Rajesh Aggarwal bids adieu to Dentsu India

Aggarwal has been with Dentsu for more than seven years.

Rajesh Aggarwal, president, Dentsu India, has put in his papers. In a stint that lasted more than seven years, Aggarwal was heading all operations of Dentsu India since 2008.

In a conversation with afaqs!, Aggarwal confirms the news, but does not offer any further details.

The development follows the exit of some of Dentsu's senior professionals in the recent past. Last week, Gullu Sen, executive vice-chairperson and chief creative officer, Dentsu India, put in his papers after being with the agency since 2003; Nitin Suri, national creative director, Dentsu Marcom also tendered his resignation soon after. In February, shortly after Dentsu Inc. bought out the 26 per cent equity stake held by Mogae Consultants in Dentsu's India operations, Ruchira Raina, head, Dentsu Communications quit the organisation.

Aggarwal began his career in the mid-1980s as an account executive with Edge Communications, Everest's creative boutique, in Delhi. After five years, he left the agency as group manager in 1991 to join Rediffusion-Y&R. Moving base to Bengaluru in 1998, he worked as the client services director at Rediffusion and was also responsible for setting up and heading the branch.

After a long stint of nine years at Rediffusion, Aggarwal moved back to Delhi and joined Panasonic (then National Panasonic) as head, marketing. Soon, he returned to advertising for a second stint at Rediffusion Delhi as general manager.

Stepping down as senior vice-president in 2004, Aggarwal began his association with Dentsu in India as one of the founding members.

In 2008, Aggarwal, then executive director and head, Dentsu Marcom was promoted as president, Dentsu India, and was given the responsibility to oversee the operations of Dentsu's advertising agencies -- Dentsu Marcom, Dentsu Communications and Dentsu Creative Impact, as well as Dentsu's media agencies.