Lastminute.com head quits as duties are cut

Lastminute.com marketing director Vijay Solanki is leaving the company without a job to go to, after a shake-up of marketing responsibilities.

The departure follows the arrival of managing director Richard Bowden Doyle in January

Solanki says he is leaving because responsibility for merchandising and online marketing for the lastminute.com website had been transferred out of marketing and placed directly with Bowden Doyle, leaving Solanki with responsibility for offline marketing only.

His duties will be handled by head of promotions and partnerships Emma Seward until a new marketing director is appointed. The online travel company recently announced a tie-up with soft drink brand Fanta that features a text promotion running across 100 million Fanta packs (MW June 24).

Solanki joined the company in August last year from Shazam, the mobile phone music recognition service, where he was marketing director. He is also a former Capital Radio and IPC marketer.

He worked with a number of advertising agencies while at lastminute.com including Banc, BLM and Quiet Storm. Solanki says he will take time out to concentrate on a book of marketing case histories aimed at middle managers, with the working title How Marketing Gets Done (or How it Doesn’t).

Solanki also advised the Liberal Democrats on their London Mayoral Election campaign on a part-time basis (MW April 29).