2005-2008 Ras Al Khaimah, Mayan Consultants Intl

• This letter of promotion and increment was largely on the back of my contributions from 2005 till the middle of 2006. The impetus and the foundation laid were built on and grown by my successors as the press clippings show.

• RAK set to become `the next major development story in the Gulf', says Oxford Business Group report

• Ras Al Khaimah, March 27: The proactive approach of the Government of Ras Al Khaimah to diversification and investment generation is paying rich dividends and is set to turn the emirate to become `the next major development story in the Gulf', according to Oxford Business Group (OBG), the UK-based publishing, research and consultancy services company in its latest report titled `Emerging Ras Al Khaimah 2007', published as part of the `Emerging Markets Series'.

• RAK GDP grows by more than 50% over the last four years. RAK GDP which stood at Dhs7.1bn in 2003 has grown to touch Dhs11.12bn in 2006.

• "In 2006, real estate developers in Ras Al Khaimah announced the most ambitious slate of new high- rise, villa and island residential projects that the UAE has ever seen. While Dubai continues to dominate current construction activity, and Abu Dhabi has extremely large developments out for tender, investors in RAK have proposed nearly AED 60 billion worth of projects for completion before 2010," the report states.

• On the tourism front, the report states that RAK could become one of the top tourist destinations in the Gulf and the emirate hopes to attract as many as 2 million visitors by 2010 banking on "its unique attractions like UAE's longest stretch of coastline, desert landscapes, the Hajar mountains, a history stretching back to 7000 years, Bedouin culture, varied sports facilities and year- round sunshine".(Tourism figures climbed from 156,000 in 2005 to 500,000 by 2006-07 at an average occupancy level of 92% for the hotels there.)

• The study says and adds that the emirate will compliment the sector by setting up 25 new hotels that would be operational by 2010.

• Ras Al Khaimah's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown by more than 50% over the last four years and the fast- growing emirate, riding a wave of massive inward investments, is expected to clock an annual growth rate of over 15 % in the next few years, Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (Rakia) announced at the Ras Al Khaimah Conference 2008.

2005-2008: Ras Al Khaimah: Investment Promotion

ARABIAN OPPORTUNITIES FUND.

CLICK ON THIS http://www.ameinfo.com/89969.html

Arabian Opportunities 2 to invest 300 million euros in freehold properties in Ras Al Khaimah

Arabian Opportunities 2, a Hamburg based Property Fund, has opened its branch in a Free Zone managed by the RAK Investment Authority with a view to invest in real estate opportunities in Freehold Areas that are coming up in Ras Al Khaimah.

United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, June 27 - 2006

Nearly 300 million euros is being collected from investors in Germany for investments in real estate properties in the Middle East. RAK emerged as the favorite to harness the bulk of this fund thanks to its freehold laws and integrated master-plan with beach front tourism properties, mountain based projects and state of the art business and media zone projects.

Arabian Opportunities 2 RAK Branch which was registered in the RAK Investment Authority Free Zone is managed by Markus Müller (43, Banker and Insurance Manager ) and Markus Wagner (34, Grad. Business Administrator, M.A. hons.)

• There is a master plan in place for Ras Al Khaimah and the growth is planned. Infrastructural problems are not likely and there are plenty of freehold properties in the master-plan to accommodate foreign investor interest. The Marjan Island, The Al Hamra Village, the Minal Arab, the Gateway City are all seen as possibilities by the Fund.

The Wagners have also been encouraged by the trust reposed in them by the RAK Investment Authority.Dr Massaad has signed an MOU with the Wagners to promote Ras Al Khaimah as a destination for tourism and investments in the city of Hamburg and Lubeck where Mr. Adolf Wagner is an established name.

This project was my baby and my experience in handling Merril Lynch while at JWT came in very handy. What clinched this deal was the element of trust they had in us and the fact that we were able to understand the nuances of funds and international law. It also helped us get a base in Germany which is an important tourism market for us.

ALIVE WITH POSSIBILITIES An article from the FDI Magazine.

The once sleepy northern emirate of Ras Al Khaimah is bursting into life with a wealth of upscale leisure and commercial facilities in the pipeline.

