NEW DELHI: India’s Integral PR has expanded its senior leadership team and added two new assignments, from Lavazza and Lafarge.

The agency, which is part of corporate advisory firm, DTA Consulting, has named Ajay Lamba as chief operating officer in New Delhi. Lamba brings more than 25 years international experience of the marketing and advertising world, including stints at HTA, Ulka and Maa Bozell.

In addition, Integral has launched a national engagement practice, which features a number of new appointments. In Mumbai, Amit Mohile will oversee media training and specialist workshops, while Bangalore-based Sonia Sharma will handle video and strategy for national accounts. Basav Bhattacharya, meanwhile, will oversee the Eastern region.

“We believe that the national engagement team will bring to the table a significant amount of knowledge on regional matters and make our efforts to localize national agendas that much more effective,” Integral chief executive Sharif Rangnekar told the Holmes Report. “At the same time, their individual experience will always add depth to our approach, knowledge and ability to reach out to the ultimate consumer.”

The expansion comes as Integral - one of India’s larger PR firms - adds two substantial new assignments. The firm has won Italian coffee company Lavazza’s PR activity across India, displacing incumbent Vaishnavi following a competitive pitch.

In addition, French industrial major Lafarge has handed its merger markets PR account to Integral. Genesis Burson-Marsteller remains the company’s national PR agency-of-record.

Integral, which counts around 60 staffers across 12 offices, grew by approximately 20 percent in 2010, thanks to new business from Deloitte, Simmons and Dow Coatings. Rangnekar is also president of the country’s PRCAI, and will remain in this position for another 12 months.