Cheil appoints Neeraj Bassi as chief strategy officer

Bassi will be responsible for the planning and strategy product of the agency across all its business divisions.

Cheil India has announced the appointment of Neeraj Bassi as chief strategy officer. In this role, Bassi will be responsible for the planning and strategy product of the agency across all its business divisions.

With over 19 years of experience in connecting brands and consumers, Bassi is one of the most recognised and awarded names in the business. He has been associated with Ogilvy, JWT, and McCann in the past where he lent his expertise and insights on various brands to drive and deliver successful campaigns.

Bassi, who has been awarded at various effectiveness platforms such as Effies (India and APAC), AME, and WARC, has helped develop award-winning campaigns for brands such as Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Voltas, BMW, Honda, Philips, HSBC, Max Life, Vistara, and WeChat.

Commenting on the appointment, Shiv Sethuraman, Group president, Cheil South-West Asia, says in a press release, "We are going for massive acceleration in our capabilities in 2016 and I am delighted to have Bassi on board at this critical juncture. His passion for integrated communication, combined with his gravitas and deep knowledge of brands and consumers in the Indian context, have impressed us. We look forward to some great work together. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Sonal Narain for her contribution over the past year."

Bassi, who looks forward to his new role, says in a press release, "Today, we need a completely new approach to communication. You need to think like an entrepreneur and keep on re-defining the communication paradigm. Cheil's transformation journey in the short span of 14-15 months is testimony to the intent and momentum of the company. When John and (Shiv) Sethuraman told me about the specific focus on promoting entrepreneurship and driving integration at Cheil, it was an instant meeting of minds. With good understanding of what it takes to be successful in the age of networking, I look forward to bring these learnings to clients of Cheil, especially Samsung."

Cheil India is an advertising agency and serves as the regional headquarters for Cheil Worldwide in South-West Asia. With nearly 500 employees across five offices, it is one of the fastest-growing communications networks in the region.