JWT undergoes senior level restructuring

JWT India is making changes early in the new year. Shortly after the exit of its co-national creative director Josy Paul, JWT has announced a revamped senior management structure.

JWT Mumbai branch head and managing partner Tarun Rai has been assigned a larger corporate role. Rai will now be managing partner and national business development head, a role which entails identifying new business opportunities and creating various verticals/services to better cater to clients’ needs. This could include acquisitions in the new media space. Rai has worked for JWT for the past 17 years.

Wadia’s position in Bangalore will be occupied by Rajesh Gangwani, vice-president and general manager, JWT Bangalore, who now moves up a rank as senior vice-president. Gangwani, too, has had a long spell at JWT – a total of 17 years.

Commenting on these developments, Colvyn Harris, chief executive officer, JWT, says, “This restructuring is from a growth perspective as also from a client standpoint. It is our way of rejuvenating things at the agency.”

Harris explains that while Rai’s role will be that of a strategic thinker, Wadia is expected to grow JWT Mumbai’s businesses and improve its own standards, as according to Harris, “we must be permanently dissatisfied with our own benchmarks”. Gangwani’s promotion, he says, was “long overdue”.

Some more restructuring and appointments on the creative side can be expected at JWT in the next few days.