LG Ad India beefs up senior level management

LG Ad has been strengthening its team every month. Apart from adding people at the mid-management level, across divisions, it has recently added two senior people to the team. Samir Datar joins as General Manager – Client Servicing, while Rajat Mukherjee has joined as Creative Director.

“We are committed to provide additional resources to the growing business of LG. We are building a strong foundation and thus attracting the best of the talent in the industry. Samir and Rajat will be playing important role in the development of the business,” said Nitin Makdani, Business Head at LG Ad.

Samir Datar has worked on communication business across diverse product categories ranging from tractors to telecom infrastructure. He started his career in software sales after post graduation in management in 1991 from Pune. His first stint in advertising took him on a countrywide travel to understand users for Eicher Tractors. He was with JWT (then HTA) from 1996 till 2000 and managed the entire Maggi portfolio and was instrumental in the success of Maggi Noodles relaunch in 1998.

He was with Cheil Communication from 2000 to 2006. He was the Brand Custodian for Samsung and was actively involved in strategy planning and also responsible for Samsung’s association with Cricket (Team Samsung, Winning the branding rights for the Samsung Cup – India’s tour of Pakistan in 2004). With dual responsibility of Client Management and Strategy Planning, Datar also handled Hyundai for a year at Cheil.

The last four years were spent on the other side of the table with Bilcare Research (Pharmaceutical Packaging) and Acme Tele Power Ltd (Telecom Infrastructure) as Head of Marketing Communication.

After graduating from Delhi College of Art, Rajat Mukherjee started his carrier with Leo Burnet on Coca-Cola and after a short stint moved to JWT in 2000, working on accounts such as Pepsi, Reebok, GSK - Boost and Horlicks, ESPN, Monte Carlo, Hero Cycles, Pizza Hut, Reckitt Benckiser, Hero Honda, and VLCC, to name a few, Then after stints at Mudra and Dentsu, working on Dabur, HBO Honda bikes and cars, Sony, Sony Ericsson, Tata Tea, etc., respectively, he moved on to Hakuhodo Percept as Creative Group Head in 2005, working primarily on Maruti Suzuki and Sony. Then with a short stint in RK Swamy BBDO as Creative Director in 2009, Mukherjee moved back to Hakuhodo Percept as Creative Director.

“India is an important market for LG Ad and we are fully committed to LG Electronics. We shall expand more in 2011, as the business demands and add more people and divisions soon,” said June Kim, Managing Director, LG Ad India.