The northern emirate, the seventh to join the UAE, which is zipping along with an annual growth of 4.4% GDP, is embarking on a massive tourism-oriented building plan that includes significant residential and commercial components. Everything from an ambitious spaceport to enormous theme parks and a 12-kilometre (km) ski slope are looming on the horizon, as the government aims to secure a larger slice of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tourism cake.

The commercial real estate sector is also stirring into life with a spate of big deals hatched this year. Mirage Holdings FZCO, a Hollywood-based film production firm, will set up and operate Film and Media City, an investment costing $1bn. The Mirage Studio complex sits on 480 acres of real estate, close to the new Emirates Highway. In addition to the production studio, it will have an entertainment shopping centre, villas, apartments and office space for rent, a golf course and polo field.

Businessman Sultan Ali Lakhani has invested Dh150m in a television port and up-linking facility, which is attracting audio and film studios and news agencies.

Ends

The last two media projects were on my initiative and a direct result of my efforts. It came about through diligent one to one selling and follow up. In the case of Sultan Ali, we got him to cancel his investment in another Emirate and come to RAK. This was prompted by the kind of location we offered him and the fact that we understood the media business completely.

In the case of Mirage FZCO, too the selling point was that we understood the media business and were quick to react. The whole process of identifying the land and completing the lease and legal formalities hardly took 4 working days!!

VARIETY has carried a news report on this project:
CLICK ON THIS http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117948006.html

2005-2008: Ras al Khaimah: Media and Film City

Mirage to invest $1 billion in RAK

By

MEB Journal Staff

Hollywood-based production company Mirage Holdings said that it would invest $1 billion in the newly established Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Media Free Zone and Film City.

The project will reportedly be built over two million square meters, including both film studios and a media entertainment complex hosting an international film museum, film-making academy, shopping mall, miniature golf course, polo field and residential housing, according to a press statement from Mirage.

The RAK Investment Authority licensed the company to begin operating in late May, but did not disclose when the project would be completed, according to Vinod Natesan, a representative of RAK's tourism office. He said the project would employ both local and foreign staff to produce Hollywood movies and local productions.

Mirage CEO Michelle Nickelson touted the reduced cost of visual effects at RAK. "Visual effects are becoming extremely expensive, with several $200 million plus budget films coming out this year," she said in a press release. "The biggest cost is not the stars, it is the effects. By being able to fabricate visual effects in RAK using top designers in the US, everyone wins."

"Whoever wants to set up a media industry here is most welcome," Natesan said. "We are not competing with anybody. We offer facilities and there are plenty of people coming." He added that in addition to Mirage Holdings, RAK will host Century Media Networks, a South Asian television production company as well as a yet to be announced Indian film company.

SILVER SCREEN DEBUT.

Emirates: N. Emirates, Volume 8

14.06.2006

Mirage Holdings, a spin off of the US's Nickelson Entertainment Group (NEG), has been licensed to operate in Ras al-Khaimah Media City (RAK Media City) and will set up one of the largest film and post-production centres in the world.

At the beginning of the year, Century Media Networks Incorporated, a South Asian group, leased the first 20,000 sq metre plot to be involved in television production and satellite up linking.Representatives of RAK Media City have explained that further expansion is possible once the existing zones are rented.

Still, those in Ras al-Khaimah insist that they are not in competition with Dubai; rather they are aiming to complement their southern sister. The emirate's mountain ranges and abundance of untouched land make it a "unique product" and will attract a certain kind of movie production team -different than an operation which would choose Dubai and Studio City. "We see Dubai and Ras al-Khaimah becoming a cluster," said an official at the RAK Investment Authority. "We are in the middle of the world - right between Hollywood and Bollywood. We will continue to make [the UAE] a focal point."

RAK MEDIA CITY. RAK Media Free Zone gets green signal

By Sadiq A. Salam.4 January 2006, Khaleej Times

RAS AL KHAIMAH — In what is being considered as a milestone in economic and social development, RAK authorities have given the green signal for the establishment of the RAK Media Free Zone (RMFZ).

The Century Media Networks Incorporated (CMNI), an overseas venture, has been given the go-ahead to establish the RMFZ under the aegis of RAK Investment Authority (RIA).

The new facility will play host to media establishments, television channels, studios for audio-visual productions and computer graphics houses besides animation studios. "It will issue licences to them under the RIA mandate," he said, adding that RMFZ will lease ready-to-use office space and up-linking facilities where required, to such licence holders.

