Dias will join JWT later this month as executive creative director from Leo Burnett India where he held the same post. Dias, who has been with Burnett for 11 years, will be based in Mumbai. Said JWT India's CEO, Colvyn Harris: "Dias brings a vast experience of working on so many brands across so many different product categories. He will be an asset to our senior management and creative team."
Sources claim Dias' hiring was made after JWT's global creative chief Craig Davis urged the office to sharpen its creative product during a visit two months ago. JWT has still to fill the post of national creative director, which has been vacant for more than three years. Industry watchers believe that Dias' hire is a precursor to the bigger and long-overdue appointment.
Meanwhile, Desai has quashed speculation that he would join Dentsu Bangalore as ECD after resigning as Lowe's group creative director. Desai said he planned to set up a film production company, Doctor Films, to be based in Bangalore. His duties on Lifebuoy, Breeze and Pure have been handed to group creative director Amer Jaleel. Additional reporting by Rajiv Banerjee