ASCI appoints N S Rajan as next chairman; Saugata Gupta new V-C

N S Rajan, Director of August One Partners LLP was unanimously elected as Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI)’s Chairman of the Board of Governors on Thursday. Saugata Gupta, Managing Director & CEO, Marico Limited, was elected Vice-Chairman, while Shashidhar Sinha, Chief Executive Officer at IPG Mediabrands India, was appointed Honorary Treasurer at the board meeting following the 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of ASCI.

N S Rajan, a public relations (PR) veteran said, “I would focus on ASCI’s efforts more towards prevention, in addition to the robust corrective mechanisms we have built over the decades. This we would do by using the several initiatives already in play – whether advice, guidance, training, or self-regulation,” on his new role as a Chairman. 

“I am committed to seeing that the momentum generated by all past efforts is kept alive or even pushed forward with greater speed,” he added.

The board meeting also saw the induction of Virat Tandon, Group CEO of Lintas India, and Arun Srinivas, Director, GMS India (Meta), onto the board.

Recently, the industry regulator announced the soon-to-be-launched ASCI Academy at the AGM which "plans to move ASCI in the direction of training and awareness creation and deep engagement with various stakeholders in the prevention of objectionable ads." ASCI said the academy plans to create impact at the point of creation, and not merely at the point of publication.

The outgoing chairman, Subhash Kamath, will be a part of the Consultative Committee of the board, which, among other activities, mentors the new initiatives of the organisation.

Speaking about his two-term tenure as ASCI Chairman, Kamath said, “The past two years have been truly transformational for ASCI. Our vision of making ASCI more future-ready by taking on the challenges of a digital world and a fast-changing communication landscape, and by adding value to the industry through more agility, responsiveness, services, and thought leadership, has started showing results.”