Publicis' Suraja Kishore heads to McCann

He joins as head of the planning function and will be based in Mumbai.

McCann Erickson has roped in Suraja Kishore as head, planning for Mumbai. He moves in from Publicis Ambience, where he was working as national planning director.

Beginning as a copywriter with the then Chaitra Leo Burnett, Kishore has more than 17 years of experience in the industry and has worked with Mudra Delhi, Lowe Lintas Mumbai and Publicis Ambience. Some of his successful campaigns include Idea's 'What an Idea Sirji' and Tata Tea's 'Jaago Re'.

Kishore has won several awards and worked with top brands of the country such as Idea Cellular, Tata Tea, Croma, Ginger Hotels, Lakme, Axa Insurance, Citibank, Park Avenue Men grooming products, World Gold Council, Renault Duster, Henko Detergent, Tata Automotive, Hershey's Milk Mix, Electrolux, Yamaha Motorcycles, Ariel Detergent and Suzlon, among others.

Speaking on his appointment, Kishore says, "McCann Erickson is known for its creative force and it has brands that enjoy scale and size. I think it is the right place for strategic planning to make a real difference. I look forward to creating transformational brand stories that are based on powerful human truths."

Govind Pandey, president, McCann Erickson, says, "Suraja will gainfully enhance ME's strategic planning prowess. He is a seasoned professional and has an interesting and rich way of seeing life and people. His contribution will enhance relevance for our brands by adding depth and nuance to our solutions."

Namrata Nandan, SVP and GM, Mumbai, says, "McCann Mumbai's team is strengthened with Suraja's addition, and we look forward to working together and creating great work for our brands."

Kishore is a postgraduate from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai and has also done an academic stint at MICA, where he conceived and executed India's first creative programme with specialisation in copywriting and art direction.

McCann Worldgroup is a part of Interpublic Group that has more than 23,000 employees in more than 120 countries comprising McCann Erickson (advertising), MRM (digital marketing/relationship management), Momentum (event marketing/promotion), McCann Health (professional/dtc communications), MRM End to End (database marketing and events), Weber Shandwick (public relations), Lodestar UM (media management), MWG TAG (advertising) and CRAFT (global adaptation and production).