Change the team! suggest you change the agency

AGK- Man with a Spine. An episode shared by CK GUNTUR.
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It was 1992, I was 23 years old, working as a management trainee in a pharmaceutical company in Ahmedabad. But, I had that inane desire to work in the advertising industry. Every day on way to work, I would see Mudra House, the corporate headquarters of India’s third largest advertising agency. It time and again fuelled the latent desire.

Finally one fine morning, I landed at the reception. Knowing not much but having heard of AGK, I asked to meet him. The receptionist humoured me and said she would get back to me. I did not give up and continued following with them. Dominic & Vibha who manned the reception informed that the my request has been forwarded to CMD, AGK’s office. Now it was all about waiting.

In a week’s time, Theresa from AGK’s office called me to meet AGK. I clearly remember the short meeting. I was overawed by the man. He had a rather large office on the top floor of Mudra house. AGK welcomed me and directed me to take my seat. H e was straight to the point and wanted to know- what was that I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to work for Mudra.

There on followed a series of short questions. I think I responded with some half convincing answers. At this stage he offered me to join the new training programme, which was mainly for newly recruited trainees in creative department. I was asked to join that on a subsistence salary. Maybe that was Mudra and AGK’s way of checking on my degree of passion. He was clear, depending on how the training goes and how I perform, Mudra will decide the role I may be offered in the organization.

It was a dream coming true and I signed up.

After a short 12 week training program by best people in business across Mudra branches, I was ready. I was put on his favourite account Rasna as an Account Executive. AE is the lowest rug in the client-servicing department. There I landed in MUDRA –II in the basement of the corporate office headed by Srini Bhatt, one of the legendary Mudraite.

I cut my advertising teeth on RASNA and became the key account person. I worked on the brand for the next 7 years. This gave me opportunity of sharing space with AGK in some occasions. Each of them a memorable experience. It gave me some first hand insight into his vision, ethics, courage and ability to inspire.

Those were heady days with an unusual sense of team working. Mentoring was not a term used but senior Mudraites took pains in nurturing and honing new recruits. I was reporting to Aurobindo Mohanty. On the creative side we were supported by a young creative team that included Ashish Patel, Uday Khatri, Minnie Abraham, Sajith Surendran, Ravi Iyer and many more.

People on RASNA account know the ritual of annual Rasna brand presentations. They were always held on the auspicious day of Dushehra. Working on Rasna, one of the top account allowed us to interact and draw upon the best creative teams across Mudra branches.

Here I am sharing one episode that left an indelible imprint on my mind and helped me strengthen my own approach to things.

At that time, our team at Mudra working on Rasna was having an unusually rough time. It was the usual client agency operational issues. It went to a stage, wherein the client formally sent a complaint to AGK. In clients view, the team not doing performing, they were not doing a good enough job. The client asked for a change of team. This is something that AGK took very seriously.

We (Aurobindo Mohanty, Kiran Desai and yours truly) were summoned to AGK’s office. He wanted to hear our side of the story. In his usual candid manner he probed with a few pertinent incisive questions. Then going in the depth of the matter, he checked on important issues facing the brand and our efforts. He was completely satisfied that the team was putting their 100% and were working up to Mudra’s set standards.

Then something happened for which I was totally unprepared. I was going to witness something strange. AGK called Piruz Khambatta, MD of Rasna. Post sharing initial pleasantries he came straight to the point.

He said and I almost remember it verbatim. ‘I have investigated and spoken to my team. The team is passionate and doing all they can. The issue is at your end. We will not change the account team and if that is what you want, you can take your business elsewhere’.

Piruz went on the defensive. He apologised. He stressed that moving away from Mudra ( and AGK ) was not an option for him. As Prathap Suthan recently wrote in his obituary, the man had a spine. I learnt a big lesson that day.

I had been in touch off and on with him over the years. A few months ago, he had commented on a facebook post of mine. He enquired how I was and suggested that I catch up with him when I visit Hyderabad next. I wish I had done that visit to Hyderabad and met him one more time.

May his soul rest in peace.

The entire industry has a lot to thank him for, for how much he gave back to the industry.

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An episode from professional life of CK (Chandra Kiran Guntur- Mudra Ahmedabad 1992-1999). He can be contacted at gchandrakiran@gmail.com . After leaving Mudra in 1999, CK joined DDB in UAE. There he worked for 12 years leading campaigns for a variety of brands. In 2011, he moved to head the UAE TAM service for Kantar Media and continue to run the UAE TAM service as Managing Director, Kantar Media, UAE.