MAM
Stewart’s daughter to act as ‘Apprentice’ advisor
MUMBAI: Martha Stewart has announced that she will tap her daughter Alexis Stewart and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) board chairman Charles Koppelman, to be her advisors on US broadcaster NBC’s The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.
Alexis Stewart, a consultant to MSLO, and Koppelman will serve as Martha’s “eyes and ears” during each week’s task and will join her in the conference room to counsel her on which candidate should be sent home. The show kicks off in September.
Martha Stewart says, “Charles Koppelman and Alexis Stewart, my daughter and colleague, are a dynamic duo with me in the conference room. No one knows me better than Alexis and she understands my way of conducting business and dealing with people. Charles brings the expertise of a legendary entrepreneur to the conference room each week.”
Alexis Stewart said, “As the original ‘Apprentice’ it’s an honour to join my mother each week in the conference room. Having contributed to almost every aspect of her business empire, I know first hand what it will take for one of these 16 candidates to win the competition and I’m not afraid to call them out in the conference room.”
Koppelman says, “During the course of my career, I have been shoulder to shoulder with some impressive, powerful people, none more so than Martha Stewart. The world knows of her unsurpassed creativity, but to sit with her in any room, to watch her in action, reasoning, listening, making decisions, is to understand how bright she is, how good she is at the business of being Martha Stewart. What sitting with Martha and Alexis in the conference room of The Apprentice demonstrates is how much fun she is too. Being on The Apprentice’ with the Stewart ladies, has been a highlight of my professional life.”
AD Agencies
Prakash Nair reportedly quits Ogilvy after 23 years
One of the agency’s longest-serving leaders has moved on, with his next destination still unknown
MUMBAI: After more than two decades at one address, Prakash Nair has left the building. The president and head of office, north at Ogilvy has moved on from the agency, according to highly placed industry sources. His next move remains unknown. Ogilvy did not respond to requests for comment.
Nair spent over 23 years at the agency, making him one of its longest-serving senior figures. He was elevated to lead the Gurugram office in April 2022, a role that put him at the helm of Ogilvy’s northern operations at a time of considerable churn across the advertising industry.
Before taking charge in the capital, Nair served as associate president at Ogilvy Mumbai, where he worked on some of the agency’s most prized accounts, including Mondelez, Tata Motors, and BP Castrol. Over the years, he built a reputation for driving modern, integrated, and award-winning work, the kind that wins metals at Cannes and keeps clients from straying.
His departure was marked in style. A farewell gathering was held in Delhi, attended by senior figures from across the advertising fraternity, a signal of the regard in which Nair is held in an industry that does not always pause to say goodbye properly.
Where he goes next is the question the industry is now asking. After 23 years at one of the world’s most storied agencies, the answer, when it comes, will be worth watching.
