From setting up the first media AOR in India to becoming the first India-based global media agency CEO, Vikram Sakhuja’s journey to the top is marked with industry-shaping milestones
In May 2012, during a regional GroupM meeting at Phuket, Dominic Proctor, who took charge of the media holding company as its Global President earlier in the year, divulged to Vikram Sakhuja the first inklings of some GroupM management changes that would open up Maxus’ topmost position. And Sakhuja, the CEO of GroupM South Asia operations for the last six years, was being considered for this role. While the conversation came up once again in June, it was only at the GroupM Global Executive Committee meeting in August that all details became clear. Proctor unveiled a growth plan that included the appointment of Sakhuja as Maxus Global CEO – a decision that is now touted as a landmark development for the media agency business in India.
While the role is India-based, GroupM is approaching it with an open mind. “I was asked for a location preference and I had said Mumbai would be great, if possible. Dominic agreed and that was that. The virtual world today has blurred borders and location is of lesser relevance except for the increase in travel, perhaps. That said, if there is a business compulsion a year later, we will see about it then,” Sakhuja tells IMPACT.
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As the India CEO becomes more popular
While GroupM or Maxus officials did not spend too much time discussing the location aspect of the decision, for the Indian media and advertising industry, a global media agency CEO based in India became quite the talking point. It was a matter of pride that an Indian official had been chosen for the role, and that it was based in India was a bonus. As industry leaders such as Shashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar UM put it, the unprecedented achievement by Sakhuja may just be the beginning of a trend where more multinational corporations (MNCs) consider India as a global hub.
Every step of Sakhuja’s career has added a new dimension to him, making him the leader that he is today.
Right Place, Right Time @P&G
Sakhuja’s academic years from IIT Delhi to IIM Calcutta brought a few learnings of their own. His experience at Procter & Gamble (P&G), when the company was acquiring Richardson Hindustan (RHL) gave him a strong foundation in research and understanding brands from a consumer’s perspective.
“The timing of joining P&G made all the difference – I had my offer letter from RHL and my appointment letter from P&G. The company was going through an overnight transition and it was overcompensating trying to learn the Procter way. It was as close to textbook marketing as can be, and my consumer understanding was the highest at the time,” recalls Sakhuja.
The P&G experience allowed Sakhuja to master the bottom-up approach and the research craft that make him a sound authority on industry issues such as Peoplemeter and readership studies today. It also developed in him the skill of TV-based efficiency advertising.
“Vikram was the guy who started the media AOR concept in India,” remembers Bharat Patel, President, Indian Society of Advertisers and former Chairman of P&G. Till then, companies in India were dealing with full service agencies. A company of the scale of P&G hence had various agencies involved in its planning and buying. At the time, Sakhuja’s then boss, Vivek Bali discussed with him a global trend of consolidating volumes and emerging media independents. P&G itself had taken to the model in other markets. Patel informs, “Vikram had spearheaded the process of P&G appointing a media AOR at the time. The business was awarded to Madison, a company that we had come in contact with due to the Godrej acquisition and Madison’s relation with Godrej.” Hindustan Unilever took the media route six months after P&G India had adopted it. The big high for both men, though, was launching the afternoon daily ‘Shanti’ that had defined many firsts for television in India.
Adding ‘engagement’ to the mix
If it was not for P&G’s specialization philosophy, Sakhuja, who wanted to broaden his skillset, may not have moved to Coca-Cola India, a company that brought his attention to the realm of engagement. Some traces of his learning at Coca-Cola can be seen in his early days at Mindshare and even GroupM, when he focussed to develop areas such as content, activation, analytics and later digital to not just connect with the consumer but also engage. His Coca-Cola experience taught him the importance of using sponsorships well and paying attention to rights.
Soon after, Sakhuja was to move to a media brand for what would become the shortest stint that he has had in any company till date. STAR India had just begun to experience a high riding on the Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) success. While Sakhuja was part of some successful marketing done by STAR at the time, including the ‘9 Baj Gaye Kya’ campaign, his attempt to bring STAR’s off-air and on-air marketing together did not show results then. “The entertainment business is very fickle and fast-moving and people did not always do what they say they would do,” observes Sakhuja. Coming from thoroughbred professional organizations such as P&G and Coca-Cola that had basic intellectual integrity in place, Sakhuja’s experience with STAR then was of a company that had “great people but a system that lacked teamwork”. He says, “I don’t mean this in a pejorative way but newer companies that don’t have the pedigree of system and structure are dependent on individuals and eventually individual frailties impact the system.” The year at STAR encouraged Sakhuja to explore something different and the next stop was Mindshare to service Unilever. The journey of building business from building preference had begun.
‘Simply the best candidate’
Proctor put it quite simply when he said that Sakhuja was the best candidate for the job. And anyone who has worked with Sakhuja from a company or industry relation would agree. “Vikram has an incomparable MNC pedigree. He has worked with the best of the best in the global FMCG space or the media space. He has an entrepreneurial mindset but in the context of the systems and processes required by large global corporations, rather than family-owned businesses. I believe Maxus also has a similar profile of clients across the world, and in India,” observes Lynn de Souza, Chairman and CEO, Lintas Media Group.
Harit Nagpal, MD and CEO of Tata Sky adds, “Vikram has headed the India role for the longest period compared to any of his predecessors, and that would have exposed him to the best and the worst of this complex market which by itself is a sub-continent. Hence his new assignment seems like the natural next step.”
“Vikram has the necessary skills that make for a great global leader. His strong leadership skills, strategic, analytical thinking and networking skills are his biggest strength. More importantly he is a great human being,” says Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors.
“Vikram has tremendous passion and a strong will to win, for which he puts in incredible effort. He doesn’t let his desire to win ever come in the way of his strong value system and epitomizes something I have always believed in – that good guys do finish first! A lot of credit for Vikram’s success goes to his wife Simmi, who provides him constructive but non-intrusive support. We underestimate the value of a strong and positive family background which spurs great achievements,” remarks Apurva Purohit, CEO, Radio City.
Those who know Sakhuja stress his discomfort if he doesn’t have clarity on a larger super-ordinate goal that the company is chasing. Once that is clear, he devises the apt plan and goes after it relentlessly. With that consistent quality over the years, and the accumulated experience of the last two and a half decades, Sakhuja is armed to don a global role.
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