Obituary: Emami's John Furtardo passes away

Furtardo was suffering from respiratory problems and was diagnosed with pneumonia.

John Furtardo, vice-president, media, Emami, passed away on March 21. He was suffering from respiratory problems and was diagnosed with pneumonia and renal failure.

After obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Statistics from Bhavan's College, Mumbai, Furtardo also completed the Master's Degree Programme in Marketing Management (MMM) from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai University. He began his career as media planner with Lintas Media Group in 1986. After two years, he moved to Everest Advertising as senior media planner, where he worked on P&G brands such as Vicks and Mediker, J&J panty liners, Wipro Baby Soft, and Herbertsons.

In 1991, Furtardo joined Mudra Communications as manager, media planning and buying. At Mudra, he worked for two years before moving to Rediffusion Y&R as media controller. Subsequently, in 1995, he moved to TBWAAnthem as general manager and worked on brands such as Recon Oil, Nivea, Samsonite, Frooti, Electrolux and Anik Ghee.

In 2002, Furtardo joined Mode Advertising and Marketing as vice-president. He worked at the agency for two years before joining White Space Communications as chief operating officer. After that, he moved to Emami in 2008. At Emami, he worked towards regularising the above-the-line (ATL) planning for all Emami and Zandu brands.

Says Harsh Agarwal, director, Emami, "Furtardo had been working with Emami for the last three-four years. He was a very knowledgeable people and a very nice person to work with. His interpersonal skills were especially good. It's a big loss for the company."

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