N S Rajan to retire from Ketchum Sampark in mid- September

N S Rajan, Global Partner and Managing Director at Ketchum Sampark Pvt Ltd, along with Founder Bela Rajan will retire from the company in mid-September.

It is understood they plan to invest and associate with the social sectors among other pursuits.

N S Rajan, fondly called NSR, has been instrumental in re-defining financial and corporate communications in India. Widely credited for bringing in ethics, moral values and a sense of pride to the public relations industry in India, NSR started his career with the Associated Cement Companies (ACC), then India's largest cement manufacturer. He moved on to join the Essar Group in 1989 where, as their Head of Corporate Communications, he successfully built the Essar Group’s +ve Brand image.

In 1994, NSR partnered with Bela Rajan, to launch Sampark Public Relations Pvt. Ltd. NSR in his illustrious career spanning over three decades has through his consultative and advisory approach, at a time when the industry didn’t have these words in its dictionary, developed and executed distinctive, high-impact  communications campaigns for several global and Indian brands like DSP Merrill Lynch, ICICI Prudential, Bajaj Finserv, ICICI Venture, Bajaj Auto,  ABB, National Stock Exchange, Skoda ,  to name a few. He was inducted in the Hall of Fame by the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI).

Commenting on their retirement, Esty Pujadas, Partner and President, International, Ketchum said, “We thank Rajan and Bela for their steadfast leadership and for building a strong and winning team at Ketchum Sampark. We look forward to celebrating their many accomplishments in the coming weeks and congratulating them on their well-earned retirement.”

A statement from Ketchum said “After more than 25 years building and leading one of the biggest public relations brands in India, Ketchum Sampark founders NS and Bela Rajan will retire in mid-September.”

The firm’s statement further outlined, “While the two agencies will continue to distinctly operate under their individual brands and will continue to service their clients and the marketplace through their respective core services, FleishmanHillard and Ketchum Sampark have created a combined India management committee comprised of seasoned leaders from both brands who will work together in concert to design the next chapter of growth ahead.”

As Rajan and Bela transition to retirement, Ketchum Sampark and FleishmanHillard are establishing a collaborative services model in India that leverages the agencies’ individual strengths to provide clients with broader access to talent and expertise in India’s fast-changing environment.  

After being a preferred partner of Ketchum Inc. for over seven years, one of the top global public relations agencies operating in more than 50 countries, Omnicom‘s Diversified Agency Services (DAS), in early 2011 acquired a majority stake in Sampark Public Relations Pvt. Ltd. The joint alliance is now Ketchum Sampark Pvt. Ltd.

Rajan is a on the boards of ASCI , Lex Favios , a law firm  and is the chief mentor of School of Communication and Reputation ( SCoRE ), India’s first PR School.

exchange4media reached out to N S Rajan and Bela Rajan but they were not available to comment.