The advertising industry across Asia is mourning the passing of the Creative Group Head of DDB Singapore, Kaushik Iyer, who died on Monday.
Kaushik Iyer is an extremely talented young advertising professional from India, who escalated to top jobs in ad world due to his extraordinary creative skills and his vibrant attitude towards his profession. Though Kaushik’s carrier spans just around a decade, his achievements were vast with an array of awards decorated in his office that acknowledges his competency.
DDB Asia chief executive David Tang led the tributes to Kaushik, who joined the agency in April 2014, describing him as “warm and cheerful”.
“We are all very saddened about losing Kaushik,” Tang said in a statement. “All of us who know Kaushik know just how warm, likeable and cheerful he was. All his peers value and admire him for his diligence, craft and cheerfulness every day.
“He was just back from a holiday break with his family in India, having just been promoted in DDB. We grieve and mourn deeply in losing him.”
Kaushik began his career at JWT Mumbai where he spent almost two years as junior copywriter. He moved to Taproot India in January 2010 before joining JWT Singapore in February 2012 where he worked on the Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport, HSBC, Pizza Hut, Nikon and Friso accounts.
He was also part of the team that worked on Lead India and Teach India, both Grand Prix winners at Cannes.
Kaushik Iyer is also known for his witty attitude and his Linked-in Summary as following is the testimony of the fact:
IF THERE WAS EVER A COLOUR NAMED AFTER KAUSHIK IYER, IT WOULD BE MEDI-OCHRE.
Kaushik Iyer is a sucker for whimsical headlines. Exhibit A is above. Kaushik Iyer is also self-deprecating by nature. It’s the most interesting part of his personality.
Whenever Kaushik Iyer forgets his girlfriend’s birthday, he tells her that he didn’t forget it, but thinks it is rude for any man to remind a woman that she is a year older. Her revenge was fitting though. She married him.
Kaushik Iyer is an MBA by education. He will now pause for two minutes for you to finish laughing.
In a career of over 8 years, Kaushik has quietly snuck out of meetings in JWT Mumbai and Taproot India. His biggest achievement remains bribing the secretary at Campaign Brief Asia to include his name in the list of Asia’s Hottest 50 Creatives. She got fired for it. But she remains his Facebook friend. So win-win, almost. Kaushik Iyer has failed to meet deadlines on brands like The Times of India, Airtel, Pizza Hut, Kingfisher Airlines, SilkAir, HSBC, Lux, The National Geographic Channel, Shell and Friso with the dexterity of a seasoned parole violator. In such time, his work has made a lot of heads turn—mostly the other way.
His latest gigs have brought him to Singapore. Which means he has now been poor in two countries. Kaushik Iyer is by himself the world’s longest serving birth control advertisement. He has on many occasions been referred to as the human typo.
But despite all the generous setbacks in his 31-year life, Kaushik Iyer believes that he’s destined for greatness. In fact, he has already started referring to himself in 3rd person singular.
It works.
Salvadore Dali, The Rock and Zlatan Ibrahimovich agree.
