Subhash Kamath elected as ASCI's chairman

BBH and Publicis Worldwide India's chief executive officer, Subhash Kamath, has been elected chairman of the board of governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI). 

 

NS Rajan, managing director, Ketchum Sampark, has been elected the vice-chairman while Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands India, was reappointed as honorary treasurer. 

 

Rohit Gupta, president, Sony Pictures Network, was the previous chairman of the council.

 

Kamath said, “It’s a genuine privilege to accept this role as chairman of ASCI. Having served ten years on the board, I have had the honour of working and learning from very senior and experienced leaders of the industry. More importantly, I have learned the immense value of self-regulation and the far reaching impact of the work ASCI has done over the years. Our industry today is at a crucial stage. With the digital revolution influencing brand messaging and engagement with consumers, advertising is evolving rapidly. And with the recent formation of the Central Consumer Protection Authority constituted by the government, self-regulation will be even more crucial in promoting consumer confidence and trust. As I have always said, with great creative power, comes great responsibility. So I look forward to working closely with the ASCI team to continue the good work set up by my predecessors and to introduce some newer, more future-facing initiatives as well.”

 

Gupta added, “I thank all my colleagues, ASCI members and everyone who was part of this incredible journey. I am glad I was given an opportunity to drive the body that spearheaded important changes in the advertising industry. This year has been the most eventful for ASCI as we tackled several challenges. The pandemic saw many misleading ads, which were dealt with immediately. The Ministry of AYUSH reached out for help in flagging misleading advertisements regarding prevention and treatment of Covid-19. We also signed up with TAM to monitor 3,000 digital portals for misleading claims. We successfully met the three objectives we had set: increasing our consumer base, monitoring the digital space and working closely with government bodies. I wish Kamath and the board the very best.” 

 

The Board of governors: