Dentsu Webchutney, the digital creative agency, has promoted Harsh Shah, erstwhile Executive Vice President (EVP), to the role of Managing Partner.
In his new role, Shah will report into Sidharth Rao, CEO, DentsuMB Group, and will focus on accelerating the agency’s expansion across key business lines.
Sidharth Rao
Commenting on the elevation, Rao said: “Harsh has risen through the ranks over the decade that he has spent at Dentsu Webchutney. He is a testament to the agency’s unique history of consistent homegrown leadership. I have no doubt that he is the right choice to unlock Webchutney’s exciting new phase of growth, as a key part of the wider Dentsu Creative brand. With his proven record of growing people, businesses, and culture at the agency, Harsh is poised to accelerate our creative and business ambitions.”
Dentsu India has appointed Aalap Desai to the role of Chief Creative Officer (CCO), Taproot Dentsu, a DentsuMB Company. In both roles, he will report into Ajay Gahlaut, Group Chief Creative Officer India (GCCO), Dentsu Creative India.
In addition to leading Isobar India’s creative team, Desai will now also be responsible for Taproot Dentsu’s transformation into becoming a Nex-Gen, digital-first agency.
Sidharth Rao
Said Sidharth Rao, CEO, DentsuMB Group: “The decision is vital to the growth of Dentsu Creative in India and aligned with the network’s global ambitions. Talents such as Aalap and Titus come with unmatched expertise and experience; and their contributions are bound to outweigh the expectations of our clients and the industry. Over the years, they have been groomed with the proficiency to build brands from scratch and are excellent at measuring and matching the market pulse with client needs. With this move, I look forward to Dentsu Creative India reinforcing creative solutions in newer & undefined ways.”
Ajay Gahlaut
Added Gahlaut: “It is fascinating to work with some of the country’s best creative brains. Aalap and Titus are creative geniuses who have delivered some fantastic campaigns over the years. Their brand-building approaches are contemporary and fresh. I feel that’s the need of the hour. All the conversations around us are evolving and it is inevitable for brands to evolve their conversations too. They are perfect for that task. Their expertise in brand thinking and storytelling will create robust digital-led creative solutions for clients. I am looking forward to working with both.”
Vishal Nicholas, Planning and Strategy Head at DentsuMB (earlier Dentsu India) will now also lead strategy for Dentsu Impact. Under this expanded mandate, Nicholas will manage planning and strategy for South, Mumbai and Delhi for both agencies. He will continue to report into Sidharth Rao, CEO, DentsuMB Group.
Sidharth Rao
Speaking on the elevation, Rao said: “As we continue to strengthen and reshape our creative offering in the Indian market, we needed a planning leader who has experience with both traditional and new-age businesses; and Vishal was the obvious choice to steer the strategy product for both DentsuMB and Dentsu Impact.”
Added Nicholas: “Ever since I joined Dentsu, I’ve always been excited about the Eastern approach to building brands with simplicity and second-order thinking at its core. With DentsuMB, the combination of the East and West make it even more compelling. And with Dentsu Impact’s fantastic roster of clients, I look forward to achieving greater business outcomes for them.”
Dentsumcgarrybowen (DentsuMB) has promoted Indrajeet Mookherjee to the role of Managing Partner. The agency is part of the larger, newly formed DentsuMB group, which houses a cluster of creative agencies from within the Dentsu creative service line of business. Under this fresh structure, the agencies that will report into Sidharth Rao, CEO, DentsuMB Group, are Dentsu Webchutney, Taproot Dentsu, Dentsu One, DentsuMB and Dentsu Impact.
Mookherjee will now lead the agency nationally and will also report into Rao. Prior to this, he was President – South, DentsuMB where he led operations for offices in Bengaluru, Chennai, and Kochi. He joined Dentsu India as Executive Vice President (EVP) in 2016.
Sidharth Rao
Speaking on the elevation, Rao said: “As we continue to strengthen and reshape our creative offering in the Indian market, we needed a leader who is experienced, connected, and understands the nuances of the communication landscape. Indrajeet, with his experience in managing brands and categories across South and Southeast Asia, was the perfect choice to helm our operations. The DentsuMB group of agencies, which already boasts iconic Indian agencies like Taproot Dentsu and Dentsu Webchutney in our stable, are growing at a rapid pace, and I look forward to Indrajeet and his talented Dentsumcgarrybowen team, strengthening our creative offering even further.”
Speaking on his new role, Mookherjee added: “I am honoured to join the leadership team of DentsuMB India at a very exciting time where our business is seeing unprecedented change. However, the one constant is the power of ideas and how we deliver business outcomes for our client partners. And that’s where I am hugely inspired by the global legacy of DentsuMB as a creative powerhouse and develop work that wins in the world and leads to better business results for brands. I am looking forward to working with our talented team and group leaders to build and create a truly integrated agency.”
