From correspondents in Delhi, India, 07:34 PM IST

Starcom MediaVest Group India today announced a leadership change at its digital marketing practice – Starcom IP.

Mr. Hari Shankar, who h as recently returned to India from Singapore, will take over the leadership of Starcom IP India, as Director, with immediate effect. He will be based in Bangalore and report to Mr. Ravi Kiran, CEO-South Asia for Starcom MediaVest Group.

Mr. Vamsi Vanka, the current head of the unit, will start playing a regional role, reporting directly to Mr. Pushkar Sane, General Manager-Asia, Starcom IP. He will continue to be based in Mumbai for now and focus on new business development for the India market.

Mr. Pranay Anthwal, who has been holding dual responsibility for Starcom Entertainment and Starcom IP, as General Manager-India, will now give his undivided attention to Starcom Entertainment, the entertainment and embedded marketing practice of the group. He will continue to report to Mr. Ravi Kiran.

Commenting on the developments, Mr Ravi Kiran, CEO-South Asia, Starcom MediaVest Group said, " Over the last three years, both Starcom IP and Starcom Entertainment have grown rapidly and are today amongst the top specialists in their respective domains. As we prepare to put both into a higher gear, we decided to give them their independent leadership who can focus on their respective visions.

Starcom IP is in an interesting phase of its evolution, moving up rapidly from an agency model that overemphasizes transactions to a consulting model that sharp focuses on the business impact of digital marketing. It is indeed good, therefore, to welcome Hari to lead our team in India and give it a new spin. He is a brilliant strategist, his clients love him and his attitude is amazing. I have a strong hunch we have a rocking time ahead of us

Vamsi's tenacity, leadership and down to earth approach, has seen Starcom IP through its best growth year and emerge as a winner through some challenging times, as we put new processes in place, over the last 18 months. I am sure he will excel himself equally well in his new role."

Profile of Mr. Hari Shakar, Director, Starcom IP India

A Computer Science engineer and a marketing MBA, Hari comes to Satrcom IP with a 12 years of impeccable experience across sales, media and digital, in organizations including CIOL, Euro RSCG, Mediaturf, Mindshare and MediaCom. He is one of the strongest digital strategists around, and particularly adapt at delivering a high end, analytics driven digital product to his clients, prominent amongst whom have been Intel, Nokia and Dell. Immediately prior to moving to Starcom IP, he was Integrated Media Director at Euro RSCG Singapore, focusing on Dell Computers.

Source: Press Release Distribution via India PRwire