Hari Krishnan, VP, marketing, STAR Plus to head Grey Mumbai office

Grey group has got Hari Krishnan on-board as vice-president, to head the agency's Mumbai office. Krishnan joins from STAR TV, where he was vice-president, marketing, STAR Plus.

"I get a feeling there is new momentum at the place and I have missed advertising for a long time," says Krishnan, who moved to STAR TV in September 2009 to explore the world outside advertising.

Before Krishnan joined, the position had been vacant for a year, after Jishnu Sen was promoted as the COO, Grey India, in January 2009.

The brands that are currently handled out of Grey's Mumbai office include Parle, P&G, Audi, Bharti Axa, Deutsche Bank, Ferrero, Godrej Sara Lee, Suzlon and Wyeth.

Krishnan first joined Grey in 2007 as head of the agency's Bengaluru office. During his tenure, the agency won accounts such as Deccan 360, Wockhardt Healthcare, 3M Post-it, 3M Scotch Tape, UB Wines and Kirtilals Jewellery.

"All the pitches (Deccan 360, Wockhardt Healthcare, UB Wines, Kirtilals Jewellery) that we won competing with some of the best names in the industry was a key high point. To have helped Britannia crack a difficult category with the campaign for Britannia Cakes is another high point. The biggest of them all, however, was to see a young, passionate and fearless team come into its own and win the confidence of clients," Krishnan recalls, talking about his decision to return to Grey.

Krishnan has spent about nine years of his career with Lowe Lintas, and has also had stints with JWT and RK Swamy/ BBDO. His experience covers multiple categories across brands, such as Britannia, 3M, ITC Foods, HUL, Ford, Maruti Suzuki, Sony, Titan, Fastrack and Tanishq.