MAM
Indian advertising legend Larry Grant passes away
MUMBAI: The Indian advertising industry has lost another stalwart with the demise of advertising guru Larry Grant. Grant, CEO of the Pune-based Larry Grant Communications, had donned several hats during his 35 year career – advertising professional, author, columnist, consultant and member of industry bodies and committees.
Grant completed his education in Mussoorie, Dehra Dun, at the Air Force College. He was the former director, training and projects at J Walter Thompson. He has also worked with O&M, HTA, Contract Advertising (creative director), Shining of Paris, Paris and Singapore, again Contract Advertising (director – training and projects).
Grant was the chairman of the key committee of the 13th Asian Advertising Congress. He was on the executive committee of the Advertising Agencies Association of India. He was the founder and chairman, training and professional development committee and a coordinator for Staca (Standing Committee on Advertising). For three terms, he was a member of the executive committee for the Communication Arts Guild (Cag).
Grant has written books – including the first one on the subject of advertising for the Mumbai University’s Commerce (B. Com) course. He has also written “Creative Manual” for Advertising Agencies Association of India; and “How to start a business of your own choice” on direct marketing.
Grant was the former advertising and marketing columnist for renowned publications such as The Times of India and Maharashtra Herald, Pune. He was the editor for The Freemason. His website www.larrygrant.com offers the latest on advertising.
Grant always believed in spending time with the younger generation of advertising professionals and students. He has been visiting faculty at Symbiosis Institute of Mass Communication, Pune University (Dept of Marketing), Chetna Institute of Management Studies, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, National Institute of Business Studies, Pune, KC College of Management Studies and Sir JJ College of Commerce.
But, Grant will still be remembered for the path-breaking campaign for Liberty shirts – which changed the face of retail advertising communication – Bajaj Auto and the government’s Family Planning campaign.
Long live Larry Grant! Long live Indian advertising!
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
