FIRESIDE CHAT
MY JOURNEY
THROUGH BUSINESS:
FIRESIDE CHAT
WITH BHARAT
THAKRAR, CEO WPP
SCANGROUP.
By Frank Maina
I
n a recent Nairobi Marketers
Nite, Marketing Africa had the
pleasure to engage Mr. Bharat
Thakrar, Chief Executive Officer,
WPP Scangroup in a Fireside
Chat on His Journey Through
Business hosted by Frank Maina,
CEO, Sponge East Africa. Richard
Mukatha Njeru captured the
deliberations and here-under are
excerpts.
Frank Maina: He is better known
for his leadership of the region`s
largest marketing services company
WPP Scangroup.
Few know him as the man who
started his advertising career doing
photocopies in a family agency, or
the man who applied for a job at
Ogilvy and Mather (an agency he
now owns) and got turned away, or
the man who was passed over for
a promotion at McCann Ericson
and left to start a potato crisp and
tomato business.
He holds a diploma in advertising
and marketing from the
communications and marketing
foundation – UK and apart from
a Senior Management course at
Harvard Business School he has
not been to any University.
I have known him as my colleague
at his company and a mentor in
the industry. I once told his son
“Before your dad, advertising used
to be a cottage industry, we did
not make much money and people
worked to win awards. He taught
us how to do both”. Let’s welcome
Bharat Thakrar, CEO WPPScangroup.
He is the founder shareholder of
Scangroup and has over 35 years
working experience in advertising
and communications.
Frank: You’ve told many stories
about other people and brands
but very little is known about you.
Please tell your story.
He is also a former chairman
of the Advertising Practitioners
Association (APA) and is a
Bharat: My love for the
advertising world begun when
I was young. My father was
a commercial director in an
advertising agency called Skyland
Advertising.
‘‘ It was actually quite a struggle just like any
other business. The first company I setup
was Scan Ad + Marketing as I thought I
would become a Marketing Consultant. The
lesson I learnt here is that you cannot do
everything and it is important to specialize in
one line of expertise.’’
60 MAL 12/16 ISSUE
member of the advertising
standards board.
When sitting for my primary
education exam we were given a
chance to study from home. But
since my father knew that I wasn’t
very attentive at home he took me
with him to the office and instead
of studying for the exam I used to
go up to the studio to watch the
artists and graphic designers at