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Bates 141 sees changes in senior management

The vacancy created by the exit of CEO Subhash Kamath has now been filled

The entry of BBH in India saw three senior professionals – Priti Nair, national creative director, Grey; Subhash Kamath, chief executive officer, Bates 141, and Partha Sinha, chief strategy officer, Publicis India, Publicis Ambience and Publicis Southeast Asia – leave their respective agencies.

While Shalini Dam has replaced Priti Nair at Grey, the exit of Kamath from Bates 141 has coincided with a reshuffle of sorts.

Sandeep Pathak, aka Pat, has been promoted as CEO of Bates 141. Manosh Mukherjee takes on the role of chief operating officer, a positionwhich has been newly formed. Dheeraj Sinha takes the reins as chief strategy officer.

Bates 141 sees changes in senior management
On Kamath's departure, Sonal Dabral, chairman, Bates 141, says in an official release, "We are all sad to see Subhash leave and we wish him well. Fortunately for Bates 141 India, we have a great level of senior talent. Jeffrey, Digby and I reviewed all our options and it gives me great pleasure to announce a small but powerful EXCO, with all appointments being internal moves."

Sandeep Pathak joined Bates 141 last year as branch head for the Mumbai office. With 17 years of experience in the advertising industry, he actually began his career with a short stint in marketing. In 1991, he joined Clarion Advertising (now Bates 141 after several rounds of re-christening) as senior account executive in Mumbai.

In 1997, he was asked to head the Chennai office of the agency, which went on to become Bates Clarion. After two years in Chennai, in 1999, he joined Leo Burnett Mumbai as general manager. He was with that agency for eight years, before stepping down last year as brand partner.

Bates 141 sees changes in senior management
From (l) to (r)-  Jeffery Yu, Sonal Dabral,
Sandeep Pathak and Digby Richards
Manosh Mukherjee has been with Bates 141 for eight years and has steered the growth of the overall operations for the group. Before being designated COO, he held the post of executive director and group chief financial officer. He continues to serve as a whole time director on the board of Bates 141 India and Bates 141 Sercon. He has an added responsibility in being a member of the Regional Commercial Council for Bates 141 Asia.

Digby Richards, CEO, APAC, Bates 141, says, "Mukherjee is so much more than a CFO; and this appointment recognises his ability to balance finance objectives with the softer needs of our business."

Dheeraj Sinha has been with the agency for four years and has led the strategic planning function for the agency's Mumbai and Kolkata offices. He has been responsible for brand strategy and thinking on the key national businesses that Bates handles in India. He is also part of the Regional Strategic Council for Bates 141 and recently won the famed Atticus award within the WPP network.

With a postgraduate degree in communications from MICA, Sinha has about a decade's experience in strategic planning. Apart from Bates 141, he has worked with McCann Erickson and Euro RSCG.

Talking about Pathak and Sinha, Sonal Dabral, chairman, Bates 141, India, says, "Pat, who has been running the Mumbai office for the last two years, after long stints at Leo Burnett and Bates, has grown that office threefold. He is one of India's finest advocates for great work and a true believer in driving original and effective ideas. He will lead the Bates 141 brand well across India. Sinha is our key change agent and will continue to drive the overall change point planning practice across the group, helping clients turn change into opportunity."

Vijay Singh continues to be managing director of 141 Sercon and will drive all the diversified marketing services operations. Singh and Rajesh Ghatje cofounded 141 Sercon and will continue to grow this unit as part of the overall integrated efforts of the Bates 141 Group in India.

Jeffrey Yu, chairman, APAC, Bates 141, says, "Singh, along with Ghatje, has been one of our best acquisitions to date and will continue to grow our non-traditional skills and solutions for our wide spectrum of India and regional clients."

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