The RMFZ will also establish Free Zone which will lease land to investors who wish to set up their own media facilities, be it a printing press, a film studio, an advertising agency, a magazine office or a television studio. "To make use of RAK's colourful and rich landscape besides its rich history and heritage that makes it the ideal venue for film shoots, film studios and establishments linked to the film industry are also being issued licence by the RMFZ," he said, pointing out that a leading film-maker from India has already expressed interest in setting up a Film City in RAK.

He said: "The social milieu of Ras Al Khaimah, which has a distinct and international feel, will be all the more richer with the influx of highly qualified professionals who prefer a sophisticated lifestyle of peace and tranquility."

GULF NEWS. RAK free zone will grant licences to media establishments.

By Nasouh Nazzal, Staff Reporter

Ras Al Khaimah: Media establishments, television channels, studios for audio-visual productions, computer graphics houses, and animation studios will be issued licences by the RAK Media Free Zone under the emirate's Investment Authority mandate, officials said yesterday.Published: 01/04/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)

Hollywood production firm to set up film city in RAK.Mirage Holdings FZCO, a Hollywood based filmproduction firm, will set up and operate a Film and Media City in Ras Al Khaimah with an investment of USD 1 billion.

United Arab Emirates: Sunday, June 11 - 2006

'Mirage Holdings FZCO has been licensed to operate the entire Film and Media City as a UAE Free Zone. The Mirage Studio complex sits on 480 acres of exceptional real estate just off the new Emirates Highway in RAK and is a short 25 minute drive to Dubai International Airport.

In addition to the production studio, it will have an entertainment shopping center, villas, apartments and office space for rent, a golfcourse and polo field. The total cost of the project will be close to USD 1 billion", said Michelle Nickelson.

Mirage Holdings FZCO is closely associated with Manex Entertainment, the visual effects studio which won back to back Academy Awards for the films, 'What Dreams May Come' and 'The Matrix'.

'With Manex, there was a brilliant design team and with Mirage, we have members of the same team on board. Visual effects are becoming extremely expensive, with several $200 million plus budget films coming out this year. The biggest cost is not the stars, it is the effects. By being able to fabricate visual effects in RAK using top designers in the US, everyone wins', she added.

Dr Khater Massaad, Advisor to the RAK Crown Prince and CEO of RAKIA, said that RAK Media City has issued free zone licenses to more than 20 companies which include two publishing companies looking at business publications, three television channels, designers, event organizers, advertising agencies and IT based operators, ever since its launch in January 2006.

He said that three films were shot in RAK last year and all of them have been hits. These include '36 China Town', 'Lakshmi', and 'Deewane Hue Pagal', all from India. Sultan Ali Lakhani, a leading businessman from Asia has invested AED 150 million in a television port and up- linking facility which is attracting audio and film studios in large number to RAK including news agencies.

http://www.ameinfo.com/88478.html;00:55:58

Small emirate in UAE to be base for largest film centre in region

Jun 11, 2006, 14:53 GMT

Dubai - The small emirate of Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), one of the seven sheikhdoms that make up the United Arab Emirates, is set to become one of the largest film production centres in the Middle East with the set up of a Hollywood film city project, the local newspaper Gulf News reported Sunday.

A film institute is also on the anvil, which will promote local talent and create a platform to address the global market.

2005-2008: Ras Al Khaimah: Tourism Promotion

• RAK had limited budgets and therefore promotions were mostly through PR.
• The need for information on new developments were provided to key publications, opinion leaders and to overseas journalists with usable visuals and data. This paid us handsome dividends. At B2B venues we were known entities and there was a healthy curiosity about us.
• In fact agencies were jokingly told by my boss Dr Massaad " I hired an agency man and now he does not let me spend on advertising!!"
• However the results are clearly visible: In 2004 the tourism arrivals were 116,000 with 825 rooms when I had joined.(Dept of tourism figures).
• By the time it was 2006, the arrivals had jumped to 300,000, a clear jump of 158% in two years which meant an increase of 184000. From then on, 2007 saw a jump of 200,000 arrivals taking it up to 500,000, a growth of 40% YOY.
• The number of Hotels has also climbed as is listed below. I was privileged to handle the famed Banyan Tree Resorts Hotels.

