MAM
Network Advertising appoints Pooja Nair as VP – strategic planning
NEW DELHI: Network Advertising has strengthened its account planning division with the inclusion of Pooja Nair as VP – strategic planning. Nair comes with an experience of over 16 years and has worked in agencies like Ogilvy, JWT, Publicis, Saatchi (Colombo), Percept, and TBWA. She has considerable experience in handling cross-category brands like Huggies, Ponds, Bosch, Nutrela, Garnier, Godrej, Head & Shoulders, Oil of Olay, Electrolux, Allen Solly, Standard Chartered Bank, and many more.
Network Advertising chief strategy officer Sunit Khot said, “We are glad to have Pooja on board the Network team. Her cross-category experience coupled with her natural curiosity will be invaluable to us in strengthening our integrated offering that is based on a strong strategic foundation.”
Nair said, “What attracted me to Network is their philosophy of integrating Strategic Planning across all their functions, which essentially makes every Networker a thinker. I am looking forward to my role to enhance this already strong thinking culture within Network. The exciting cross-category roster of clients and the agency’s integrated offering makes it a dream for any strategic planner.”
Network Advertising MD Vinod Nair said, “An integrated agency like Network needs to consistently over-deliver in the thinking area to bring alive our commitment to the brands we work on. Pooja is a welcome addition to the Network family and another brain to keep working on our mission of doing right by the clients we handle.”
Brands
Senior leaders exit Deloitte India amid shift in M&A strategy
Rival firms gain ground as Deloitte refocuses on high-value mergers and acquisitions
NEW DELHI: Deloitte has seen a series of senior departures in recent weeks, marking a period of transition as the firm recalibrates its mergers and acquisitions business, according to an Economic Times report. These exits follow a strategic shift in the firm’s advisory approach, which has increasingly focused on larger, high-value transactions.
The executives who have resigned include Rajesh Aggarwal, head of debt advisory, Ruchi Sarna, national head of consumer investment banking, and Suresh Atal, a senior partner in transaction advisory, according to the report. Industry sources indicate that Rajesh Aggarwal and Suresh Atal are likely to join PwC, while Sarna is also expected to move to a competing firm.
This movement follows a significant change in Deloitte’s leadership and focus over the past two years. After Rohit Berry joined from KPMG as president of the vertical, the firm began prioritising deals valued at over $250 million. Berry was accompanied by senior executives Vivek Gupta and Manish Aggarwal, leading to a larger migration of over 200 professionals from KPMG to Deloitte.
The competitive landscape remains fluid. PwC recently appointed Anmol Bhandari, a former Deloitte executive, as head of its transaction services vertical, reinforcing its dealmaking ambitions.
In the professional services sector, senior departures often trigger further team movements, suggesting that more staff may follow these leaders to their new firms.
Despite these exits, Deloitte is actively looking to rebuild its ranks. According to the report, the firm is currently looking to hire between six and nine partners to address gaps in its debt advisory team as it aggressively seeks fresh talent to maintain its market position.
As the major accounting firms continue to compete for leadership, the hierarchy of the Indian advisory market is shifting. While Deloitte has successfully recruited heavily from its rivals in the past, it now faces the challenge of retaining its own senior experts as they are courted by competitors like PwC.
