Orchard appoints Neha Contractor as branch head, Bengaluru

She moves in from Law & Kenneth, where she was heading the digital business.

Orchard Advertising, a part of the Leo Burnett Group India, has appointed Neha Contractor as vice-president and branch head at Bengaluru.

Based in Bengaluru, she will report to Kaushik Mitra, senior vice-president and brand partner at Orchard Advertising. As part of her new mandate, she will look after the agency's clients in Bengaluru including brands of Wipro, Essilor Lenses and Vidal Health.

In her last stint, Contractor was with Law & Kenneth as head of its India digital business. She joined the agency in November, 2012 with an objective to provide tailor-made, interactive solutions for brand partners and offer end-to-end suite of services, ranging from strategic planning and experience design at one end, to media deployment and campaign analytics at the other.

Thomas Xavier, chairman and NCD, Orchard Advertising, says, "Neha comes with a reputation for taking organisations to the next level. She has hands-on experience in not just mainstream advertising, but in digital and activation as well. In my conversations with Neha I found a 'can do' spirit that is perfect for Orchard. Neha is a playing captain, someone who leads from the front."

Talking about her new role, Contractor says, "This is an agency that has redefined many industries with its creative thinking like Air Deccan, Kinder Joy, Thums Up, TOI, McDonald's and many others, and clearly defines itself as a challenger. I have been a part of leader brands for a long time, now it's time to move on to a challenger brand!"

Contractor brings more than 12 years of experience in business development, account planning and art direction. She comes with a passion to reinvent and steer the agency into new adventures. She has exposure in promoting brands, strategising as well as handling internal as well as external communication and managing ATL, BTL as well as online initiatives.

She started her career as an art director, went on to business development, acquisition, account planning and later, was CEO and co-founder of Carpe Dieum, all by the age of 24.

Before joining Law & Kenneth Digital, she has also worked with Maa Bozell, Saatchi & Saatchi Direct, Ogilvy and Mudra Max.

She is known for her work on Parle G - The Future Genius, Miller High Life-The Coolest Job in the World, Phillips and Uninor.