SMG appoints VPs for Gurgaon and Bengaluru branches

Gerald Roche and Sameer Kapoor have been inducted as vice-presidents at the agency's Bengaluru and Gurgaon branches, respectively.

Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) has appointed Gerald Roche and Sameer Kapoor as vice-presidents at the agency's Bengaluru and Gurgaon branches, respectively. Roche is vice-president, Starcom Worldwide, South India; while Kapoor will be the VP of Starcom Worldwide, Gurgaon.

Roche took over his duties at the SMG Bengaluru office on April 16. He joins the agency from Madison, where he led the media buying for Madison Media, Infinity and Platinum Media.

In a career spanning 15 years, Roche has worked with leading agencies including Madison Media, Sony Entertainment Television, Dubai Outdoor Media, MindShare, Carat Media Services, OMD Dubai and Bozell Prime, Dubai.

Kapoor, too, joins Starcom from Madison Media Plus, where he was heading the Airtel business. He took over his new responsibility on January 24 at Starcom's Gurgaon office, where he will lead Samsung for Starcom. Kapoor has more than a decade of experience in media, having worked with agencies such as Madison Media Plus, Madison Media, Initiative Media, Optimum Media Solutions and Universal McCann.

Speaking about the appointments, Mallikarjunadas CR, CEO, Starcom MediaVest Group India, says, "The appointments of Sameer and Gerald reflect SMG's commitment to attracting the best and brightest talent to our agency. Sameer and Gerald are reliable leaders with robust backgrounds in business development and client relationship management. They will fit very well within our strongly established client-driven culture and we are sure they will continue their successful runs with us."

On his new role, Roche states, "I'm truly delighted and encouraged that SMG, anchored by its analytics resources, has digital (and not just television) at the front and centre of its media planning and I look forward to contributing to this team effort in no small measure."

Kapoor says, "I look forward to working with a great organisation and a great client like Samsung. Starcom is going from strength to strength; I'm excited to be a part of this growth oriented organisation and being present while we achieve greater heights of success."