New Delhi: Independent advertising agency Creativeland Asia (CLA) on Tuesday announced the exit of its chief executive officer Rana Barua. Barua, who had joined the agency last July, was responsible for driving business for the group across various verticals.
The agency operates businesses like Creativeland advertising, Baaash Digital, film and content division Creativeland Pictures and experiential, events and entertainment arm Creativeland Hospitainments. It also runs Ventureland Asia, a venture capital fund, affiliated to the Group.
“Following the board review last month, we arrived at a decision to part ways. It was great to have him (Barua) here and we thank him for the time he has invested at Creativeland. Rana remains a lovely friend and we wish him the best in his future endeavours,” said founder and creative chairman Sajan Raj Kurup in a statement.
Kurup will now lead the agency along with chief financial officer (CFO) Venkat Balasubramanian and Ventureland Asia chief executive Srijib Mallik.
Commenting on the move, Barua said, “After strong stints in advertising and communications, I have decided to take some time out to pursue newer interests. It’s been a short yet wonderful experience working with the talented and audacious bunch at CLA. I wish Raj and the CLA team the very best for a fabulous future.”
With an experience of over 22 years in the advertising industry, Barua has worked with multiple agencies. Prior to joining Creativeland Asia, he was chief executive officer of WPP Group-owned creative agency Contract Advertising.
He was also responsible for repositioning and innovating in the radio sector where he worked as chief operating officer (COO) at Sun Group-owned station Red FM and head of marketing for Radio City. He has worked across agencies such as J Walter Thompson (JWT), Ogilvy, McCann and Rediffusion Y&R. He is also an executive committee member and honorary secretary of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI).
Founded in 2007, Creativeland Asia operates out of Mumbai and Delhi-NCR. Its clients include coffee chain Café Coffee Day, Mercedes-Benz, Taj Palaces, Hotels & Resorts, ice cream brand Havmor, stationery brand Luxor and mobile handset manufacturer Transsion Holdings among others.