Rana Barua recalls how he earned the title ‘Son of a Pitch’ at Rediffusion’s Red Talks

The fourth edition of the Rediffusion Red Talks series had Rana Barua, Group CEO Havas, at Rediffusion Mumbai, speaking to an enthusiastic audience of ‘Fusionists’.

Barua is one of the youngest CEOs of a leading agency network and is a Rediffusion alumnus. He had worked at Rediffusion from 2000 to 2005 as Business Development Director, and reminisced about his days at the agency, where he learnt to put in his very best in making pitches that earned him the title of ‘Son of a Pitch’ amongst his colleagues!

Barua said his most memorable pitch at Rediffusion was for Tetley tea in Kolkata in the early 2000s. He summed up his work belief in three key words - Innovate, Excel and Disrupt – that have helped him most in his professional life. He believes in working like an entrepreneur, and building a challenger archetype by constantly re-inventing and challenging himself, he said, adding that Goliaths have never scared him.

Rana Barua added other winning mantras during his talk: 1. Play to win 2. Give back to society and give back to the industry 3. Keep learning and keep listening.

Earlier speakers at Red Talks have been the legendary Mohammed Khan, beauty and wellness expert Geeta Rao, and cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle – all former Rediffusion employees.

Rana Barua was introduced at Red Talks by none other than his better half, fellow Rediffusion alumnus Shavon Barua, former COO of OMD-PHD, who spoke about how they were both at Rediffusion 20 years ago. She mentioned how Barua has not only been an inspiring leader but has also spearheaded gender equality in the advertising world.

Dr Sandeep Goyal, Rediffusion’s Managing Director who has initiated the continuing series Red Talks, said, “Our biggest give-back to the advertising industry at Rediffusion is the legion of leaders who head various top agencies today, including Rana Barua. We are proud of them and welcome their coming back to the agency to be a part of our 50 Years celebrations.”

Published on: Monday, August 08, 2022, 10:01 AM IST