Shaleena Kaura joins RK Swamy BBDO as general manager, strategic planning

Shaleena Kaura has joined RK Swamy BBDO, Delhi, as general manager, strategic planning. She joins in place of Amar Wadhwa, who quit in October this year to join Publicis, India, as vice-president, strategic planning. Kaura is based in Delhi and will report to Ajit Shah, executive director, RK Swamy BBDO.

Commenting on her new role, Kaura says, “Planning is seen as a complicated tool. I am looking at demystifying it and bringing about a change in how it is perceived across the board in the agency.”

She adds, “I am keen to play the role of a consumer specialist and contribute to helping clients get a better understanding of consumers.”

She continues, “These are all interlinked. If planning is demystified, it will help in improving the creative process. The creative process improves if you have a better understanding of the consumers, which again comes back to strategic planning.”

Kaura, a graduate from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Mumbai, started as a supervisor at FCB-Ulka and worked there for four years. She then moved to AC Neilson ORG-MARG, where she spent three years and grew to be research director. She then joined TNS as a senior research director and spent one and a half years there before moving to RK Swamy BBDO.

Kaura explains why she moved from planning to research and back again. She says, “I have worked at the servicing side, but was looking at playing a bigger role in planning. A wholesome understanding of consumers is important for chalking out a sound strategy. Research helped me in understanding consumer behaviour better.”

At RK Swamy BBDO, Kaura will handle clients such as ICI Dulux, Indian Airlines, ONGC, Blackberry and Sony.

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