Ketaki Gupte quits HTA

agencyfaqs! News Bureau

MUMBAI

Ketaki Gupte, senior vice-president and executive media director of HTA, has put in her papers. She is not only changing jobs but her profession as well. And no, she is not leaving the agency side to join a channel or publishing house either. She is slated to join Los Angeles-headquartered executive search firm Korn/Ferry. She, however, will be based in Mumbai. However, she will remain in HTA for the next three months, and is slated to take up her new assignment only in July.

The Mumbai-based Ketaki says she has been restless - ‘fidgety' is her word for it - these last two years. She has done a lot of media but could not imagine life outside HTA, her home for 19 years. She has been with India's Number 1 agency right through, except for a three-year break in between. She kept exploring several other professional possibilities until things worked out recently.

Ketaki was also widely expected to take over as CEO of Mindshare, the joint media buying initiative of HTA and O&M. "Since I knew I wanted to switch professions, I figured I should do it sooner rather than later. This is as good a time as any," says Ketaki, talking exclusively to agencyfaqs!.

At Korn/Ferry, by far the largest executive search firm in the world, Ketaki will head the principle of consumer practice. In her new role she would be responsible for head hunting senior level people for companies operating in consumer products, retailing and entertainment industries.

Well, agencyfaqs! surfers and all those senior and not-so-senior fellas out there looking for a change… you now know whom to call.

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