MAM
Havas Group India elevates Manas Lahiri as MD
New Delhi: Havas Group India has announced a restructuring of its senior leadership team at Havas Worldwide (Creative) India to drive business growth, consolidate client management. Effective immediately, the agency has elevated president North Manas Lahiri to the role of managing director, and Ravinder Siwach, currently the national creative director to the role of executive director and national creative director of Havas Worldwide (Creative) India.
With over 19 years in advertising and marketing, Lahiri carries experience across sectors, including FMCG, IT, Telecom, and Auto. And Siwach has nearly two decades of experience in many leading agencies. Both have been determined and helped in the overhaul of Havas in the last few years and have been exemplary for the group, said the agency on Monday.
Lahiri will continue to report to Group CEO Rana Barua and will lead both the offices (Gurgaon and Mumbai) of Havas Worldwide India. He will work closely with the leadership team of the other Havas group companies to drive growth, digital innovations and help in the overall integration across businesses and functions, said the agency. While Siwach will continue to report to Havas Group India’s chief creative officer and chairman Bobby Pawar.
“We have witnessed an exponential growth in a short span of two years and have added a phenomenal set of new clients and talents across both our offices. It was time to recognise a strong leadership to drive the client consolidation and take charge of the day-to-day operations of Havas Creative,” Havas Group India – group CEO Rana Barua said. “Manas is a seasoned leader and has driven both organic and inorganic growth for the network, and Ravinder has done an incredible job in scaling up Havas India’s creative prowess under Bobby. Together they have been amazing partners, demonstrated solid team spirit, skill, commitment, and resilience. I am confident that they will scale up Havas Creative, India to greater heights.”
Havas Group India chief creative officer and chairman Bobby Pawar said, “Ravinder and Manas are a rare pair of leaders who are equally passionate about creating great work and growing the agency. The way they collaborate sets the right tone for the rest of the team.”
Digital
Kausik Misra joins BigTrunk Communications as senior vice president- strategy
Content veteran from Zee to steer strategy at independent agency
MUMBAI: Kausik Misra is switching from prime-time hits to brand playbooks. The former non-fiction content head at Zee Entertainment Enterprises has joined BigTrunk Communications as senior vice president–strategy, as agencies race to pair storytelling with hard business outcomes.
Announced in Mumbai, the hire adds a 15-year content and marketing hand to BigTrunk’s leadership as it courts brands seeking cultural relevance and measurable returns. Misra spent years shaping tentpole shows on Zee TV, helping build franchises such as Dance India Dance, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Zee Rishtey Awards and Zee Cine Awards, and pushing them across television and digital ecosystems.
At BigTrunk, he is expected to tighten strategic planning, deepen audience insight and refine narrative frameworks for clients chasing long-term brand equity. Misra pitches the move as a chance to blend consumer insight, storytelling and commercial discipline in one shop.
Founder and ceo Akhil Nair is betting on content DNA to fuel growth, arguing that brands now demand culture-literate strategy, not just media weight.
Founded in 2013, the agency operates from Delhi and Bangalore, with outposts in the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Its client roster ranges from Warner Bros. and H&R Johnson to Unibic Foods, HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited, ORRA Jewellery, Saraswat Bank and Discovery Kids.
As brands hunt attention in a crowded market, agencies are raiding the content world for talent. Misra’s bet is that sharp stories still sell—and that strategy, like television, is a game of hits.
