Piyush Pandey’s passing: ‘He taught me to keep things simple’, says Tata Play’s Harit Nagpal

Following the passing of India’s advertising icon Piyush Pandey on Friday, Tata Play Ltd MD & CEO Harit Nagpal shared a deeply personal tribute to the veteran, crediting him with changing how he viewed people and communication.

“I would be in awe of people who used big-big words and made complex flow charts to explain human behaviour,” Nagpal wrote. “Then I met Piyush Pandey and realized that humans, both consumers and colleagues, are easy-going people who are looking for someone to make things simple for them. I now seek people who I can understand in the first attempt.”

Piyush Pandey passes away: Pandey was the architect of Indian advertising’s soul

Nagpal said Pandey’s authenticity and clarity redefined how he approached leadership and creativity.

He joins several industry leaders who have expressed profound grief at Pandey’s demise and reflected on his unparalleled influence.

Funeral of Piyush Pandey, the ad legend who gave India its voice, to be held on October 25

Asian Paints MD & CEO Amit Syngle called Pandey “the architect who helped us find the enduring soul of our brand,” while Nestlé India Chairman Manish Tiwary said he “brought the real, raw, and rustic Bharat onto India’s screens — unapologetically.”

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra remembered Pandey for his warmth and humanity. “He reminded us that even in the serious business of persuasion, joy and humanity must never be forgotten… Piyush always carried that summer within him.”

Yes, he was a man who left gigantic footprints on the ad industry…

But what I will remember most is not the campaigns he crafted or the brands he built, but his hearty laugh and his irrepressible zest for life.
He reminded us that even in the serious business of persuasion,… pic.twitter.com/6C1SJHwFH6

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 24, 2025

Uday Kotak, Gautam Adani, and several other leaders also paid tribute, describing Pandey as a storyteller who gave Indian advertising its distinctive cultural confidence.

Hephzibah Pathak mourns Piyush Pandey: “He wasn’t just the heart and voice of Ogilvy - he redefined the very identity of Indian advertising”

Pandey’s funeral will be held on Saturday, October 25, at 11 a.m. at Shivaji Park Crematorium in Mumbai.

CVL Srinivas pays tribute to Piyush Pandey: “A legend of the industry and a genuine human being who spoke straight from the heart”