The advertising industry received a shock yesterday when reports confirmed that Ranjan Kapur, Chairman, WPP India had passed away following a fatal heart attack in Mumbai at the age of 75 years.
A doyen in the advertising world, Ranjan Kapur is credited with taking Ogilvy & Mather India to the number one position after coming on board as the Managing Director in 1994. A Banker turned advertising professional, Ranjan Kapur started his advertising journey with Bensons, an old avatar of Ogilvy & Mather. He had served the agency for over 37 years with stints at New York and Singapore offices as well. According to reports, post his retirement from Ogilvy at the end of 2003, Kapur headed WPP agency Bates in India and was also chosen to lead the overall group as country manager in 2004.
Twitter was filled with condolence messages as advertising and media honchos pay their last tribute to the advertising legend who left us recently. Influential personalities from the industry said that Ranjan Kapur's passing has left a void, and the end of era as one of the finest minds in the advertising domain has left for his heavenly abode.
Ranjan Kapur is remembered by his former and current colleagues and industry friends as an excellent boss, a motivator, a guide, a great friend and a true gentleman.
R.I.P :( My favorite memory—among my very limited interactions with him—is the dinner at Amer Fort, in the same table as Piyush Pandey and Ranjan Kapur, during #WPPStream 2017. The specific highlight was the fact that Ranjan not only remembered my IGNITE talk earlier that day https://t.co/KjUcYW9Y2x
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) January 27, 2018
Deeply deeply saddened at the passing on of RANJAN KAPUR: a great advertising professional and an even greater human being. The world is much much poorer with his death.
— SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) January 27, 2018
A professional par excellence & a gentleman. You will be missed my friend. #RanjanKapur https://t.co/7vFA7oatO2
— Raj Nayak (@rajcheerfull) January 27, 2018
A very very sad day for Indian advertising. RIP Ranjan Kapur. I am lucky to have worked with him - he was one of the biggest influences on many of us at that time. They don’t make them like him anymore. The biggest chapter of Indian advertising just got concluded.
— Partha Sinha (@parthasinha) January 28, 2018
Saddened to hear about Ranjan Kapur. An architect of the Advertising industry in India. Cherish the moments spent with him and Jimi
— Prasoon Joshi (@prasoonjoshi_) January 28, 2018
Rip Ranjan. #Ranjankapur. Will miss your presence. And your inspiring smile.
— Babita Baruah (@babitabaruah) January 28, 2018
So sad to hear about the passing of Ranjan Kapur. He was so generous to me with his time and wisdom in setting up the @WPP_Govt in India and @KantarPublic. A lovely man. https://t.co/H7IdZKOzsI
— Michelle Harrison (@Michel1eH) January 28, 2018
If the headline can say it, why have any body copy? RIP Ranjan Kapur
— AD (@anaggh) January 28, 2018
Saddened to hear that #Ranjan Kapur is no more. Can’t believe it. The end of an era of statesmanship and grace in advertising. RIP.
— Colvyn J Harris (@ColvynHarrisPOV) January 27, 2018
RIP Ranjan Kapur ( Chairman, WPP INDIA ). How many of us have humility to give prompt feedback on a packaging created by our juniors? pic.twitter.com/i8S0ACVRZM
— Manish Bhatt (@manishscarecrow) January 28, 2018
Deeply saddened to hear about Ranjan Kapur. The Indian ad industry just lost one of its tallest. May God bless his soul
— Vikas Mehta (@vikipedia77) January 27, 2018
#ranjankapur passes away. End of an era. Deepest condolences to the @Ogilvy family pic.twitter.com/kcelQ3bqui
— shubho sengupta (@shubhos) January 27, 2018
The Indian ad industry just lost one of its senior most members.
— MitrajitBhattacharya (@MitrajitB) January 27, 2018
RIP #RanjanKapur
Very shocked to read this news. RIP Ranjan Kapur.
— Sanjay Mehta (@sm63) January 27, 2018
Oh Man, Ranjan Kapur. RIP .. a stalwart, a doyen, an icon of Indian Advertising passes away @AnantRangaswami @pratap_bose @dhunji @afaqs #Advertising https://t.co/OLnJsY69Rx
— Sudarshan Banerjee (@additiyom) January 27, 2018
I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. I will not cry. #ranjankapur
— Bobby Pawar (@FRIEDFOODBRAIN) January 28, 2018
Ranjan Kapur, RIP. Contributed more to building modern Indian advertising than anyone else.
— Anant Rangaswami (@AnantRangaswami) January 27, 2018
Your presence and leadership will be missed forever in the advertising world. RIP Ranjan Kapur!
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