Indiantelevision.com Team

(19 February 2008 2:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Saatchi & Saatchi has made a few significant changes in the operating structure of the Indian agency. This was announced by Saatchi & Saatchi CEO South East Asia and India Patrick Brett.

According to this new re-structuring, Saatchi & Saatchi India's present MD and CEO V Shantakumar moves into a new role as chairman of the company, and executive director S Ghosh will focus on Celsius 100, the independent consultancy division of Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide.

Current EVP of the agency's Mumbai office Kamal Basu takes over as CEO. Basu will be supported by EVP Delhi Sanjib Dey and VP Bangalore Ayan Chakraborty.

Saatchi & Saatchi Direct EVP Malavika Harita will operate independently of the advertising company and will report directly to new chairman Shantakumar.

Commenting on these changes, Brett said that this was a planned organisational evolution which has been in the works for some time now. "Shanta, SG and myself all felt that it is the appropriate time for us to hand over operational responsibilities to Kamal for the advertising agency and for Malavika to expand and reinvent the already robust Saatchi & Saatchi Direct operations. The knowledge and intellectual space occupied by Celsius 100 will be our respect engine and SG will lead this as well as our initiatives in the emergent digital domains. Shanta continues to be the mentor for Saatchi & Saatchi India and will be our key evangelist for our world changing 'Lovemarks' philosophy," added Brett.

Saying that it was his privilege to have been able to lead the agency to this space where it is now, Shantakumar added, "I intend to devote more of my time in reinventing Saatchi & Saatchi as the 'Lovemarks' company as well as to provide inputs, along with SG, to our key clients in India. I am very excited for Kamal Basu and Malavika Harita, and I am confident that they will take an already strong offering to the next potent level."