"BBH is in good shape": Simon Sherwood

In the light of the people movement at BBH reported recently, Simon Sherwood’s visit to Mumbai could not be more opportune, to find out what the agency’s plans are.

When asked how the agency is coping with the recent people movement, Sherwood, who is  partner and group CEO, BBH,   stated, “Paul Ward was in India for a year. He did a great job. Having worked extremely hard for years, Ward asked for a break, and we  agreed. He is going to be available for this month. Then he will have a break. After which, we’ll see what happens.”

About Raj Kamble, Sherwood said, “Raj Kamble is a very nice guy, with a lot of energy, ambition and talent but it didn’t work out.”

Sherwood pointed out, “We are confident that Russell Barrett will provide creative leadership. Russell has talent to bring people together and unify the team.”

Today, BBH is eyeing digital and greater creativity planning as part of its five year action-plan for India.

He said, “We’ve completed three years in India. 2012 is going to be a big breakthrough year for us.  To-date the Indian team has been working on getting it right.”

Sherwood was candid enough to admit the agency has not done “any great piece of defining work as yet. But work has got better in the last six months.”

When questioned about his bullishness, he said, “I think we are in good shape. We have got good people, good clients, and the work is getting better. We need to push harder on the creative front. That is why we are here, that’s what we do, that’s what our clients want from us. But it’s a marathon and we’ve to view creativity in the long-term. It takes a few good years to create traction. I remember when we had started BBH in 1982, for the first two years, the work was good but it wasn’t great and then we made a breakthrough.”

Today, BBH has a mix of multinationals and local clients which Sherwood hopes to develop.  He said, “There is a huge opportunity in India and we will focus on it in the coming months.”