Starcom Sri Lanka appoints Michael Holsinger as CEO

Michael Holsinger has been appointed as the CEO at Starcom Worldwide Sri Lanka. With over 20 years of experience Holsinger boasts an impressive career in the industry. His career spans stints at JWT where he started as an Account Executive and rose to Account Director within seven years.

His passion for understanding consumers and the planning discipline helped him to climb up the ladder of success. He was also a pioneering member of the Leo Burnett team and rose to become the agency’s head of client services and also helmed the planning team. He went on to become the Chief Operating Officer of LOWE LDB in 2006, after which he moved onto Triad Advertising, where he spent three and half years as its Executive Director contributing his skills in brand planning, client management and management to bolster the agency. Throughout his career he has gained exposure in marketing communications through several programmes which he has attended locally and regionally, which has helped him to expand his knowledge, experience and competency as well as to harness his passion for the business.

Commenting on his appointment, Holsinger stated, “I am delighted to be joining such a renowned international network and look forward to working with a group of highly talented individuals. I took up this role because of the challenges it posed and hope to take Sri Lanka’s media independent industry to the next level with Starcom being the catalyst. Our objective at Starcom is to provide our clients with the best and most effective media solutions by understanding the passions of people and engaging with them in a meaningful manner. We at Starcom are committed to helping brands to reach their optimal potential and to ensure they reach the correct audience in a effective way. I anticipate that this year will be an exceptional year for Starcom as we will concentrate on delivering exceptional media solutions and value for our existing clients and will also concentrate on growing our client portfolio. There are new and exciting tools, methodologies and training which we will deploy to help achieve our goals.”

Leo Burnett Solutions Inc. Managing Director Ranil De Silva under whose purview Starcom operates in Sri Lanka  stated, “Michael is the new type of leader the media independent industry requires. If we want to change the paradigm, we need to bring fresh thinking into our media business. I am confident Michael will do exactly that for Starcom in Sri Lanka. He brings the perfect blend of forward thinking and local knowledge to Starcom. I am confident that he will take Starcom to new heights with his experience, exposure and passion.’’

Starcom South Asia has also posted to Sri Lanka Shailesh Waingankar who counts five years in the media industry in India and will add great value to the team and to the industry as a whole. Waingankar is conversant with an advanced media environment and the complexity of a multi lingual media industry as he has gained firsthand experience during his tenure in India. Commenting on Waingankar’s appointment Holsinger said, “His youthful energy, fresh perspectives, experience and familiarity with the modern world of media will be a strength to our clients and also to our own team.”

Waingankar has worked with media agencies as well as media owners and will add a multi-dimensional input to Starcom’s pursuit of taking Sri Lanka’s media industry forward.

Starcom South Asia Chairman C.V.L. Srinivas stated that the new energy in the team marks a new era for Starcom in Sri Lanka. Whilst the Colombo office will serve its client in Sri Lanka, the team will have the strength, breadth and depth of the Starcom global network and more importantly the expertise of the Starcom India team to drive Starcom to being an innovator in the media industry in Sri Lanka. We looked for the right man for the job and are delighted that Michael took up the challenge. We also wanted to strengthen the team with cutting edge expertise and are delighted to post a young spark like Waingankar to Sri Lanka. I am confident that Michael together with Waingankar and the team will be able to take Starcom to new heights in Sri Lanka.”

Starcom is one of the nation’s premier media agencies. It has had more than eight years of experience in the local industry, and has an impressive portfolio of clients such as Cargills, Samsung, P&G, DFCC Bank, CIC and Emirates on its roster. Starcom’s media solutions are designed to engage its audiences with the objective of creating a lasting impression, building brand confidence and awareness. The team offers clients exceptional services which are in-line with Starcom’s philosophy of offering “Connections which Captivate”. Starcom Worldwide Sri Lanka is part of the worldwide Starcom MediaVest Group which has delivered success to many of the world’s largest companies, such as P&G, Disney, Coca Cola and Disney.