Srikanth Raman quits Triton; to head IOCL account at Starcom

Srikanth Raman who was media director (west) at Triton Communications is now with Starcom as head of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) AOR. Raman joined Starcom on August 5 and will be responsible for all media activities on IOCL. Speaking to agencyfaqs!, he says, "Starcom is an exciting brand in the world of media specialists and I felt it was a great opportunity to be heading the Indian Oil AOR. The client has recently consolidated its advertising and media duties with Leo Burnett and Starcom and it would be great to be heading the media business."

With this appointment, the senior level recruitment at the agency has been completed. CR Mallikarjunadas who was media manager at Asian Paints, joined the agency on August 4. He is designated media director, in charge of a cluster of accounts including Sony Columbia Tristar, Bisleri, Heinz and SPE Films of India. Nikhil Rangnekar, who is account group head, joined the agency a few weeks ago and has the media portfolio comprising Raymond Apparels, Balsara, the Principal Group and Hitachi Home and Life Solutions, among others.

All the three join Starcom's Mumbai office and according to Ravi Kiran, managing director, Starcom West/South, the agency would now concentrate on appointments at the middle and junior level. "Close to half a dozen middle and junior level people should be joining us," he says.

Speaking about Raman's appointment in particular, Kiran states, "We were looking for an individual at a senior level to manage the IOCL AOR. The business is critically important for us and Srikanth fits the bill in terms of skills and competency as well as other parameters required for a group head. A group head also plays the role of a business head and from all counts, Srikanth was the best find."

Incidentally, a new appointment is yet to be made at Triton for the post vacated by Raman, who was in charge of the agency's western region operations - managing the Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad offices. In an earlier interview to agencyfaqs! - when Raman had just joined Triton - he had said, "The ultimate objective (at Triton) is to spin off media as a separate media entity (read independent), and, my role is that of a catalyst."

With the plan to roll out a media independent very much on the cards for the Triton management, Raman's move is no doubt a spanner in the works considering that he was assigned the task to move the media department to the "next level". "I have done nothing to break their trust or confidentiality," he says. "It is better to cut the bond right now rather than a year down the line when I am firmly ingrained in the job. I had a discussion with the (Triton) management and they are obviously upset. But in media, demand is more than supply."

For Raman, who has nine years behind him in media, seven of which were at Mudra, the new assignment is certainly not going to be the easiest. © 2003 agencyfaqs!