MAM
Havas Creative Network India’s key leaders elevated
Mumbai: Havas India, part of Paris-headquartered global communications network Havas, has announced a significant leadership transition across three key agencies under the Havas Creative Network India umbrella, including Havas Worldwide India (creative), Conran Design Mumbai (brand design), and Havas CX India (customer experience).
1 Havas Worldwide India managing partner Kundan Joshee has been promoted as managing director of the India operations.
2 Havas Worldwide India CCO Anupama Ramaswamy, will also mantle the additional responsibility of joint managing director along with the CCO profile.
3 Conran Design Mumbai managing partner Geet Nazir, has been elevated to managing director of the agency.
4 Havas CX India managing partner Prashant Tekwani has been elevated to managing director of both Havas CX India and Ekino (technology) India.
Strengthening the creative network in India:
Havas Creative Network India, which now consists of eight agencies, has been growing steadily, driven by global expertise, acquisitions, new business wins, a strong talent pool, and numerous award wins. Havas Worldwide India, Conran Design Mumbai and Havas CX India have played a critical role in positioning the overall Havas Creative Network India as one the most future-ready networks in the country.
In addition, the Creative Network includes Think Design (UI/UX) led by Deepali Saini, CEO, Shobiz (experiential) led by Sameer Tobaccowala, CEO, PR Pundit Havas Red (public relations) led by Archana Jain, CEO, Havas People (employer branding) led by Arindam Sengupta as Managing Director, and Prose on Pixels (production) led by Makarand Nirmal, Vice President – Operations.
While Kundan, Geet and Prashant will be based out of Mumbai, Anupama will continue to be based out of Gurgaon. All four along with Sameer, Archana, Deepali and Arindam will continue to report to Havas India, South East Asia & North Asia (Japan & South Korea) Group CEO Rana Barua.
Over the last one year, Havas Worldwide India witnessed a flux due to some leadership exits but even during this period of transition, both Anupama and Kundan played a pivotal role in further consolidating the agency and strengthening its relationships with key clients like Reckitt, Stellantis, MamaEarth, Suzuki, William Grant, UTI Mutual Fund and Harman, amongst others. Anupama has been instrumental in not just creating some of the most talked-about campaigns of the last two years for clients including Harpic, Veet, Mortein, Mamaearth, IQOO, Vivo, Karnataka Bank, UTI Mutual Funds, Vanish and many more but also in consolidating and building a strong creative team. Meanwhile, Kundan has helped in fortifying and stabilising client relationships, winning several new businesses like Karnataka Bank, Indie (IndusInd Bank), IQOO and RealMe, to name a few, and streamlining processes that have strengthened the overall business, attracted talent, and increased client satisfaction scores.
Conran Design Mumbai was launched in 2021 under the leadership of Geet Nazir, who has led the agency to become one of the most prominent brand and design consultancies in India. Over the past three years, the agency has built a roster of marquee clients including Zydus Lifesciences, PayU, Coca-Cola India, Nestle, Usha Martin, to name a few. Within three years of its existence, Conran has won prestigious local and global awards including a Gold at Transform Asia, Silver in the South Asia Brand Design Agency of the Year category at Campaign’s Agency Of The Year Awards 2023 amongst many more. Recently, Havas launched Conran Design Group network, a new global offering dedicated to brand and design, based on the long-standing expertise and talent at Conran Design Group, and W, Havas’ leading creative branding agency in France. Geet’s elevation comes at this critical juncture and will play a central role in scaling up the agency further.
Prashant has been instrumental in building and leading Havas CX in India since 2020. Over the years, he has steadily built and consolidated the agency through a strong CX team along with Ekino, and some of the biggest clients including Bandhan Life (erstwhile Aegon Life), Bosch Mobility Services, Tata Steel, STT Telecommunications, Air Asia, to name a few. Over the years, the X-Index proprietary study by Havas CX has also made the agency a strong voice in the industry. Going forward, with Prashant at the helm, Havas CX India is going to play a more critical role in the region and scale up its India operations by ramping up talent and expertise like CRM, technology, loyalty, etc.
The journey ahead:
This transition marks an exciting phase for Havas India as it continues to innovate, lead, and deliver exceptional results for its clients.
In discussing the recent elevations, Rana Barua emphasised the strategic trajectory of the organisation, stating, “Over the past few years, our focus has been on enhancing our expertise and solidifying our position as the most progressive communications network in India. While our Media Network, under the leadership of Mohit Joshi, Uday Mohan, R Venkat, and Shibu Shivanandan, has thrived, Havas Creative Network India has grown exponentially both organically and inorganically and has built the creative repertoire of Havas India.”
“Kundan, Anupama, Geet, and Prashant have been instrumental in scaling up the operations of their respective agencies, demonstrating resilience and genuine leadership qualities,” Rana continued. “As we transition towards a new phase of growth, I am confident that these four leaders will play an even greater role in driving our growth, both within India and on a global scale. Their dedication and leadership is paving the way for our future success. I wish them all the best.”
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.
