MEC India names Ajit Gurnani as head, West

Gurnani was with Mindshare as principal partner, client leadership.

MEC India, a media and planning agency and founding partner of GroupM, has appointed Ajit Gurnani as head of MEC West. Gurnani was with Mindshare as principal partner, client leadership on the Aditya Birla Group account. He will report to T Gangadhar, managing director, MEC India.

Incidentally, Mindshare and MEC are both parts of GroupM.

A post-graduate from the Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA), Gurnani has more than 16 years of experience in the field of media and marketing. He was a part of Jagran.com and Starcom Digital. His brand management and marketing exposure has been with Marico (as brand manager) and with IFFCO, the UAE-based food giant, as head of marketing.

Speaking about the appointment, Gangadhar says, "Mumbai is our biggest office by far and I am pleased that we have found a quality leader like Ajit to head our operations here. Given his rich vein of experience, I have no doubt that Ajit will make valuable contributions - to clients and staff alike."

Gurnani says, "I am excited about the opportunity and challenge that this assignment provides to me. I look forward to working with the team and help create business building work that wins accolades and recognition."

The agency has seen quite a few senior movements this year. In July 2013, Roopam Garg, former COO of ZenithOptimedia and head, Performix, was assigned the role of all India head, new business and general manager, MEC North. In April, Ritesh Singh, who had joined MEC India in July, 2012 as national director, MEC Interaction - the digital arm of MEC, had put in his papers at the company.

MEC is a media agency whose services include media planning and buying, digital media, mobile, search, performance marketing and social media management, among others. The agency has a global headcount of 4,500 people with domestic and international clients across 84 countries.