NS Rajan elected as ASCI chairperson

NS Rajan, director, August One Partners LLP, has been elected as the chairperson of the board of governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). 

 

The announcement was made at ASCI’s 36th annual general meeting. 

 

Saugata Gupta, managing director and CEO, Marico, has been elected as vice chairperson, while Shashidhar Sinha, chief executive officer, IPG Mediabrands India, continues to be honorary treasurer.

 

Subhash Kamath, who was the former chairperson, will now be a part of the consultative committee of the board. He will be accompanied by Virat Tandon, group CEO, Lintas India, and Arun Srinivas, director, GMS India (Meta). 

 

The body is also set to launch ASCI Academy, which will encompass training and awareness creation, and deep engagement with various stakeholders to prevent objectionable ads. 

 

Rajan said, “It is indeed a privilege to take up the role of ASCI Chairman. Our thought leadership initiatives, industry reports and ASCI Academy are important pillars of taking ASCI ahead into the future. I am looking forward to advancing the agenda of the Council to rapidly increase ASCI awareness among consumers so that they engage more readily and in greater numbers, voicing their concerns, anxieties, and questions about what they experience in the form of thousands of ads per day. That number, on average, in India is anywhere between 7000-10000 ads per day!”

 

He added, “I would also focus on ASCI’s efforts more towards prevention, in addition to the robust corrective mechanisms we have built over the decades. This we would do by using the several initiatives already in play – whether advice, guidance, training, or self-regulation. The third pillar would be to keep ahead of the fast-expanding and fractionalising digital domain to ensure that responsible advertising principles are followed equally across all media and consumer engagements by advertising in every form. A lot has been done by ASCI over the last several years, and I am committed to seeing that the momentum generated by all past efforts is kept alive or even pushed forward with greater speed."

 

Kamath said, “The past two years have been truly transformational for ASCI. Our vision of making ASCI more future-ready by taking on the challenges of a digital world and a fast-changing communication landscape, and by adding value to the industry through more agility, responsiveness, services, and thought leadership, has started showing results. I’m sure ASCI will continue to grow from strength to strength in the coming years. It’s been a privilege to serve as its chairman and I thank the board, the CCC members and the wonderful secretariat team for making it possible.”