I am a patchwork of all my competitors: Bobby Pawar

Bobby Pawar, managing director and chief creative officer, Publicis India

Claim to fame

After spending several years with Ogilvy and BBDO in the US, Pawar returned to the Indian ad industry in 2007 as National Creative Director (NCD) at Mudra. Now he's scripting some of its more glorious chapters at Publicis with a film like Ambuja Cement's Great Khali

The lesson

"I'm a patchwork of all my competitors," says Pawar. And the following are just a few from a long list. For instance, from Piyush Pandey one learns how to be relentless. Says Pawar, "He's pure passion, nobody is more driven than him." From David Lubars, chairman and chief creative officer at BBDO, one learns how to find great people and help them succeed on their own terms; "He gets people to perform out of their skins," says Pawar, in his inimitable way, sprinkled with a few passionately delivered expletives. About American agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, he says: "It's a great traditional agency but CP+B also taught us not to be afraid to go to an area you're not comfortable with and push beyond that." Pawar confesses that he's not the greatest presenter. But he learnt to do it 'My Way' from the flamboyant industry veteran Shantakumar, a master at the art of presentations. The lesson from his former colleague and friend Josy Paul, in Pawar's book, is "try for the damn unexpected." Pawar tells us, "He (Paul) is fearless and not afraid to make a fool of himself" in the pursuit of a great idea, that is. "When you watch somebody the thing you learn is not to imitate, rather it must force you to find your own path."

(As told to Delshad Irani)