(4 July 2005 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: After a 14 month stint, UTV COO Vikas Varma has put in his papers and is currently serving his notice period. Former UTV creative director Monisha Singh, who put in her papers at the company in July last year, has returned to UTV as vice president - television content.

When contacted by Indiantelevision.com as to the reason for his exit, Varma expresses, "It's time to move out of production and join the broadcasters. The experience at UTV was a learning curve."

Varma said he was in conversation with many broadcasters, and is yet to make a final decision.

As COO, Varma was roped in to guide the TV division's business strategy and operations along with business development.

Prior to UTV, Varma was formerly with Touché Communications as MD and has 16 years of advertising and entertainment expertise both in the brand building and advertising space.

Varma has wide-ranging experience spanning 16 years in advertising and media and has worked with top ad agencies such as Frank Simoes Advertising, Madison Advertising and Touché Communications where he served as MD. He has been instrumental in strategising for and launching a number of durable, FMCG and entertainment brands during the course of his career.

On the other hand, after quitting UTV, Singh joined Miditech as vice president programming and headed the production house's fiction and entertainment division.

An economics graduate and mass communications post graduate, Singh began her career with Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Telefilms as a creative director at a time when India's premier soap factory was still a fledgling production house.