Technical skill is mastery of complexity, while creativity is mastery of simplicity. The statement, it seems, carries the essence of the man called Piyush Pandey, creative director, O&M India, whose name has become synonymous with creative advertising in India. And in case you want to meet Pandey to know him, just look at his ads. Simple, emotive, direct hitting - if you have got the message, you have probably met Pandey who epitomises all these qualities. From the days of Chal Meri Luna to the award winning 'Second-hand smoke kills' Ad, Piyush Pandey has been the unquestioned leader among creative directors in India.

With 400 advertising awards in 22 years, Pandey is a faceless name, known to millions of Indians. Few people know that Pandey started his career as a tea-taster with tea marketing and manufacturing consultants in Kolkata in 1979. It was only later that his creativity drew him to the advertisement bandwagon. And if you want to know his achievements, it would probably, need reams of paper. Nevertheless, he was the person who carried the 'Made in India' tag to the Cannes Lions advertising festival and returned with high honours on five occasions.

He also became the first Asian to chair the Cannes ad jury. Piyush has won 400 awards till date. Ad Club of Mumbai's 'best commercial of the century' honour for his Fevikwik ad (of a rollicking ancient bus overflowing with passengers) won a Silver Lion at Cannes, an award at One Show and was a finalist at Clio. One of immediate recall is that visual featuring a desolate cowboy standing next to his fallen horse.

Does that trigger a memory? That one got Piyush and his team two Grand Prix at the London International Advertising Festival, two Gold Lions at Cannes, a One Show Silver Pencil, and a Clio Bronze. Piyush's creation for the Cancer Patients Aid Association made more impact than the orifinal 'cowboy-horse' ad and even die-hard nicotine addicts would stop to take a look and think about the consequences of a dalliance with the cancer-stick. So, what drives this man of boundless energy? "It's the impact of work, which gets noticed," he says. No surprise, for the walrus-mustachioed man, it's the recognition, which counts the most. For all we leave for future generation to know of us is our work, which Pandey has in ample.