Zenith India appoints Jai Lala as COO and Ajit Gurnani as CCO

Jai Lala has joined Zenith India as Chief Operating Officer (COO). He joins the agency from MediaCom where he was Chief Strategy and Growth Officer.

In this newly created role, he will oversee operations, structure and expansion in addition to the scaling up of specialised, future-facing offerings for the agency. He will focus on areas where Zenith is already market-leading such as Data, Dynamic Content, Tech, Analytics, Performance and Programmatic.

Lala has over two decades of experience across across Media Planning, Buying, Research and Sales. He has worked in organizations such as UTV, ESPN Star Sports and leading media agency groups. He has serviced clients across the country such as Unilever, PepsiCo, GSK, ICICI, Castrol, Lenovo, USL, Coke, Marico and many more in various capacities. He is credited for creating multiple and unique trading practices in the industry.

In addition, Zenith has elevated its Managing Partner and Head of West and South Ajit Gurnani to the newly created role of Chief Client Officer. He will continue to interface with key clients, bringing in new and critical perspective on businesses and enhancing Zenith’s overall strategic product and delivery.

Gurnani has 20 plus years of work experience across Client leadership, Brand Management and Media investment management.  He has worked as a brand and media custodian at Marico and IIFCO, and has driven media investment management for The Aditya Birla Group and its companies, Mercedes-Benz, NIVEA, Zee TV, Unilever and Colgate Palmolive in previous stints with agencies. At Zenith, he has led the media investment mandate for businesses such as Parle, Toyota, Singapore Airlines, Singapore Tourism Board, HDFC Life among others.

Tanmay Mohanty

Tanmay Mohanty, Group CEO of Zenith India, said, “ Zenith stands at an important growth juncture; we have witnessed an absolutely spectacular year so far in terms of new business wins and performance on  key client businesses. In our endeavour to build further on our ROI+ offering, delivering transformational growth to our clients, we are announcing two big appointments at senior levels. Jai Lala needs no introduction and has over 20 years’ experience in media planning and buying. He will aid me in client deliveries, keeping up the scale and momentum of operations, integration of  existing talent and new hires and the  expansion in overall footprint for Zenith. Ajit on the other hand has been with us for over three years and  brings in huge expertise and value to every client conversation. He has transformed the way we deliver to clients and will shape our client relationships further. Both these appointments will help Zenith put out passionate, exciting and compelling work.”

Lala said, “I am delighted at this opportunity. Zenith has market-leading expertise in data, technology and innovation. Offering a strong, long-term consultative approach to clients, Zenith is already working on what lies at the corner tomorrow; whether it is automation, machine learning or artificial intelligence. Its pedigreed A-list clients, outstanding work and motivated teams make me excited about the possibilities.”

Gurnani said, “ Zenith with its ROI push and accent on business deliverables, truly leverages the power of integrated communications and media-neutral solutions.  As part of my role, I will look to cement and enhance Zenith’s existing client relationships in addition to forming new connections.  I look forward to driving results, and creating award-winning, business -building work.”

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