iris India poaches Publicis' chief executive

AFAQS    PEOPLE    IRIS SINGAPORE  

India - Param Saikia, chief executive of Publicis Dialog/Modem, has joined the iris Worldwide in a similar capacity.

In this new role Saikia will be tasked to strengthen the agency's digital and experiential capabilities, as well as expand its client base in India, which currently includes Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, Shell and Adidas. He will work closely with Alok Lall, managing director of iris Delhi.

"Integration and innovation is at the heart of our output and in Saikia we have found someone who can drive our ambitions across India, especially in the fastest growing segments such as digital and experiential, where we see a huge demand," Stewart Shanley, chief executive of iris Worldwide, said.

The agency recently appointed Ranjeev Vij as board director.

With this development Hemant Mishra, chief operating officer, Publicis India Delhi will now play a dual role - working on the functioning for Publicis India as well as Publicis Dialog from its Delhi office.

"iris is a very exciting agency with a big ambition and its achievements to date have really impressed me. The scale of offering, in terms of discipline and geography, coupled with its independence, means that this micro-network can really offer the kind of nimbleness that clients are looking for right now," Saikia said.