Redhill's managing director exits after six years, agency appoints replacement

Pranav Rastogi, the managing director at PR and communications agency Redhill has exited his role, as confirmed by Rastogi to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

Rastogi joined the Singapore-headquartered agency six years ago in 2017 as its communications strategy manager. By the end of the year, he was promoted to general manager of Southeast Asia and then deputy managing director in 2018. 

Quickly showing his skill, Rastogi was promoted to interim managing director in 2020 before taking on the full role of managing director in November 2020, a role he held till he left the company. 

Don't miss: PR agency Redhill brings on board marketer Manisha Seewal

"I am proud of what the team has built at Redhill and I’m thankful for the opportunity to grow with the agency over the past six years. It has been a pleasure working with talented teammates and amazing clients. I am grateful to Jacob Puthenparambil and Surekha Yadav for giving me an opportunity and a platform to flourish during my time at Redhill," he said to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

"I’m looking forward to exploring new opportunities in the near future,” he added. 

Rastogi also told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the agency has been preparing for his departure for the last six months. He has since been succeeded by Umesh Nair who took on the position of managing director at Redhill two months ago, according to his LinkedIn page.

"I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Managing Director at Redhill! I'm grateful for the support of my colleagues and excited to partner with our clients in delivering impactful strategies. Thanks for being a part of my journey," Nair wrote. 

Nair was previously the deputy managing director, head of technology sector at Redhill, a role he held from October 2021 till he was promoted in 2023. 

Nair previously worked as managing partner at MSLGROUP in Malaysia as well as in agencies such as Edelman, FleishmanHillard and Burson-Marsteller.

The news comes just months after Redhill announced that it had brought on board marketer Manisha Seewal as its senior international advisor. Working closely with Redhill’s CEO Jacob Puthenparambil, Seewal will take primary responsibility for driving Redhill’s operational performance, scaling its international presence, and unlocking additional growth opportunities.

Seewal brings over two decades of marketing experience in advertising, banking, InsurTech, startups, and e-classifieds across the Asia Pacific. Her most recent role as chief marketing officer of Gumtree, Carsguide, and Autotrader saw her lead the digital transformation of all three brands’ marketing and editorial functions in Australia.

Prior to that, as group chief marketing officer of Southeast Asia’s first Unicorn online car marketplace, Carro, Seewal scaled the company’s marketing function from a three-person team to over 70 strong across Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Concurrently, Seewal also served as the chief executive officer of Jualo.com, Indonesia’s third-largest e-classified marketplace.

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