N. Shatrujeet
Advertising

John Furtado leaves TBWAAnthem; joins Mode Advertising as VP

John Furtado, previously general manager – media, TBWAAnthem, has resigned from the agency, to join Mode Advertising as vice-president

John Furtado has resigned from the post of general manager - media, TBWAAnthem, drawing the curtains on a seven-year-plus stint with the agency. Furtado, who moved out of Anthem late last month, has since taken on an assignment with GK Dhawan-owned Mode Advertising. He joins Mode as vice-president.

Confirming both developments to agencyfaqs!, Furtado reveals that he would be "wearing two caps at Mode" - one, that of a media consultant; and two, that of a new business driver. "On the one hand, I have been hired as a media consultant for Mode," he explains. "On the other, my role will be in consolidating the agency's businesses. I will be responsible for forging a team that can go out and get new businesses, especially from the private sector." Over two decades old, Mode Advertising has traditionally been operating in the ‘specialist' area of public sector advertising, as borne out by its PSU-heavy client roster which includes such names as BSNL, State Bank of India (SBI), Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and MTNL.

Speaking of his time at Anthem, Furtado reveals that Anthem was his "longest and best stint" with an agency. "It was a lovely time. There was a strong family atmosphere, and one was allowed to do one's own thing as long as one kept the bigger picture in mind. The amount of freedom one could exercise was tremendous. Which was not true of any of the other agencies I had worked with before. That's why, all this while, I never took any of the offers that came my way."

So why this decision to move? "There comes a time when you get used to a certain work culture - a way of doing things," he says. "And when there are changes in the organization, you don't always readily embrace a change in the culture."

In all probability, ‘changes in the organization' points to the structural and functional changes brought by new president & CEO, TBWAAnthem (and ex-Lowe hand), Preet KS Bedi. Incidentally, since the time Bedi came on board, the agency has witnessed three senior-level departures. While Delhi-based Sandeep Mahapatra resigned from his post of vice-president - account planning, Zubin Driver moved out of creative in Mumbai.

When asked if there was a common thread to all these movements, Furtado simply replied, "No comments." What he does reveal is that he might have stayed on with Anthem had the planned consolidation of Optimum Media Direction (OMD) in India been anywhere near in sight. "That was something I was looking forward to, as it would have created exciting possibilities."

For someone whose 16-year industry experience spans agencies like Lowe (then Lintas, where Furtado started his career in 1986), Everest Integrated Communication, Mudra Communication, Rediffusion-DY&R and Anthem, a tryst with Mode might sound peculiar. But Furtado doesn't think so. "There are lots of opportunities and challenges for me at Mode," he says. "Also, what is important is that this assignment allows me to do some things that I intend to do on my own." What those things are, he refuses to divulge at this juncture. © 2002 agencyfaqs!

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