MAM
Ogilvy India announces leadership transition
Mumbai: Ogilvy India has announced an important leadership transition that will take effect from 1 January 2024. The transition will involve a variety of senior Ogilvy India veterans taking the next steps in their long tenure with the agency.
As chief advisor, Piyush Pandey, currently chairman global creative & executive chairman of Ogilvy India and one of India’s and the global industry’s leading creative figures, will work closely with the leadership team to ensure the impact and richness of the Ogilvy legacy transcends all functions and levels of Ogilvy in India. He is on a mission to make certain Ogilvy’s rich creative heritage continues and makes an impact particularly on the creative product and the digital transformation that has already seamlessly integrated to make Ogilvy India a modern marketing powerhouse.
In this role, Pandey will continue to work closely with major clients and the agency’s executive team to ensure that Ogilvy India maintains its important leadership role in India. Along with the leadership team, Pandey will be involved with key Ogilvy clients and new business prospects and the creative product of the agency. He will also continue to participate in various industry bodies and award forums.
SN Rane, group executive co-chairman India & COO South Asia, will work as business advisor to Ogilvy Asia Pacific. In his new role, Rane will work closely with Ogilvy Asia-Pacific to ensure that Ogilvy India has a smooth transition under the new management and to advise on various business operations and planning issues.
Hephzibah Pathak will take on the role of executive chairperson of Ogilvy India. She will be Ogilvy India’s first ever woman in this role. Hephzibah has been the most trusted partner for many of Ogilvy’s key clients. She has played an integral role in creating iconic, category defining transformative work on many of their brands. Importantly, Hephzibah has been an inspiring mentor to many current leaders and emerging talent in Ogilvy India. In this role, Hephzibah will lead and drive the strategic direction, growth and transformation agenda of the company.
VR Rajesh, another stalwart of the agency, will move from his current role as group president of Ogilvy India to chief executive officer (CEO) of the agency. Rajesh has led the charge in building and growing Ogilvy’s capabilities in modern marketing. In his role, he will partner Pathak in further accelerating the transformation agenda of the company. He will also be responsible for running the operations of the agency across offices in India and all its business units. He will also work closely with Hufrish Birdy, who will continue in her current role of chief financial officer (CFO), on various financial, commercial, and compliance issues for Ogilvy India. Birdy has been a strong and astute pillar who has partnered the leadership team over years to deliver healthy financial performance.
Further, Ogilvy India’s leadership transition will also involve important new appointments to the Ogilvy Board. Joining the Ogilvy India Board will be the agency’s three chief creative officers (CCO’s) – Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar and Sukesh Nayak. The creative trio of Nayak, Karmakar and Rajadhyaksha are amongst the most awarded and celebrated in the country and have led the charge in creating industry defining modern work on many of Ogilvy’s valued clients.
The agency’s chief strategy officer (CSO), Prem Narayan also joins the board. Narayan has been a strategic partner to many of Ogilvy’s key clients and creative partners. He has championed the effectiveness culture at Ogilvy, making Ogilvy India one of the most effective agencies in the world.
All four of them will continue in their current, vital roles in the agency, leading the creative and strategic work of the agency.
These four executives will be joining Pathak, Rajesh and Birdy, who are already on the Board. All of these executives, working closely as a combined leadership team, will provide important continuity, experience, and commitment to the next phase of growth and Ogilvy India excellence for its clients.
Ogilvy global chief executive officer Devika Seth Bulchandani adds, “Piyush has done what true legends do. Nurtured and groomed a class of leaders who can assume the day to day running of the Ogilvy machine which will give him time to focus simply on the magic he has been so legendary in creating for our clients.
Together I trust the new leadership to take this iconic agency to new heights.”
Ogilvy chairman global creative & Ogilvy India executive chairman Piyush Pandey said, “Creativity and its impact on our client’s businesses is at the heart of Ogilvy. In keeping with my passion, I will continue to partner and guide the new leadership as always. Our joint purpose is to ensure that we not only maintain but also better our core strengths.”
Brands
Shiv Ratan Agarwal, the man who built Bikaji Foods, passes away
The man who turned a Bikaneri snack stall into a global brand leaves behind a formidable legacy
RAJASTHAN: Shiv Ratan Agarwal, the founder, promoter, chairman and whole-time director of Bikaji Foods International, passed away on Thursday, April 23. His death was described by the company as an irreparable loss.
Agarwal built Bikaji from the ground up, transforming what was a traditional Bikaneri snacks business into an internationally recognised packaged foods brand. His formula was deceptively simple: keep the authentic taste, add modern business muscle. It worked. The company grew into a nationally and globally present force, listed on both the BSE and the National Stock Exchange.
The board of directors, management and employees of the company conveyed their deepest condolences to his family, calling his passing unexpected.
Bikaji was unequivocal about its intentions going forward. “The company remains committed to building upon the strong foundation laid by him and will continue to uphold and strengthen the goodwill of the Bikaji brand by carrying forward his vision, principles, and entrepreneurial ethos,” it said in a regulatory filing to the stock exchanges. The company added that it would strive to sustain its growth trajectory while leading a profitable and responsible business.
On the regulatory side, Bikaji informed the exchanges that Agarwal would cease to be classified under the promoter and promoter group category, in accordance with Regulation 31A(6)(c) of the listing regulations, following his demise.
He turned a snack into a stock market story. The question now is who carries the recipe forward.
