MUMBAI: Orchard Advertising has appointed Kishore Karumbaiah as creative director.

Based at the agency's headquarters in Bangalore, Karumbaiah will partner Orchard Advertising creative director Sagar Prajapati in leading the creative function in Bangalore.

Karumbaiah's last stint was with JWT Bangalore as creative director.

Orchard Advertising chairman and national creative director Thomas Xavier said, "Kishore brings with him the perfect mix of youthful exuberance and skill to lead a young team of creative enthusiasts. We expect his contribution in upping the creative standards of the agency further, making our brands and clients benefactors of this progression."

Karumbaiah added, "I was looking for a hungry agency, and in Orchard, I found my match. Orchard and The Leo Group are known for their creative prowess, and have produced some of the best work the country has seen. This gives me an opportunity to fuel this trend and further the creative standards of this agency. I'm also excited about gaining from the collective experiences of the team here and thrilled about getting an opportunity to groom and nurture some really good young talent we have here."

Karumbaiah comes with over 12 years of experience in the business having worked on brands like Airtel, ITC stationery, Nike, Infosys, Microsoft, Lenovo, Tanishq, Fastrack, Kingfisher, Citizen Watches, Levis and TVS. Prior to joining JWT, he had also worked with Rediffusion-Y&R, Ogilvy & Mather, Hakuhodo Percept, MAA Bozell and Lowe Lintas.

Orchard Advertising is part of The Leo Group, which also includes Leo Burnett and Black Pencil. Some of the agency's clients include Wipro, SAB Miller, Essilor, Godrej, BlackBerry, WaterHealth India and Piramal Healthcare.