There is a huge gap on the art side of advertising: Komal Bedi Sohal

Sohal, Rediffusion-Y&R's new NCD, was ranked No. 2 in "The Top Art Directors in the World" by The Big Won Creative Ranking in 2011.

Rediffusion-Y&R has roped in Komal Bedi Sohal for the role of national creative director. She will be based in Mumbai. For the agency, this is the second major international hire after the appointment of Sam Ahmed as chief creative officer and vice-chairman. According to the agency, Sohal's first agenda is to attend the jury panel of Ad Fest 2013.

Ranked No. 2 in "The Top Art Directors in the World" by The Big Won Creative Ranking 2011, Sohal has managed to stay in the top 10 for the last five years.

Sohal joins Rediffusion-Y&R from Dubai-based Lowe Middle East and North Africa office, where she was executive creative director. She has 19 years of experience and began her career in advertising at Trikaya Grey, New Delhi in 1993. After three years, she moved to Enterprise, New Delhi and has worked with Euro RSCG, Kolkata and Quadrant, Lowe, Mumbai.

She has spent the past 11 years in Dubai, where she was with Y&R Dubai as executive creative director for eight years before joining Lowe.

For Sohal, it's homecoming in more ways than one. "I've worked with many different nationalities during my stint in Dubai. And, when you work with talents from all over the world, it gives you a global perspective. You learn the best practices from different agencies from all over. That's what I want to bring back. Along with that, I feel there is a huge gap on the art side of advertising. It needs a major boost. We need to bring the love and the detailing back into advertising. It's going to be an action packed few months and the challenges are part of the fun. We want to take our creative product to the next level and we will do whatever it takes to get there," she says.

Sam Ahmed, chief creative officer and vice-chairman, Rediffusion-Y&R, says, "Komal and I have worked together for several years. She is a fierce and compassionate leader. The craft and finesse she brings into her work is incomparable and world class. She is a school of art direction. This will be good for our industry at large as we can all learn from her craft and execution skills."

Some of the brands Sohal has worked on include Harvey Nichols, Land Rover, LG, Citibank, Colgate, Virgin Atlantic, Axe deodorants and Microsoft Xbox. Her numerous international awards range from Grand Prix gold, silver and bronzes to The ANDYS, Art Director's Club, Clio, Dubai Lynx, Mena Cristal Awards, London International Awards, New York Festivals, EPICA, and Loeries. Her work has been featured in the annual D&AD publication, Communication Arts and Luerzer's Archive.