Shergill's remit will now be split between Chetan Mahajan and Amit Misra, who have been promoted as co-managing directors. They will report directly to MSLGROUP Asia President Glenn Osaki. The formal handover takes place at the start of the new year.
Shergill's departure was planned in advance. "I had been talking to the group for 3-4 years now about exiting," he told PRWeek. "One needs to go when the time is right."
A 14-year veteran and founding member of Hanmer MS&L, Shergill was promoted as CEO of MSLGROUP India in 2013. His appointment at the time was a widely anticipated after his time Hanmer MS&L, where he had served as partrner and head of PR, digital and events. During his tenure, the PR division of the firm (Hanmer MS&L) grew from just five staff to more than 400 across eight offices in India.
Shergill had embarked on an ambitious plan to expand Hanmer MS&L's expertise in specialty communications service areas, including social media marketing, financial and investor relations, crisis and issues management, and employee communications. This included the development of several innovative communications practices and tools in conjunction with MS&LGroup global network thought leaders. As CEO of MSLGROUP India he was widely seen as one of the driving forces behind the group's goal of leveraging the combined talents and resources that exist across our agencies in the country.
"I think MSLGROUP is in a good place now," he said. When asked what he will miss most Shergill said: "I will miss coming to the office every day, my colleagues and clients. And I will miss the whole culture of openness."
