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Rao has a background in telecom, software and advertising
Amitesh Rao has been appointed national business head on the Airtel business at Rediffusion DY&R, Delhi. He moves in from JWT, Delhi, where he was vice-president on the Pepsi account.
Rao joins Rediff today and he will report to Ramesh Srivats, executive vice-president, Rediff, Delhi. At Rediff, Rao will handle the Airtel business nationally and will be responsible for partnering Airtel in achieving its business goals.
Srivats says, “Rao brings with him a great mix of experience and energy. His strategic and leadership skills will go a long way in enhancing our engagement with Airtel. His contribution in creative, strategy and activation will also be leveraged.”
In 2000, he got involved in setting up a software company, along with a few others. In 2004, he gave up his operational role there, but continues to hold a stake in the firm.
In 2005, he returned to advertising, and joined Publicis India. He joined as vice-president and strategic planning director, overseeing the work on HP, Nestle, ABN Amro, Unicef and Microsoft, besides the other accounts that the agency handled.
Towards the end of 2005, he moved to JWT, where he has spent around one and a half years.
Rao adds, “Airtel is one of the biggest and leading brands in India. It has momentum, but in terms of establishing a strong identity, a lot still needs to be done. The challenge comes with the stature of the business and possibilities in the future.”
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