MAM
Former Maruti MD Jagdish Khattar no more
New Delhi : Former managing director of Maruti Suzuki India, and veteran of the Indian automobile industry, Jagdish Khattar passed away on Monday due to cardiac arrest. He was 78.
Khattar had joined the company as director (marketing) in July 1993 and went on to become the managing director in 1999. He was first appointed as a government nominee, and then in May 2002 as Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) nominee.
He had served Maruti Udyog for 14 years and steered the company towards remarkable growth. His last day at Maruti as MD, at age 65, was on 18 December 2007.
Prior to this he had worked as joint secretary in the ministry of steel, government of India, for about five years and held several administrative positions in the Uttar Pradesh government before that.
In 2008, Khattar launched his next venture – Carnation Auto to develop a multi-brand automobile sales and service network.
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.
