Pratap Bose: "DDB Mudra is not the only agency we are hiring from..."

" I’ll recruit any person who brings huge value to the organisation either from a creative, planning, research or revenue point of view.." As more senior hands quit Mudra to join Pratap Bose’s series of ventures, we speak to him about his poach play and more.

Last April, Pratap Bose was in the news when he resigned from the post of chief operating officer, DDB Mudra Group, and chief executive officer of Mudra Max, the group's media, OOH, retail and experiential division.

Now, as news about his upcoming 'media communications conglomerate' has surfaced, he is back in the headlines. More so because there has been a mass exodus of sorts at Mudra; DDB Mudra Max's ex- president Mandeep Malhotra and more recently Samyak Chakrabarty, Mudra's chief youth officer are two names that have made it to the papers.

It appears as though Bose is looking to launch a holding company comprising a series of agencies, each with a separate area of focus. The areas include creative, communications, branded content, outdoor, media planning/buying, retail and digital, among others. We wonder whether his long term plan is to sell this conglomerate to a network.

Currently, he is in the midst of evaluating investment related options.

Edited Excerpts.

Edited Excerpts

Firstly, there is no independent agency that offers that service. Any tall claims made by agencies that they are 'full service' need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

From us, brands can expect the best in technology, driven by systems and processes, and top-of-the-line planning/creative outputs. Basically, it is an agency for a new world.

With a conglomerate that will eventually buyout and acquire other companies, it will be a full-fledged independent shop.

It is not always a contractual obligation... there is an emotional quotient that comes into play when people work together. We move towards the people we feel comfortable with. People prefer a working environment in which they get freedom to operate in their own space and drive their own career path.

Obviously there are a lot of people attracted to Mandeep and me, attracted to our proposition... that's why they are moving out.

But DDB Mudra is not the only agency we are hiring from; there are other agencies as well.

I'll recruit any person who brings huge value to the organisation either from a creative, planning, research or revenue point of view.

They need to be happy and honest people.

It is true, but that is not the only thing I'm doing.