the media and creative agencies – Anita Nayyar and Nirmalya Sen – will report to Barua.
Barua has held CEO roles with Contract India, and most recently with Creativeland Asia, as well as worked with agencies like Ogilvy, Rediffusion Y&R, McCann, JWT and led radio stations Red FM and Radio City.
Commenting on the appointment, Mohan said: “Rana’s appointment is a key milestone in the Group’s ongoing efforts to build agile teams and integrated structures to deliver the most impact for clients. Rana is an ideal candidate as his expertise will build on what we have already achieved in India and take Havas Group India forward in its next phase of growth and expansion. Not only will his leadership strengthen our integrated product but also facilitate the collaboration between Havas Group and other Vivendi companies – Universal Music, GameLoft, Daily Motion - to create a powerful marketing force, unique only to Havas Group in the market. As a group, we are committed in our efforts to make Havas Group an indomitable force in the industry and Rana’s appointment is the first of a number of significant appointments and developments to move us ahead in that direction. I am delighted to welcome Rana to the Havas family and I am confident that he will propel Havas Group India in its next phase of evolution.â€
Added Barua: “The growing complexity of platforms and channels calls for a multi-dimensional approach to marketing and advertising and the Havas Village model of collaboration and integration is exactly what clients are looking for. I am extremely excited to be a part of Havas Group’s futuristic agency model and looking forward to working with the team to start a new chapter for Havas Group in India.â€
Veteran adperson Conrad Saldanha passed away in Auckland on Sunday evening. He was hospitalised with a brief illness. Rich tributes have been paid by industry persons, many of who owe their careers to Saldanha.
Harsha Bhogle, cricket commentator, consultant, former adperson:
Had it been another day, it would have made way for the Big Story. But, then, Bobby Pawar would agree, the merger of J Walter Thompson with Wunderman calls for the top slot in our newsdeck.
