McCann Worldgroup assigns new role to Pratik Thakar

Pratik Thakar has been appointed deputy managing director and chief strategy officer

McCann Worldgroup, Malaysia, has undergone changes in the senior management. Pratik Thakar, executive planning director at the agency, has been appointed deputy managing director and chief strategy officer. Two executive creative directors, Huang Ean Hwa and Lee Szu-Hung, have been designated deputy chairman. According to Sorab Mistry, McCann-Erickson’s South-east Asia director, these promotions are timely because the agency enjoyed a good spell in 2006.

Since joining McCann-Erickson, Thakar has contributed significantly to the agency’s growth, including new accounts such as DiGi, Al-Rajhi Bank, Proton, and Suria KLCC, apart from setting up the planning operations in 2003. He is the principal editor of the ‘McCann Knowledge Quarterly’ and also oversees strategic brand planning. Prior to McCann, Thakar has worked for Saatchi & Saatchi, Lowe and Pathfinders.

Pratik Thakar

His priority will be to create demand through new generation communication ideas such as branded content, digital marketing, brand activation and ethnic marketing across McCann Worldgroup companies such as Momentum, MRM Worldwide and McCann-Erickson. “A few years ago, we moved out of traditional strategic planning and our focus and energy is now on idea-driven creative planning, providing regional and global ideas to our network clients,” Thakar says.

Huang will be responsible for the agency’s client leadership and innovation programmes, while also overseeing the operations of Momentum. Momentum specialises in sponsorship, promotions, events and retail marketing. Lee will be tasked with driving internal creative quality and output and will be directly responsible for talent development and resourcing.

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McCann-Erickson Pratik Thakar