Kajal Thakur replaces Gita Ram as director, OMS, Delhi

Gita Ram's resignation, who till recently was director, Optimum Media Solutions (OMS), may come as an unexpected development, but Sandeep Vij, president (OMS), assures that Ram had discussed about going back to qualitative research quite some time ago.

Ram has made her choice. She is now general manager, Qualitative Research, Synovate and Kajal Thakur, who was business director at OMS, has been elevated to the position of director, OMS, Delhi.

Talking about Thakur's appointment, says Vij, "When OMS lost the Samsung business, OMS went on an overdrive and in no time recovered the loss with a spate of acquisitions. And Kajal was involved with every major pitch, be it Electrolux, Dabur or ICI Paints. Thakur has indeed, been instrumental in the growth of the branch. "

As far as Thakur's brief is concerned, it is no different from the one the given to her predecessor, which is to grow the branch. "Essentially, my task is to ensure a healthy growth for the Delhi branch, and alongside promote some of the initiatives taken up by OMS to our clients. Brandcasting is one such initiative..." says Thakur.

The annualised billing of the Delhi branch is a little over Rs 200 crore and Vij has set a target of a growth rate of 30 per cent. While the task is tough, Thakur, who at the moment is "loading her canon", is prepared for the challenges ahead.

Challenges apart, the 33 year old Thakur, is quite thrilled about the prospects. "From working on a handful of clients, I will now be working across the board."

What makes the development even more special, for Thakur, is the fact that she joined Mudra as a management trainee in 1993, straight from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC). And, eleven years hence, she is now the Delhi head. "That feels very special and the whole experience of working in Mudra has been very special."

Meanwhile at Synovate, Gita Ram has begun making presentations for clients. Sharing her experience at OMS, Ram says, "Working on Samsung, for me and the team, has probably been the most rewarding experience of our working lives. And when Samsung moved out, I sought other challenges. And that is when I began thinking on a different track."

With a degree in clinical psychology from NIMHANS, Bangalore, command over six languages, and three years of experience in the research, going back to qualitative research made logical sense to Ram. "Synovate specialises in market intelligence and I felt that it would be the right break for me."

Ram who had succeeded Mona Jain (who is now with Cheil Communications) began her career in 1989 with O&M, Bangalore, as assistant media planner. In 1993 she tried her hand at research and joined Bangalore-based market research company Quantum Market Research. However, in a couple of years' time, she was back in O&M, Chennai, in 1995. The very next year, she joined Grey Worldwide, where she handled the media business for Mumbai and Bangalore. In 2001, Ram joined Carat, Mumbai, as the senior business director. In April 2003 , Ram was promoted to the post of general manager just before she moved to OMS. © 2004 agencyfaqs!