Mudra elevates Jude Fernandes as Executive Director; Aniruddha Banerjee to join as President, Mumbai

Mudra has effected top-level changes to strengthen its Mumbai management team. It is reliably learnt that Jude Fernandes, President, Mudra Mumbai, is being elevated as Executive Director. Replacing him as President, Mudra Mumbai, is Aniruddha ‘Ani’ Banerjee, who quit Everest Brand Solutions late last year as COO.

Banerjee will be reporting to Mudra Managing Director and CEO, Madhukar Kamath. He will be joining from February 1, according to informed sources. Despite repeated efforts, Banerjee could not be contacted.

Fernandes has an experience of over 20 years in advertising; he has spent 14 years at Mudra. Over the last decade he has played a key role in building Mudra Mumbai into a strong advertising operation which now boasts of clients like Godrej Group, LIC, Pantaloon Group, SBI, Philips, Air India, HPCL, MTDC, Johnson & Johnson and Reliance ADAG among others.

In a chain of events, when Rediffusion DY&R’s President, Preet Bedi, resigned in September last year, Mahesh Chauhan, head of Everest Brand Solutions, was appointed as the new President of Rediffusion. Shortly thereafter, D Rajappa was appointed as President of Everest Brand Solutions, leading to Banerjee putting in his papers.

Banerjee was with Everest for two years. He played an important role in the rebranding of Everest Advertising as Everest Brand Solutions. Banerjee started his career with Contract from where he moved to Clarion (now known as Bates Enterprise) where he spent eight years. He has also worked for six years at Leo Burnett, quitting the agency as Executive Director. In 2004 he moved to Everest Brand Solutions as COO.

Some of the brands he has worked on during his 16-year career include Ariel, Tide, Whisper, Procter & Gamble, Godrej Pillsbury, Rejoice, Bajaj, Heinz India, Complan, Glucon-D, Goldflake and the Parle portfolio.

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Aniruddha Banerjee, COO, Everest Brand Solutions, puts in his papers