Rediff's Arijit Ray joins O&M, Mumbai, as VP, client servicing

When Arijit Ray returned to Rediffusion | DYR, Delhi, after successfully completing a two-year assignment at Rediff's Kolkata office, along came an offer that he admits was hard to resist - the position of vice-president, client servicing, at the Mumbai branch of O&M India. For Ray, the O&M offer proved to be perfect, especially since he had always wanted to work in Mumbai. "O&M India is a very powerful creative force that for many years has been providing path-breaking advertising solutions to its clients," says Ray, who had barley completed three months as general manager of Rediff's Delhi branch (he assumed office at Rediff, Delhi, in November 2003) when the call came from O&M. "Moreover, the kind of advertising that O&M produces, while being immensely likeable, also works very well for the brand," he adds.

At O&M, Ray replaces VS Srikanth, who has quit the agency to start an enterprise of his own. In his new role, Ray would be heading the advertising accounts of BP Castrol, CEAT Tyres and Bajaj Pulsar, and would be reporting to Nishi Suri, executive director & head of Mumbai office, O&M India. Elaborating on his responsibility, Ray says, "The task at hand is to develop business, and at the same time, sustain existing business. And the idea is to continue providing cutting-edge communication solutions to clients, while strengthening relationships with each of our clients."

Ray started his career in client servicing with Triton Communications, Delhi, back in 1992. A year on, he moved to Rediff, Delhi, where he worked for seven years. McCann-Erickson, Delhi, was the next stopover, where he worked on the Nestle and Coke accounts. However, within a year, Ray was back at Rediffusion, and in his second innings at the agency, he handled the accounts of Four Square, Maruti Zen and AirTel. In 2001, Ray was sent to the Kolkata branch of Rediffusion as branch manager. "At that time, the Kolkata branch had just one account - Eveready - thus the challenge was to grow the business and simultaneously enhance the creative output of the branch," Ray recalls. "In these two years at Kolkata, we were able to add six more businesses to our kitty and increase revenue significantly. I must add that it was the sheer team spirit that affected the turnaround."

While his decision to leave Rediffusion was driven by better prospects, he admits feeling nostalgic about his second stint at the agency. "I left Rediffusion on a good note. I owe a lot to Rediffusion, both in terms of the amount of exposure I got as an advertising professional, as well as growth opportunities," he says, even as he is acclimatizing himself to the Ogilvy environment and looking forward to a long inning at the agency. © 2004 agencyfaqs!