Publicis India ropes in Neeraj Bassi as managing partner & chief strategy officer

Publicis India has appointed Neeraj Bassi as managing partner and chief strategy officer. He will be based in New Delhi. Along with Srija Chatterjee - MD, Publicis Worldwide, India and Bobby Pawar - MD & CCO, Publicis Worldwide, India - Bassi will help in fostering collaboration and delivering on the Power of One synergies across the Groupe.

Neeraj Bassi

Saurabh Varma

Srija Chatterjee

Speaking on the new appointment, Saurabh Varma - CEO, Publicis Communications, South Asia, says, "In Neeraj (Bassi), we found a partner with a shared vision of driving a deeper level of integration within the Groupe by leveraging the Power of One model. His vast experience and media-neutral planning approach will help clients build a holistic brand experience which will aim to create one-to-one consumer engagement, at scale. I look forward to working with Neeraj (Bassi) and wish him the best of luck."

According to the press release shared by the agency, Bassi joins Publicis after a brief stint as an independent consultant where he provided strategic guidance and brand solutions for multiple clients across various categories. He has worked with some of the top market research networks such as TNS, IMRB and NFO, and led the strategic planning function in advertising agencies including Cheil, Ogilvy, JWT, McCann in India and abroad. Bassi has also won numerous awards across reputed award festivals that recognise effectiveness such as Effies (India & APAC), AMES, WARC etc.

Commenting on his appointment, Bassi says, "I am really excited to be part of Publicis India and look forward to partnering with Bobby and Srija to create stellar work that stands out in the market. Working with clients as an independent consultant has given me insight on the primary concerns of CXOs and how communication can help resolve them. Clients today, need an omnichannel approach to planning that focuses on identifying and solving their business problems holistically rather than getting trapped in a discipline-specific approach. I am fascinated by the way all Groupe companies have come together at Publicis to create the Power of One and I look forward to wielding this power to build successful campaigns for our clients."

With over two decades of experience, Bassi has worked with some of the world's most renowned brands including Coca-Cola, Asian Paints, Cadbury, BMW, KFC, Adidas, Samsung, British Airways, WeChat, Voltas, Audi, HSBC, Max Life, and Tata Singapore Airlines - Vistara among others.

Welcoming Bassi to the Publicis family, Chatterjee says, "Neeraj (Bassi) joins at a time when the Groupe is implementing a profound transformation which puts our clients front and centre of everything that we do. His wealth of experience of working across diverse sectors and with cross-functional teams will help build a narrative around our clients' business and marketing transformation that connects data, content and technology in an omnichannel world. I'm excited to welcome Neeraj to the Publicis Groupe family and we look forward to him riding the next strategic wave at the agency."

Pawar adds, "I've always believed great work is born out of a strong partnership between strategy, creative and clients. Bassi has a history of creating strategic platforms that killer ideas can springboard from. His cross-platform approach to planning will also be a huge asset to our march towards the future of creativity."