RAK hotels achieve 93% occupancy in 2007

United Arab Emirates: Monday, February 04 - 2008 at 15:01

PRESS RELEASE

• Hotels in Ras Al Khaimah achieved a phenomenal 93% occupancy level during 2007, reflecting the rising popularity of the emirate as an international tourism destination.

• Ras Al Khaimah Tourism officials pegged the number of visitors to the emirate in 2007 at 500,000 and have unveiled an ambitious action plan to increase annual tourist numbers to 2.5 million by 2012.

• The emirate plans to increase the number of hotel rooms by five fold, from the current 1400 rooms to 7500, by 2012.

• 'The year 2007 was a fantastic year for Ras Al Khaimah as we enjoyed 40 % growth in tourist numbers and the hotels recorded 93 % occupancy levels throughout the year.

• International hotel chains are investing in the emirate in a big way with major projects by Hilton, Marriott Hotels, InterContinental, Rotana Hotels and Banyan Tree Resort currently underway, apart from the top- of- the- line Al Hamra Palace project.

• The immediate action plan for RAK Tourism would include restoration and preservation of all the heritage sites, setting up wildlife watching areas for visitors, implementing a coastal management programme and beautification project for RAK city areas. 'We are working on providing improved access and services to tourists in areas like Dhayah Fort, Shamal, the old city souk and Al Jazeera Al Hamra, apart from taking full advantage of the eco- tourism possibilities available to us in the mountains, beach tourism and desert,' she said.

• Speaking at the conference, Ivor McBurney, Vice President Development- Middle East, Hilton Hotels said that Ras Al Khaimah has taken care to maintain a unique cultural identity with a clear 'character and feel'.

• 'Ever since we opened in Ras Al Khaimah in 2001 the Year on Year average RevPAR % growth (Revenue Per Available Room) has been in double digits every year,' he added.

________________________________________

Rajiv Ratnarajah Assistant Vice President & Head - Project Planning & Project Management [PPM], Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts

"I had the pleasure of working with Vinod Natesan when he was the owners representative from RAKIA as the Head of the Tourism Office. Vinod was involved in the capacity of the clients representative and project director for the proposed Banyan Tree in RAK as well as oversaw the overall development chain of all new hospitality and media projects by RAKIA. Vinod is an extremely well rounded person who ensured all aspects of a development was considered including providing valuable design inputs for the project. While Vinod was not an engineer by training, he was passionate about the brand "Banyan Tree" and understood its vision, being an advertising professional. He was always committed to ensuring that commercial considerations did not cannibalize on the architectural and design aesthetics and in many ways therefore contributed to the final consumer experience at the RAK property being up to the Banyan Tree consumer expectations."

2005-208: Ras al Khaimah: Client & Investor Feedback

_____________________________________________
 

Rajiv Ratnarajah Assistant Vice President & Head - Project Planning & Project Management [PPM], Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts

"I had the pleasure of working with Vinod Natesan when he was the owners representative from RAKIA as the Head of the Tourism Office. Vinod was involved in the capacity of the clients representative and project director for the proposed Banyan Tree in RAK as well as oversaw the overall development chain of all new hospitality and media projects by RAKIA. Vinod is an extremely well rounded person who ensured all aspects of a development was considered including providing valuable design inputs for the project. While Vinod was not an engineer by training, he was passionate about the brand "Banyan Tree" and understood its vision, being an advertising professional. He was always committed to ensuring that commercial considerations did not cannibalize on the architectural and design aesthetics and in many ways therefore contributed to the final consumer experience at the RAK property being up to the Banyan Tree consumer expectations."

____________________________________________

Khaleej Times dated august 13th 2007 to vinodnatesan @yahoo.com

Dear Vinod,

We are sorry to learn that you will be leaving RAK and that you are relocating in India.

It was a pleasure meeting you and sharing your vision of RAK.

Do keep in touch.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

BURJOR PATEL
VICE PRESIDENT-MARKETING

----- Original Message ----
From: Vinod Kunj
To: vinodnatesan@yahoo.com
Cc: natesanvinod@hotmail.com
Sent: Saturday, February 10, 2007 8:08:37 PM
Subject: RAK Half Marathon on 9th February 2007

Dear IRMAN/SMSIAN/LOYOLITE,

Got this mail from a contact.

