Bobby Pawar, chairman & chief creative officer of Havas India has decided to step down in September and move away from advertising. Pawar is ending nearly five at Havas India after joining the network in November 2018. He will continue to consult on Havas’ clients and projects if necessary.
Prior to Havas, Pawar held a chief creative officer role at Publicis for more than five years at Publicis, chief creative officer at JWT and DDB Mudra. In the US for six years, he worked at Energy BBDO and Ogilvy & Mather New York.
Pawar commented, “There are some who will think there is some hanky-panky to my stepping away. I understand the appeal of it. It certainly makes for more interesting gossip sessions. The truth is, sometimes life leads you to a crossroad. Or, in my case, it is death. Over the last year, I lost way too many people I love, way too early. All of them had their ‘one day I will do this or that’. This made me realise that I had to find what I would love to do that ‘one day’ and do it right now. Yeah, it is hard to walk away from what I have loved for thirty-one years. But I have always chosen to do the hard thing. Like, take on the challenges of changing the course of the agencies I have helmed. Now it’s time to do that with my own life. What is certain though, is that writing will be a huge part of whatever I dive into next. I am nothing if not a storyteller, a craftsman who chisels prose with a pen.
“The concept of Havas Village is what excited me the most. Moreover, both Rana [Barua, CEO] and I were entrusted with the freedom to build and run Havas India from ground up, like entrepreneurs. Something I had not experienced before. It takes two to tango, and with a friend like Rana, who really is more of family than a friend, it was easy. And today, I can proudly say that we have built a brand-led, digital-first ecosystem, the results of which are here for all to see. Havas India has undergone an unprecedented transformation and has seen exponential growth over the last 5 years. We have made our place in the big league, and we are here to stay. I am grateful to Yannick Bollore for his faith in us, to our teams across all the companies of Havas India for giving their all to the mission, and Rana, you know how I feel about you.”
Rana Barua, group chief executive officer, Havas India, added “Ours is truly a Yin and Yang partnership. Especially when you know your creative half for nearly three decades, it becomes a seamless, productive, and truly memorable journey. Bobby helped me rebuild Havas’ presence in India, and with his creative prowess and reputation, he completely overhauled the creative vertical of the network. With his trademark humour and quirks, Bobby made Havas India more than just a place to work. Some goodbyes are bittersweet because while I will not see him around at work, he will continue to be an inextricable part of my life. I wish him all the very best for this new chapter of his life.”
Anupama (Anu) Ramaswamy will now lead creative. He joined Havas Worldwide India as chief creative officer last year.
