Brands
Brands realize value of digital: Liqvd Asia’s new creative head
MUMBAI: Digital driven marketing communications agency Liqvd Asia has appointed Dharmesh Shah as the national creative director. Shah’s last stint was with FCB Ulka, where he spent close to 14 years.
Commenting on the appointment, Liqvd Asia MD Arnab Mitra said, “Shah has an exceptional understanding of the creative process and has a genuine yearning to take on larger responsibilities and challenges”.
Expressing his delight, Shah said, “I am ecstatic to be a part of a team that is so passionate about everything digital. I am looking forward to creating some stimulating work.”
He further added, “The move from traditional to digital has been a natural one for me and now brands too are prioritizing their ad spends and realize the value digital communications adds to their marketing plans.”
During his career, he has worked for brands such as ITC foods (all brands under Sunfeast) and their confectionery business, the entire portfolio of brands under Wipro Consumer Goods, Paragon, Levi’s, Amul, Tata Indicom, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services, Zee, Tata Chemicals, Nerolac Paints, LIC and ICICI Bank among others.
Shah has won several awards including: Best Language (other than English) Film for Minto Fresh(RAPA), Concerned Communicator Award by Rajasthan Patrika 2004- Ad for Literacy published in top 50 journal, CNBC TV 18 Autocar awards for the Best Car Commercial for Tata IndicaV2 Xeta (2007), Mint Wall Street Journal – Campaign of the month for Tata Indicom Unlimited Talktime film in 2007, Amul Probiotic Launch Campaign- Winning the International Dairy Federation best campaign at the World Dairy Summit (London). Some of the other campaigns under his name are Tata Indicom launch, Dark Fantasy and several Santoor TV commercials.
Brands
Air Canada ceo to quit over “English-only” message after New York plane crash
English-only condolence video after fatal LaGuardia crash triggers outrage in Quebec and hastens succession
MONTREAL: Air Canada’s boss is heading for the exit after a linguistic misstep collided with a national faultline.
Michael Rousseau will retire by October, the airline said on Monday, days after a backlash over his English-only video tribute following a deadly crash involving an Air Canada Express jet in New York. The March 22 collision with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport killed two pilots and injured dozens, but Rousseau’s message, bookended only by “bonjour” and “merci”, ignited fury in French-speaking Quebec.
Mark Carney welcomed the departure, calling the video a “lack of judgment and lack of compassion”. “It is absolutely essential that his successor is completely bilingual,” he said in Toronto. “He did a good job technically as CEO but as the leader of an organisation you have broader responsibilities. It’s the right decision at the right time.”
The row quickly metastasised. Quebec’s National Assembly voted 92–0 for Rousseau to quit. More than 1,800 complaints flooded the federal languages watchdog. Even Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, a major shareholder, weighed in. “There is no doubt that the video should have been in both official languages.”
The symbolism cut deep. One of the dead pilots, Antoine Forest, was from Quebec. Language, long a live wire in the province, remains entwined with identity and politics, fuelling the separatist Parti Québécois ahead of an election due by October.
Rousseau, 68, had form. In 2021, soon after taking charge, he drew fire for delivering a Montreal speech largely in English and boasting he had lived there for years without speaking French. He apologised then and again last week, saying he was “deeply saddened” his limitations had “diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees.” He had logged more than 300 hours of French lessons since taking the helm in February 2021.
Operationally, his tenure was steadier. He steered Air Canada through the pandemic and its messy aftermath, though labour tensions, most notably a four-day cabin crew strike, dogged the recovery. Shares slipped more than 2 per cent after the news before trimming losses to about 1.2 per cent on the Toronto exchange.
The airline, bound by the Official Languages Act to serve customers in both English and French, said it is accelerating a succession plan already under way, with candidates to be judged in part on their French. Analysts say the next chief must pair operational discipline with strategic clarity amid fuel volatility, labour costs and fierce competition.
A dual crisis—metal on tarmac in New York and politics at home—has now claimed its most senior scalp. In Canada’s flag carrier, competence got Rousseau far. In the end, fluency finished the job.
