Mohit Hira quits Contract

In an unexpected move, Mohit Hira, senior vice-president, Contract Advertising, Delhi, has put in his papers. Unexpected because Hira has been with the agency for as many as 16 years out of his 17-year advertising career. No doubt, he seems reluctant to discuss the move. "It's not like I am quitting Contract. I am quitting advertising," he told agencyfaqs!.

Hira refuses to be drawn into any discussion on where he is headed. However, agencyfaqs! has learnt he is slated to join Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCC) soon. If Hira were to join the group it would be BCC's second high profile recruit from the advertising industry in the last one year. agencyfaqs! diehards would recall our story Rahul Kansal quits Leo Burnett; to join Bennett, Coleman & Co last year where we stated that Kansal, then deputy managing director Leo Burnett, was moving to the publication house as brand director on The Times of India.

Since then the group has been scouting for a suitable person to take charge of the regional publications. If ToI insiders are to be believed, the search for the group may well be over.

On his part, 40-year-old Hira started his advertising career as a copy writer in Contract's Kolkata office in 1986. Since then he has handled several responsibilities at the agency on the creative as well as the account management side, to eventually land up in Delhi in 1997. The one year that he spent outside of Contract was with DDB Needham in Muscat (1998-99).

He returned in June 1999 to take charge of the Kolkata branch of Contract as manager. In 2001, he moved back to Delhi as branch head.

Quite obviously Hira says, "I am not joining any other agency as I don't know any other agency. And let me assert Contract will never leave me." © 2003 agencyfaqs!