Piyush Pandey was the person with the largest heart and backbone: Vikram Sakhuja
Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO of Madison Media & OOH, remembers Piyush Pandey’s booming laugh, and his amazing ability to drop life’s profound truths with a quip or a pun
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Published: Oct 24, 2025 12:38 PM | 2 min read
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There are very few people who make a profound difference to the world they grace for the oh so short time they were there. Piyush changed the way the world looked at Indian advertising. He built brands that have been positioned indelibly in the Indian psyche. He built Ogilvy to become India’s foremost creative powerhouse. And he showed how Advertising stands apart from most other businesses by uncovering human truths embedded in Indian culture.
But while the world knows Piyush for the Creative genius that was, for me he was the person with the largest heart and backbone. When I was trying to buy out GroupM shares held by Ogilvy and JWT employees to award to GroupM employees, it was Piyush who eased the process by saying that value should rest where it is created. Another time while WPP India had performed well, WPP global performance had led to a squeeze on India’s Incentive Pool. Piyush had taken an in principle stand of not accepting his own Incentive if the employees were not taken care of. Simple actions with profound implications.
Whiskey and cigarette in hand, his booming laugh, and amazing ability to drop life’ s profound truths with a quip or a pun are things I will cherish forever. But at the core of this world leader, and legend among men, was a family man capable of deep empathy. Earlier this year, when I was conferred a lifetime achievement award, Piyush sent me a photograph of him and his mother with the message “congratulations again Vikram. It was so touching when you spoke about your mother. My mother was in the hall when I got this award in 2010. I understand your feelings today. “ I can’t fully comprehend that Piyush is no more with us. The sorrow is deep. But his memory and legacy will live on.
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