After a decade as CEO of Weber Shandwick India, Valerie Pinto is stepping down. 

In a holding statement sent to PRmoment India, Weber Shandwick stated, "Valerie Pinto has made the decision to step down as CEO of Weber Shandwick India, following a decade of dedicated service to the organization. She will be moving on to explore new opportunities and personal pursuits"

Commenting on the leadership structure, the statement said, "For the immediate future, Shashikant Someshwar and Karan Bhandari will continue as managing directors, reporting to Tyler Kim, APAC CEO. Valerie will work closely with the team to ensure a seamless handover for both clients and teams. This change does not affect our commitment to delivering strategic counsel and partnership to our clients."

While Bhandari is the MD of integrated media strategy, SOmeshwar is the MD of Current Global India.

Sources said Pinto is expected to stay on for another 6 months for the transition

The statement ended with saying, "Valerie’s vision and leadership have been instrumental in shaping the growth, success, and culture of our India operations. We are deeply grateful for her many contributions and thank her for her long-standing dedication to the business and our people."

Pinto joined Weber Shandwick as CEO of the firm’s India Operations in the first week of January 2015. She was also on the Asia Pacific board of Weber Shandwick and part of the India leadership council along with then vice chairman Atul Ahluwalia.