Taproot, India

Agnello Dias began his advertising career in 1989 with a young, hungry local Mumbai agency and has waded through a sea of companies and brand case histories since

Hitting the big league after being conferred the prestigious Copywriter of the Year award by the Advertising Agencies Association of India, he led Leo Burnett India to its first ever Global Agency of the year recognition and was voted NDTV’s Creative Director of the Year for India in 2006.

In 2008 he went on to make history by winning India’s first and only Grand Prix plus the first an only Lion in the Titanium-Integrated category for the country besides winning multiple Grand Prix at Asian Spikes Adfest for Teach India.

Today, he ranks among the top creative names in Asia and among the most influential figures in Indian advertising featuring in almost every award book from the New York Festivals, the One Show, the London International Advertising Awards, the Clios, Cannes, D&AD and Asia-Pacific Ad-fest. His courageous Aman Ki Asha campaign has gone beyond advertising to receive a special commendation on the floor of the British House of Commons.

In January 2009, he founded Taproot India Communications which ranked among the Cannes’ Top 20 independent agencies in the world, while he went on to be conferred the Communicator of the Decade award by The Association of Business Communicators of India and became the first ever advertising professional ever to be crowned the Impact Person of the Year for India in 2011. He was also on the prestigious Titanium Jury at Cannes in 2012 as well as on Campaign’s Global Power List featuring the cream of the world’s top media personalities.

Born in Singapore, Kash moved to England when he was 7 months old.

In 1980, he graduated from Ware College in Hertfordshire as a bad designer with a diploma. He remained a bad designer until 1986 when he returned to college to learn how to become less bad.

In 1990, he graduated from Kent Institute of Design with a BA in Graphic Communications. (Just in time for the recession).

After attending 5, six-week D&AD workshops (his real advertising education) and several months doing the rounds while changing his book, he got a job as a writer/art director at O&M London. That was May 91; he was retrenched six months later.

He packed his bags and went to work at Chiat, Singapore as an Art Director in 1992.

In 1993, after the Singapore government wanted him to join the Army, he left air-conditioned island for O&M Madras as an Art Director.

With the Army situation cleared up, he was hired as a Writer at Batey Ads Singapore from 1994-1996. Batey Ads won Singapore Agency of The Year in 1996.

In May 1996, he went to Australia as Head of Copy at DDB Sydney. DDB Won Campaign Brief’s Agency of The Year 1997.

Then came five years at Wieden & Kennedy from June 1997- June 2002. Wieden and Kennedy was the most Awarded US agency at Cannes in 2002.

From July 2002 until December 2004 he was an SVP Creative Director at Leo Burnett Chicago.

In July 2005 he joined BBH New York as a Group Creative Director where he helped reposition and turn around the Vaseline brand globally, helped pitch and win Dyson North America, helped pitch and win OMO Detergents worldwide. He also worked on, All detergent, Axe, Levi’s and British Airways.

In March 2007 he joined JWT New as an Executive Creative Director York, where he works on DeBeers, Sunsilk, Kleenex, Viva and Scott paper towels, has pitched and won Jose Cuervo, pitched and eventually won Microsoft, Pitched Coke Ciel in Mexico.

Worldwide Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Creative Juice

Thirasak Tanapatanakul has been awarded for the local and international shows including multiple Gold Lions, Gold Clios, Yellow Pencil D&AD, Pencils The One Show, Andy Awards of Excellence, multiple Grand Prix in Asia Pacific Adfest and Grand Prix Spikes.

After having joined with Creative Juice\Bangkok in 2004, Thirasak has created high reputation for the agency in a short period of time. This resulted the agency ranking risen up to No.9 of the world's most awarded agency, ranked by THE GUNN REPORT 2006 and No.7 of the world's most awarded agency, ranked by SHOTS GRAND PRIX 2005. The examples of his outstanding works include 'TAMIYA' Model Kits campaign 2005, which was voted to be 'THE WORLD'S MOST AWARDED PRINT CAMPAIGN OF 2005' by the GUNN REPORT and SHOTS GRAND PRIX 2005.

‘BANGKOK INSURANCE’ TVC campaign 2006, which was voted to be ‘THE WORLD’S FOUTH MOST AWARDED TVC CAMPAIGN OF 2006’ by the GUNN REPORT. FEDEX ‘BOX’ Ad was nominated to be ‘THE WORLD’S SECOND MOST AWARDED PRINT AD OF 2002’ by the GUNN REPORT. And Bridgestone ‘Dog’ was selected to be the world’s Top three most favorite TVC of 2003 by the Ad Forum. Thirasak was awarded ‘NO.1 CREATIVE IN ASIA 2006’ by Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings. He was also named ‘ASIA PACIFIC CREATIVE OF THE YEAR 2005’ by Media Asia and ‘SOUTH EAST ASIA CREATIVE OF THE YEAR 2010’ by Campaign Asia. Furthermore, Creative Juice, Bangkok won ‘ASIA’S AGENCY OF THE YEAR 2006’ by Campaign Brief Asia and ‘ASIA PACIFIC OFFICE OF THE YEAR 2005’ by Media Asia.

He has representing Thailand as the jury president and jury member in numerous international award shows, including Jury President of Asia Pacific Adfest Design and Print Craft 2010, Cannes Film 2006, Clio TV & Cinema 2008, The One Show 2009, D&AD Film 2007, Andy Awards 2007-8, Young Guns 2007, World Press Awards 2008, London International Advertising 2011, Spikes Asia 2011 and etc.

In addition, he is invited as a keynote speaker in various international forums and also he’s the official ambassador to The One Club in Thailand.

Beside his professional in advertising, currently Thirasak has extended his effort to build the creative and inspiration place. It is called Burg-Barn-Buri which means The Village of Joy. It is his personal project that has been building under green-beauty and sustainable living concept. It aims to inspire people to reconsider their lifestyle and live sufficiently.