MUMBAI: Hindustan Unilever Limited’s Hemant Bakshi has been elected the chairman of the ISA. The newly elected executive council of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) met on 11 September.

HUL executive director, home and personal care Hemant takes over from Kurush N. Grant.

On his election as chairman of ISA, Hemant said “We are going through a challenging period and it is crucial that ISA along with other associate members works towards sustainable growth of the industry”.

Hemant has been lending his support to the ISA for a long time. An MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, Hemant has been recognised for his thought leadership in customer development and marketing in the industry. He is also the chairman of The Indian Soaps and Toiletries Manufacturers Association, a board member of Advertising Standards Council of India and is on the board of BARC, a nodal body for the advertisers, advertising agencies and broadcasters in the country. Apart from being a marketer, Hemant is also a sportsman. He runs marathons and is a passionate golfer.

Former chairman, Grant continues to be on the executive council. He was acknowledged for his substantial contribution as the chairman. Grant on his part, reassured the ISA of his continuous support and participation.

Hemant Bakshi believes its important to work towards sustainable growth of the industry

The new chairman Hemant said he is looking forward to the new exciting year and expressed his wishes to take forward initiatives such as the BARC formation.

The ISA is the only national body giving a voice to advertisers over the last 60 years. It has members from across industries who contribute to over two-thirds of the country’s national non-governmental ad spends. Over the years, the ISA has upheld advertisers’ issues, recent examples being that of TRP frequency, HD feed ad, Reinforcement of Self-Regulation, Participation in Consumer Forums and formation of BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council). The ISA has also partnered with other industry bodies that connect to the advertisers.

Other members of the executive council are:

Atul Agrawal, Vice President – Corporate Affairs, Group Corporate Affairs and Media, Tata Services Ltd., Mumbai.

Abraham Alapatt, Head – Marketing,Thomas Cook (India) Ltd., Mumbai.

Narendra Ambwani, Director, Agro Tech Foods Ltd., Secunderabad.

Jimmy R. Anklesaria, Director – Business Development, Bajaj Corp Ltd., Mumbai.

Mohit Beotra, Chief Brand Officer – India, Bharti Airtel Ltd., Gurgaon.

J. C. Chopra, Director, Infogain India Private Limited, Noida, U.P.

Paulomi Dhawan, Director, Landmarc Leisure Corporation Limited, Mumbai.

Sonali Dhawan, Marketing Director, Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd., Mumbai.

Rajiv Dube, Director, Group Corporate Service, Aditya Birla Management Corporation Ltd., Mumbai.

Kurush N. Grant, Executive Director, ITC Limited, Kolkata.

Sunil Kataria, Chief Operating Officer – Sales, Marketing & SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Mumbai.

Anisha Motwani, Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Gurgaon.

Siddhartha Mukherjee, Director – Chocolate Category and Media, Cadbury India Limited, Mumbai.

Mayank Pareek, Chief Operating Officer (Marketing & Sales), Maruti Suzuki India Limited, New Delhi.

Bharat V. Patel, Board Member, Birla Sun Life Asset Management Co.Ltd., Mumbai.

Chandrasekar Radhakrishnan, Vice President – Communications, Nestle India Ltd, Gurgaon.

R. Ramakrishnan, Group CEO, Polycab Wires Pvt. Ltd.,Mumbai.

Shipra Tripathi, Vice President, Corporate Global Marketing, Kirloskar Brothers Ltd., Pune.

Brahm Vasudeva, Chairman, Hawkins Cookers Ltd., Mumbai.