Leo Burnett Delhi gets two new VPs

N. Shatrujeet

agencyfaqs!

NEW DELHI, November 28

The Rs 197-crore Leo Burnett India has acquired two new vice-presidents, Anisha Motwani and Atika Malik, for its Delhi office. While Anisha will be responsible for all the non-Coke businesses (including Thums Up), Atika's designation is vice-president, brand strategy. Both appointments were formalized last week.

Atika, who was previously associate branch director at Mudra Communications, Delhi, revealed that it was her desire to get into account planning that spurred her to move to Leo Burnett. "Leaving Mudra was a difficult thing as it had been an incredible innings out there," she admits. Incidentally, Atika has spent seven of her 11 years in advertising at Mudra.

Atika was a key member of the team that won new businesses for Mudra, including the Times Internet and the Turner accounts. "I had a great time there and learnt a lot," she recounts. "But I had had a fairly long stint at new business development and wanted to get into the fundamentals of brand management… consumer insights, brand strategy etc." Atika, however, reveals that at Leo Burnett too, new business development will be one of her responsibilities. Is she already training her sights on new accounts? "I've just joined so it's too early to say. Give me time," she laughs.

Anisha, who has also ended a seven-year stint at Mudra Communications (her last position was branch director, Delhi), is thrilled with the prospect of helping Leo Burnett's Delhi operations grow. "In Delhi, in absolute terms, Leo Burnett is smaller than Mudra," she says. "The challenge is to take the agency's billings through the roof." Anisha would be responsible for "complete client management" and "strategic inputs on brands". The non-Coke business she will look after includes, Dabur Chyawanprash, Dabur Hommade, Dabur Gulabari, Dabur Special, Escotel and MantraOnline, apart from Thums Up.

Both Anisha and Atika admit that they are looking forward to learning from Leo Burnett. "The agency has a fantastic global network which means that a lot of that global learning will pass under our noses," says Atika. "Being a forward-looking agency, Leo Burnett India is bound to bring global skills into play, and that's exciting," agrees Anisha.

And both are also happy to be working with Deputy Managing Director Rahul Kansal. "Rahul has a great mind and it's a pleasure to be working with him again," says Atika. It's also about comfort levels. "This is a ‘people industry' and one has to be comfortable working with someone to achieve the desired output," adds Anisha. "With Rahul it's been very easy."

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