Bakhshi to Bates Malaysia as ECD

Bakhshi, who spent a three-year spell at McCann, will report to Bates managing director Ajay Thrivikraman, who was recently promoted from the ECD role.

While at McCann, Bakhshi propelled the agency into the top five most-awarded shops at the Kancil Awards within a year of his appointment, and won the agency’s first trophies at major international award shows such as Cannes, One Show, the Asian Advertising Awards and AdFest.

“It’s an exciting opportunity for me. When I went to McCann, I had to build a creative reputation because, frankly, it didn’t have one,” Bakhshi said. “We are trying to build a creative reputation here (at Bates) and, hopefully, attract some new clients.

“We’re seen as a pretty respectable agency, but not so much one that has done spectacularly well at awards shows. But awards are often a misleading measure and it’s time we proved our worth in the market.”

During a 10-year career, Bakhshi also spent stints at JWT, Ogilvy & Mather and FCB, working on clients including DiGi, Unilever, Sony, MasterCard, Coca-Cola, Telekom Malaysia, Nestlé, Proton and Citibank.

Bakhshi has also enjoyed a career on the airwaves; his voice has been frequently used in TV and radio ads.

“Since I’ve arrived at McCann, I think I’ve earned a reputation as a tough task-master,” Bakhshi said. “I believe that an agency should have fun as it works, but work hard. I managed to foster a strong team spirit at McCann and that’s what I aim to achieve at Bates.”