Kamal Oberoi Favourite To Head Hta

In the succession battle to head India's largest advertising agency, Hindustan Thompson Associate (HTA), its Delhi-based senior vice-president Kamal Oberoi seems to be emerging as the winner.

Senior sources within HTA and elsewhere in the advertising industry say that Oberoi is being tipped to take over from HTA's chief executive Mike Khanna. Sources also say that that is the reason for the agency's number two Sunil Gupta to have put in his papers.

Though Sunil Gupta was not available for comment, Kamal Oberoi said that "Nothing has been decided as to who will succeed Mike Khanna." He did not wish to comment further. Yet sources say the agency is already making arrangements for his move to Mumbai from Delhi. Rumours are that the agency's Kolkata branch head will be moving to Delhi to head the operations when Oberoi shifts to Mumbai.

 

However, there is another point of view in the industry. Observers feel that HTA's overseas partner and majority stakeholder WPP Network wants to bring in managers with global experience to India. There are rumours that HTA could also get Ambar Brahamchari from J Walter Thompson's Tokyo operation to succeed Mike Khanna. Similarly, sometime back, while the industry expected either Kalpana Rao (O&M) or Ketaki Gupte (HTA) to head WPP's media buying specialist Mindshare in India, Andre Nair was brought in from Hong Kong for the post. That lead to Ketaki Gupte's resignation.

"These changes are happening because HTA in India is slipping on performance, especially creativity. HTA India is being pulled up for lack of creativity," said an HTA source. He added that the agency will now focus on creativity.

Sources also said that a few more people from the top rung would be either leaving or would be asked to leave soon. The agency's national creative director Ivan Arthur has already put in his papers but was not available for comment despite repeated attempts by Business Standard. HTA chief executive Mike Khanna was also not available for comment.

Succession blues at O&M

Who will head Ogilvy & Mather, WPP's second-largest agency in India after HTA, when Ranjan Kapur retires? Its creative director Piyush Pandey or a WPP Network manager with global experience?

That is the question upper-most in the minds of people following the recent developments at WPP-owned HTA in India.

Ranjan Kapur, managing director of the Rs 742 crore agency, dismisses all rumours about his successor being brought in from WPP's overseas network.

He told Business Standard: "As far as possible worldwide companies such as WPP are in favour of their local operations being run by locals only. So the question of bringing in global managers does not arise."

In fact, Piyush Pandey, who was being groomed to take over from him has already been appointed as the group head. "And I would surely not want an expat to come to India and run the country operations," he added. Kapur said that he has another two years to go as his term expires in 2003.

"Neither WPP nor O&M Worldwide have given me any impression or hints that they would be bringing in global managers to run the show in India after me," he said. Commenting on the developments at HTA he said that if anybody should be running HTA, India After Mike Khanna, it should be an Indian. If Ambar Brahmachari, currently heading J Walter Thompson, Tokyo, also comes back, he can't be called an expat or even global. "After all, he's an old HTA hand, he added.