Pranay Anthwal has left Starcom MediaVest Group’s entertainment arm, The Bridge, having been with the organisation for over five years.
SMG has appointed P9’s Rajesh Iyer as Business Director to lead the division at present. Iyer will report to SMG CEO Ravi Kiran and will be based in Mumbai.
On Anthwal’s exit, Ravi Kiran said, “Pranay is taking a break to think about what he wants to do next. He started our entertainment marketing practice in 2004 and we are thankful to him for what he has contributed to us.”
Ravi Kiran confirmed the development, saying, “At The Bridge, Rajesh will focus on the clients of Starcom, ZenithOptimedia and all Specialist Solutions units, and work closely with heads of all business units and help them integrate entertainment marketing with communications strategy. He will also create a collaborative working model with Relay Worldwide, headed by Mahesh Ranka, particularly in leveraging sponsorship assets for our clients.”
Iyer has sixteen years’ experience in line sales, advertising, media planning and buying and entertainment marketing. Before joining The Bridge, he was General Manager – Institutional Sales and Media for P9 Entertainment. He was also a member of the founding team of Broadmind Entertainment (now ESP), when WPP Media formed that unit in 2001.