Congratulations for the Ras-Al-Kahiamah HALF marathon.

FULL marks to you.

You have done yourself proud!

Cheers

A well-wisher




A sample of letters that reflect the success and appreciation that came my way. My job was to promote the Emirate as a "tourist destination". It was however lacking in infrastructure and rooms. I therefore redefined my job as promoting "tourism investments". The World Bank Investor Conference in May 2005 was the starting point. With Dina Kasrawi of the World Bank leading the team, we did a splendid job in terms of generating investor interest. I was able to convert the interest into investments in Marjan Island, a cause way project for hospitality and real estate projects. B2B meets like the ITB in Berlin, the AHIC in Dubai, GITOF in Bahrain were used to successfully market Ras Al Khaimah to hospitality chains and hotel investors.
The land price in Marjan went up by 33%, after the announcement of the Media City and the announcement of the Hollywood Film City. The Century Media City and the Hollywood Film City were initiatives I had taken and with the blessings of the Deputy Ruler HH Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al Qassimi and his Advisor Dr Khater Massad, I was able to carry it forward.
Marketing the Emirate involved one to one presentations to delegations with the help and often under the aegis of Consulates. My presentations were "professional" and in great demand!! the letters above indicate that. In the bargain, I did have the privilege to present to the Ambassdor of UK, Sir Richard Makepeace, as also Consultate delegations from France, China, Bulgaria, etal.

The growth of the Media City was a function of investor friendliness and removal of red tape. having been a licensee in Dubai, I had a lot of consumer insights to use to my advantage. The Media City was a huge success with nearly three new licenses being issued in a day (means three new companies were formed and office space leased!!)

2002-2005: Mayan Consultants International

Post my stint at JWT, I was in the Middle East. Initially with a retail chain called Landmark Group, I then went into freelance, with a license from Dubai Media City. In 2004, I took up a contract to set up an office in Chennai for EICL to service LG Care, which was launch a range of FMCG products. EICL later decided against investing in an office in Chennai and tried to handle it out of Mumbai, with a skeletal office in Chennai. That however resulted in the account being shifted to Contract Advertising,Chennai.
Ratnakar, whose letter is uplinked here was the liason from Mumbai and with his help we handled the first channel advertising which was a success. Ratnakar is now a very senior official in Reliance Info / Entertainment and rightly so ... he is a great talent.

PONDICHERRY TOURISM:
While at EICL we pitched for the Pondicherry Tourism account and we were shortlisted. It was an innovative campaign because there was practically "nothing" to promote!
Click here to read more.

2000-2002: JWT, HTA, JWT India

Appreciation Letters ( Summary)

1 De Beers- Analytical skills

From: Nicola Ellis AT CSOLON01@CSOLONDON_FWL on 2000-09-18 20:58 GDT
To: Vinod Natesan@JWT, Nicholas Graham-Smith ATCSOLON01@CSOLONDON_
cc: Raji Ramaswamy@JWT, Dhunji Wadia@JWT

>Subject: BTS Summary and ROI

Vinod,

>I have now as promised gone through your BTS summary and have to say it is excellent, very well thought through. It is great to have a new perspective on the results. Although many of the conclusions you came to have been discussed, I thought you clearly saw what issues we need to address and came up with some interesting ways to address them.
>
>I particularly liked you analysis of received versus giver as we have never looked at it that way, and I agree that the print could be used more effectively against men to give that extra push. We have always struggled world-wide with the balance between the messages to men and women. It is a tricky thing when you have one product which means such different things to two people.
>
>Anyway the debate will go on. Thank you for stimulating renewed thoughts on India, I will keep on thinking on this one!

>Well done with your first full summary of research, I look forward to the next.

> Letter no:2 DeBeers -Research Coordination
>
>Srinivas.Madani@dtc.com on 2001-02-20 22:07:33
>
>To: Vinod Natesan/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT
>cc: Nicholas.Graham-Smith@dtc.com,
>Subject: Research
>Dear Vinod,
>This is to express our appreciation for the excellent qualitative study
>conducted by you on the elite segment. The presentation of findings was
>very lucid and, I believe, addressed most if not all our queries regarding
>the concept we are working on for the elites.
>
>I would like you to thank Proact on our behalf - it is not often that
>qualitative research gives very clear directions, and I think they certainly
>deserve a pat on the back for this one!
>A lot of the credit also goes to the team at HTA for providing inputs on the
>stimulus material and discussion framework, and to you for co-ordinating the
>effort.

