MUMBAI – KV Sridhar (Pops), Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett India and Subcontinent, will be leaving the agency, his last day being on May 4. Following 17 years of service with Leo Burnett and over 30 years of working in advertising, he has decided to take the leap to reinvent himself and pursue other interests.
“Pops has always been a young man at heart and once again his nomadic spirit has led him to look at things afresh and follow his heart to pursue new adventures. We want to thank him for his tremendous contribution over the years, building Leo Burnett India into the creative powerhouse it is today. The agency and I will continue to build on the creative trajectory he has set,” Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer, Leo Burnett Group India, said in a press release.
Said Sridhar, “It has been a purposeful journey for me at Leo Burnett, growing with and having a chance to play a key role in shaping the agency’s creative prowess. I have had the opportunity to work with and get to be friends with some of the brightest creative minds in the world, worked on some of the most exciting campaigns with some of the most amazing clients. For now, I would like to take a break to reinvent, rediscover and rededicate myself. I wish Saurabh and Leo Burnett great success.”
Sridhar started as a Bollywood film billboard painter and became the chief creative officer India Sub Continent of Leo Burnett. Over the years, he helped the agency gain recognition at international awards shows including Cannes Lions, New York Festival, and local Indian awards. Under his creative leadership, Leo Burnett India went on to win agency of the year in the Leo Burnett global network, twice. He also led the agency to be ranked by Creativity magazine to be among the top 20 creative agencies in the world. Sridhar has also represented the agency on many Indian & International award juries.
Sridhar is also known for his culinary talents. At his Cannes rental apartment, he serves homemade food at what has become an annual tradition for the Indian contingent. “He cooks up lip-smacking puliogare (tamarind rice), curd rice, aloo jeera, sambhar, rasam and raitha along with pickles and papad. So his luggage includes a travel-friendly Nippo rice cooker, ghee, about 5 kilos of uncooked rice, homemade dry masalas such as maligai podi or gun powder, spices, curry and pav bhaji powders, and some times, even onions,” Delshad Irani wrote in The Economic Times.
Sridhar, who describes himself as a painter, graphic designer, storyteller, cook, teacher, social commentator, movie buff, an advertising professional and a cricket fanatic, shares his articles and drawings on his blog.
