Backstreet Boy

Piyush Pandey
Chairman & Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, South Asia

He is the undisputed champion of Indian advertising. Described as a living legend, the man has already been given a life-time achievement award by his peers even as he continues to churn out heart and award winning work. Then, it isn?t only his backyard where he is a known as a hero. His work has been globally acclaimed on numerous occasions and in 2004, he became the first Asian to be designated as the president of Cannes International Advertising Festival?s jury. His global bosses acknowledged his talent long time ago and to add to his already larger-than-life stature, they inducted him in the Ogilvy & Mather?s (O&M) global board in 2006. The induction came three years after his inclusion into Ogilvy?s Worldwide Creative Council, which sets the creative agenda for the world?s second largest marketing communications network owned by the UK-based Sir Martin Sorrell. At the time of Pandey?s induction in the board, O&M?s global chairman and CEO Shelly Lazarus said, ?Piyush?s creative leadership is well respected both in India and abroad. We have been fortunate to have Piyush?s talent on the Worldwide Creative Council for the past several years. We are now even more fortunate to have him on the Worldwide Board.?

Odd Man In
Prasoon Joshi Chairman and regional creative director, McCann Erickson Asia-Pacific

Prasoon Joshi became the first Indian and the only one from emerging markets to be inducted in McCann Worldgroup?s global board, in 2009. A celebrated creative writer and a talented lyricist, Joshi was already holding a global position as the regional creative director for McCann?s Asia-Pacific operations. McCann Worldgroup is a global marketing communications group with interests across advertising, media buying, events, direct and retail marketing and brand consultancy and has a strong board of 20 members. Joshi, incidentally, is the first person from the creative background to be included in the board. ?In the past they only had people from the US or the UK on the board. This was the first time they chose a representative from India. I must have done something right,? says Joshi. He sees his entry into the global board as both an opportunity and a challenge. ?I am getting to put forward a point of view which was not there. Coming from an emerging and culturally diverse market like India, there is a very different point of view on offer. At the same time, it is a learning experience for me. Knowing the collective vision enables me to calibrate the right strategy for my market,? he says.

Healthy mission
Sonal Dabral Managing Partner, India, & Regional Creative Director, Bates 141, Asia-Pacific

He was described as Asia?s most illustrious talent by his employers at the time of his appointment as the chairman of Bates 141 three years ago. And it was, indeed, no hyperbole. Sonal Dabral?s track record, comprising 16 years of exemplary work at India?s top ad agency Ogilvy and Mather and the manner in which he turned around the agency?s fortunes in Malaysia later, justified the tag. In the three years, that he has been at Bates 141, he has firmly established the rather nondescript agency as a leading creative shop. Dabral sits on Bates 141?s Asia-Pacific board, an accomplishment that he plays down. ?The induction in the Asia Pacific board is not a formal thing. However as a managing partner, my responsibility is to look after the creative health of Asian business and to find ways to create teams of talented people,? he says. A success-ful stint in India notwithstanding, the market is still very close to his heart and building its creative stature in the region is a clear agenda for him. ?It feels good to be able to con-tribute from the top level to the over-all health of the network and help it grow. It feels good that I am getting to create solutions for the network. And finally my experience of working across markets in Asia is being put to good use,? says Dabral.