J. Walter Thompson India has appointed Vijay Jacob Parakkal as Senior Vice President and Managing Partner of Kolkata office.
Parakkal has worked across multiple categories including Automobiles, Food & Beverages, Digital, Finance, FMCG, Healthcare and Telecom. With his diverse experience, Parakkal brings with him a fresh perspective and a unique POV on building brands and businesses. He joins the agency from McCann, Delhi.
Parakkal is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in advertising and marketing communications. He started his career in marketing with Eveready Industries in Kolkata and was an integral part of the business growth across multiple markets for over half a decade. During his tenure with Ebay.com, he spearheaded the launch of Baazee.com and its business operation in Chennai. He subsequently worked with some of the leading advertising agencies in India and Sri Lanka managing iconic brands like Aditya Birla, Ashok Leyland, Britannia, Bharti AXA, Fortis Healthcare, ITC, Sify, Tata Tea and UB Group, to name a few.
Commenting on the appointment, Tarun Rai, CEO, J Walter Thompson South Asia, said, “Vijay has a rich and diverse experience of over two decades. Across marketing and communication. Across India and Sri Lanka. Across agencies and cities. Vijay’s energy and positivity are infectious. We have a huge operation in Kolkata with some very high-profile clients. I am very confident that Vijay will contribute significantly to our clients’ business goals. He has very fond memories of his earlier stint in Kolkata and is raring to get back.”
Parakkal said, “I get a very exciting new age vibe from JWT and I am looking forward to leveraging this vibe to craft better creative solutions for our clients. Today, clients are looking at more than communication solutions and I hope to bring my varied experience across diverse categories to help build stronger brands and businesses. On the personal front, I started my career in Kolkata as a Management Trainee with Eveready. I have some fabulous memories from there and it will be great to give my family a slice of the myriad joys of Kolkata.”