Ninad Umargekar and Ayesha Ghosh join Taproot

Umargekar joins as head of strategic planning, while Ghosh joins the agency as the general manager.

Taproot has appointed Ninad Umargekar as head of strategic planning. Ayesha Ghosh joins the agency as the general manager. Based in Mumbai, they will report to Umesh Shrikhande, CEO- Taproot India.

Speaking on Umargekar's appointment Agnello Dias, co-founder and chief creative officer, Taproot India says, "Strategic planning is a key discipline that we are focusing on, and Ninad's arrival helps us take a significant step forward in that respect. He has a sharp mind and the ability to be precise with people observations, a trait we respect and admire as that is what has seen us produce some really powerful work in the past."

"Taproot's creative product has been stellar because there already existed great strategic thinking behind it. Strategy is more a state of mind than a department, but its value increases when it becomes visible in organisation culture, conversations and power points. I look forward to building a strong team and a visible strategic culture at Taproot to further its reputation as one of India's most impactful agencies," adds Umargekar.

After studying Mathematics and doing an MBA, Umargekar worked with IMRB in quantitative research. Later, he spent six years at Lowe where he began with channel planning and then moved to brand planning, working on brands such as Lifebuoy, Hit, BookmyShow and Finolex. Post that, he spent a few months at Famous before deciding to join Taproot. A traveller and foodie, Umargekar teaches at various business schools and is also a keen cricketer.

Commenting on Ghosh's appointment, Umesh Shrikhande, CEO- Taproot India, says, "At Taproot, the endeavour is keep adding value to the brands entrusted to us. Strengthening our relationships, growing our talented people, adding sharpness to our counsel and overall adding more depth to everything we do. And that is where hiring senior talent like Ayesha Ghosh becomes important. Her high level of maturity, cross category experience, strong people-team skills and her bias for good ideas will mean a happy and meaningful addition to our bandwidth."

"Apart from the draw of working with crackerjack creative talent, the 'start-up' culture was attractive to me. This is an agency with no flab, where everyone is carrying his/her weight. The relaxed atmosphere combined with serious intent is the ideal incubator for creativity, something that I am sure must be working for clients with a serious bias for good ideas. And most of all, after having worked for close to two decades now, I just want to work with nice people and this agency is brimming with them," adds Ghosh.

Having studied Economics and Advertising in Delhi, Ghosh spent most of her working years in Mumbai. In her previous assignment, she was heading the Mumbai office of Contract where she spent 14 years. At Contract Ayesha was involved with the integrated communication planning on brands like Shoppers Stop, Asian Paints, Cadbury and Star Plus among others. She also worked closely with the design, digital and core consulting divisions of Contract. A voracious reader and foodie, Ghosh is also a fitness enthusiast.