ZenithOptimedia appointed Nokia AOR; Ambika Srivastava becomes CEO

ZenithOptimedia has relaunched its operations in India. The company will operate as part of the ZenithOptimedia Worldwide network in the country, supporting the creative agency brands Publicis India and Ambience Publicis.

The relaunch follows the sale of the erstwhile Zenith Media operation, now rebranded MEC, to WPP as part of WPP's worldwide acquisition of the Cordiant Communication Group in 2003.

The relaunch coincides with the alignment of Nokia's media planning and buying duties with ZenithOptimedia. Nokia is, in fact, the latest addition to a list of national and international clients such as Allied Domecq, Action Aid, CII, Gulf Air, Hewlett Packard (HP), L'Oreal (planning), National Institute of Sales (NIS) and Red Tape.

Talking about the development, Nakul Chopra, group president, Publicis India, says, "Our network clients are increasing media investments in India, and this gives ZenithOptimedia the opportunity to provide world class media services in India. We believe that media is an integral part of the brand-building process, and directly impacts communication strategies, brand profitability and shareholder value. We hope to replicate our global successes in media services in India."

The management team at ZenithOptimedia will be led by Ambika Srivastava who will assume the role of CEO. ZenithOptimedia will have two strategic business units, which will be led by Senior Vice-Presidents Pavan Chandra who has had stints at MindShare and Initiative Media, and Indranil Datta, an ex-Zenith hand.

From the STAR group, Praveen Malhotra (ex-station head and vice-president of Radio City) has joined ZenithOptimedia as vice-president - business development, while Rashmi Bandella from Universal McCann is taking over as head of Mumbai operations.

Roland Crouch, COO, ZenithOptimedia Asia, sees India as a key market for the network. "Our clients are investing more in India, and it is important that we build a strong capability to meet their needs," he says. "I am extremely confident that Ambika Srivastava will be able to build a strong and vibrant agency."

For her part, Srivastava is quite excited about the opportunity and the challenge of leading the relaunch of ZenithOptimedia. "In a constantly changing media environment, we believe it is important to maximize the return on investment (ROI) for the media investments that clients make. With ZenithOptimedia's ROI Blueprint, we are committed to providing significant value for our clients," she says.

Srivastava, however, will continue to pursue her other business interests with the specialized media and communication consultancy, Strategic Mediaworks. © 2004 agencyfaqs!