Continued….

Letter 3. Sunil Gupta. Ex-GM,JWT MUMBAI. Appreciation-Creative Development
> 2000-09-05 16:56
Sunil Gupta

To: Vinod Natesan/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT, Narayan Kumar/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT, Neville Balsara/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT

cc: Melwyn Dcosta/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT, Gopi Kukde/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT, Deepa Kakkar/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT, MeeraPatwardhan/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT

Subject: Very Impressive People !

Many thanks for the efforts and above all, patience! A special word for Vinod who worked tirelessly for many days, and especially on the research. I'm glad we did the research, as it gave our work and our presentation the added edge of confidence in our recommendations. And also for Narayan and Neville, who bore my incessant pushing with calmness!

We knew the world was watching, and we ensured we remained ourselves!

And you all know it's now a different trip!!!

Cheers

Sunil

Appreciation Letter 4. BlowPlast Industries. Appreciation-Strategic Direction
>
> Kurien Pothan <kurienpothen@vipbags.com> on 2001-01-25 19:19:29
>To: Vinod Natesan/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT
>cc: Melwyn Dcosta/Mumb/J Walter Thompson@JWT
>Subject: (no subject)
>Dear Vinod,
>I heard from Melwyn that you would be moving out of the VIP account as
>part of a reorganisation of portfolios within. I have not been able to
>speak to you and hence thought it best to mail you since I would be
>travelling abroad across the next few weeks.
>This is to tell you that we appreciate your efforts in helping us find
>newer directions in our search for a new and better communication.

> I am sure you would stay in touch
>
>Regards and best wishes,
>Kurien Pothen.
>

1998-2000: Mayan Consultants

In 1999 I took up an assignment with Interact Vision on a retainer fee basis. During the period 1998 -1999 I was mainly involved in providing advertising services to Goldstar Jewellers, Ion Exchange, Ricoh Cameras in UAE, Ministry of Defence, and a few freelance assignments for Zen Advertising for Indian Express Egmont, Elf Lubricants. I was also doing guest lectures at Somaiyah, Vivekanand and SIES Nerul .
There is a letter I still cherish from AGK which I got when I joined JWT.

----- Original Message -----

From: "a. g. krishnamurthy" <a.krishnamurthy@mudra.com>

To: "vinod natesan" <nvinod@vsnl.com>

Sent: Friday, May 26, 2000 12:09 PM

Subject: Congrats!

> My dear Vinod,
>
> Congrats on your HTA job. Do your best. Live your Dream!
>
> God bless you.
>
> A.G.Krishnamurthy

1996-98: PSL McCann Erickson, McCann Erickson

1996-98: PSL McCann Erickson, McCann Erickson India iv

1996-98: PSL McCann Erickson, McCann Erickson iii

1996-98: PSLMcCann, McCann Erickson II

1996-1998: PSL McCann, McCann Erickson

1994-96: Lintas India , Lowe india

I was headhunted into Lintas by Andrey Purushottam. I joined after an interview with Prabha Parameswaran the head of Bombay 1. I was asked to work on the Wheel franchise. We went through a successful relaunch and with my Group Director on maternity leave had a chance to lead the team independently. We won a three rating(exceeds expectation) for cost efficiency and in media.
My contribution was however key in reconciling the variance between MIS figures put out by the Accounting Dept and the Servicing Teams. On Wheel, the variance was reconciled and we billed an amount of more than a couple of crores(a crore is ten million) which were missed out due to the new media accounting systems.

The Edison award was for an idea to tap the rural markets. It involved a tie up with Milk Federations and Unions that had a procurement network connecting villages and the town on a daily basis and a village centre where the whole village met on a daily basis.

