Veteran adman Kamal Oberoi has never failed to surprise people. His never-say-die spirit has seen him make the transition from advertising to hospitality with elan. The former chairman & managing director of the Indian unit of M&C Saatchi, the UK-based advertising agency, is now heading the India office of international consultancy Quo Global.
Quo specialises in travel, tourism and hospitality, and has been set up to help companies in the space. As disposable incomes in India grow, sectors such as travel, tourism and hospitality are beginning to take-off.
Foreign tourist arrivals in India too have been on the rise in the last few years giving a flip to the business overall. India, incidentally saw almost a 9 per cent growth in foreign tourist arrivals in 2011—higher than the United Nation World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) projected growth of 4 to 5 per cent for the world and 7 to 9 per cent for Asia and the Pacific.
Whilst Oberoi maybe a newbie in this space, his experience of handling varied client businesses and his ability to grasp complex brand and marketing problems should hold him in good stead. At M&C Saatchi and JWT before that, Oberoi has managed multiple accounts such as Dabur, Revlon, Pepsi etc.
He spent 21 years at JWT and quit in 2005 as president of the agency. The Indian unit of M&C Saatchi, which believes in giving its country heads the entrepreneurial freedom to set up and grow operations, was founded by Oberoi following the acquisition of Delhi-based creative hotshop Dhar & Hoon.
Oberoi went on to add a Mumbai office to the agency, and stuck on for six years there.
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At Quo, Oberoi has the responsibility of growing the business. India will be the fifth office of Quo, which has bases in Bangkok, London, Munich and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
The India office has four members, which will be expanded going forward.