Samir Datar joins Grey as VP and branch head, Delhi

Datar quit Law & Kenneth three months ago to do consulting work.

Samir Datar, former Law & Kenneth vice-president, strategy planning, has joined Grey India as vice-president and branch head for Delhi.

Datar had quit Law & Kenneth three months ago to do consulting work. At Grey India, he will report to Jishnu Sen, CEO and president.

Sen says, "Samir and I go back a long way. He is, both, an excellent advertising professional and a great leader. I am thrilled that he has agreed to come aboard. I am sure that he will lead our Delhi operation to great heights."

On his new role, Datar adds, "Grey is a great opportunity and Grey Delhi is a very challenging market when it comes to advertising. I am excited about joining Grey Worldwide and take on the challenge to grow the operations in Delhi."

His last stint at Law & Kenneth lasted for a little less than a year; he had joined the agency in August, 2012.

Datar has worked on both, the 'agency side' as well as the 'client side' with a career spanning 20 years. He claims it's these new opportunities that drive him. "When I was with JWT, I was handling FMCG clients, before I moved to Cheil. Since then, I've kept looking for new challenges."

Datar joined JWT in 1996 as account director and worked with the agency for more than four years before joining Cheil Worldwide in 2000. He stayed at Cheil for about six years before he moved to Bilcare as head, marketing communications, in 2006.

In February 2009, he joined Fire, Wheel & Magic as brand consultant. For Datar, Fire, Wheel & Magic was an attempt to help clients understand the impact of communication rather than pure advertising. Strategic in nature, the idea was to help clients arrive at the best possible expression for the brand. He left the company to start a new journey with Acme Telepower as head, marketing and communication and was with the company for more than a year. He joined GIIR Communications as head, strategy planning and client servicing in January, 2011.