1992-1994: Leo Burnett India

I joined Leo Burnett in 2002 and worked on the Telco (Tata's) account and the Procter & Gamble business. I handled the Old Spice and then went on to the launch of Camay International. Sunil Balagopal was the Brand Manager with Raghuvesh Swarup being the Brand Assistant. Vivek Kapoor was the head of the team. Godrej was part of the Camay launch with Sivaram and Hoshi Press representing them. Camay was a success. Arvind Sharma though the head of Mumbai ,was actively involved and played a key role in this. He was a brilliant strategist and I learned a lot just watching him handle the business. Arvind was more than an agency resource to most managers in P&G, he was an advisor, mentor, guide and sounding board.
Anand Tendolkar was my boss and I rate Anand Tendolkar as one of the best people I have worked with. A really great human being

FCB ULKA : 1991-92

My first opening into the big agency network started here. MG Parameswaran and Anuradha Iqbal hired me in Bangalore and shifted me to Hyderabad. ITC was the main client. Chandrasekhar Hinge, the Creative Director and his brother Sanju Hinge, a photographer, taught me the basics of print advertising operations and ultimately gave me invaluable help and support when I decided to shift to Mumbai in 1992.

BMM Students at VIVEKANANDA

Given below is a letter sent by some of my students from the Bachelor

of Mass Media batch at Vivekananda Educational Society for Arts,

Science and Commerce.I taught them in 2001when they were in

their first semester. They were allegedly recalcitrant, but I found

them extremely bright and talented. They were a lively bunch and

7 years later, they have turned out to be very successful professionals.

Students have turned out to be my wealth and letters like this,

prized possessions.

THE LETTER:
Hello Sir,

                    How are you? I couldn't decide

what to write to you. We gave our first University

Exams this time.They got over yesterday. We did

okay but not very satisfactory. We met in college

today to decide the faculty for the next semester.

The portion is vast in the last two semesters

and the professors just don't give justice to it.

We faced a lot of problem this semester because

of this.We dint have a clue what we had to study

for the exams.And today when we met for the

faculty we want for the next semester we

remembered you. And we remembered you every time

we talked anything about our faculty. 

It has been one year since we finished the third

semester and we appeared for two papers taught

by you.It has been a long time and we have missed

you every moment of it.The principal and the

vice principal think that we like professors who

are soft on us and are very lenient.But that's

not true. To be frank with you, you were never

very lenient with us. But the kind of inspiration

you gave us was tremendous.

None of our professors who have taught us for the

lat two semesters have inspired us as much as you have.

We still remember the time when you used to say "YES"

or "BINGO" when someone gave a correct answer.

It was a great feeling when you pointed at one of us

and say "BINGO".We made us feel special. We still

imitate you and say "YES or "BINGO".

One more thing that we have realized after these exams

is that our advertising basics have been very clear under

your training.We could answer a lot of questions even in

this exam after one year on the basis of what you had

taught us. Our foundation of advertising has become so

strong, thanks only to you. One more thing we have

observed is that we used to wait for your lectures.

It was a disappointment if you were not able to come.

We would wait in the corridor for the blue Santro.

There was healthy competition in class for being

the best in your projects. I can never forget my

Mercedes project. 

On this Diwali sir, after one year, we miss

you a lot. We feel each teacher should have the

kind of passion you had in your teaching.

But of course there cannot be another
Prof. Vinod Natesan. Whatever our success sir,

the credit goes to you. Thanx a lot for making

us better advertising professionals and mot of

all inspiring us with your actions. We still

feel inspired when we remember you. 

We would all like to wish you a Very

Happy and Prosperous Diwali. Please stay in

touch. We miss you a lot. We wish you were

here to guide us.

Best wishes to our best teacher

Missing you

The class of 2001 SYBMM

Your dream batch.

LG CARE - 2004

In 2004, I took up an assignment to set up and head an office for EICL, nee EBS, to service the LGCare business. After a rethink on EICL's part, they decided not to set up a full office in Chennai and to handle it out of the Head Office with a skeletal staff in Chennai. This prompted a revocation of the contract by the Client. The office was consequently shut down. However some great work happened, with the launch ad aimed at the channel, bringing in a lot of responses.The branch also pitched successfully for the Pondicherry Tourism account. (shortlisted). If my memory is right, the line "life's good" as a tag was used for the first time in our dealer ad by LG. The writer Mr Pillai coined it and as a matter of coincidence, Contract Advertising used it too, when they initially pitched for the business.