By Our Staff
Over the last few days, there have been murmurs that Leo Burnett big boss Dheeraj Sinha is likely to join FCB. There have been rumours in the past as well. For instance, in December 2019, soon after Saurabh Verma’s controversial exit from the Publicis group, we had asked Sinha. He said it wasn’t untrue.
So this time around, we held back. There has also been some talk about FCB’s current Group Chairman and CEO Rohit Ohri looking at a successor. It’s now been announced that he will take up a new global role as FCB Global Partner.
Sinha meanwhile will join as Group CEO India & South Asia, reporting directly to FCB Global CEO Tyler Turnbull. Sinha joins the agency from Publicis Groupe, where he currently serves as CEO of Leo Burnett South Asia and Chairman of BBH India.
Ohri should be exiting on a happy note. After being teased by us as being a ‘fuddy duddy’ agency, the agency has been in the news for all the right reasons. Last week, FCB Group India was Adweek magazine’s International Agency of the Year. Over the last six-odd years, the agency has won 32 Cannes Lions and over 100 creative awards globally, launched several high-profile campaigns that have transformed its creative reputation in India and beyond, won many large Indian and global multinational clients, and grown revenue by high double digits year over year. FCB Group India also acquired a majority stake in FCB Kinnect, the region’s leading digital-first creative agency, and recently launched FCB/SIX, its digital media, CX and performance offering, in the market. The last few words from the Cannes wins onwards are from an FCB communique.
Turnbull has great stuff to talk about Ohri. “Since Rohit joined FCB eight years ago, FCB India has seen tremendous success under his leadership. It was time for his next challenge, and while we can’t thank him enough for all that he has done for the agency, I’m excited to have him join our global team to put his valuable experience to work for some important upcoming projects.” On Sinha: “Together, we have found his successor in Dheeraj – an amazingly talented, creatively focused and driven leader who understands the economic power of creativity.”
Added Ohri: “The last eight years at FCB Group India have been truly amazing. My mandate was to transform the creative reputation of FCB in India. By nurturing culture and cultivating talent, we’ve been able to deliver creative excellence consistently since 2018. I’m enormously grateful to my fabulous India team for the creative and business success we have seen. Our partnership with our clients has been our true strength in this creative transformation journey. Further, with the acquisition of Kinnect and the launch of FCB/SIX in India, I believe we are now uniquely poised to power our creative work with data and technology. I’m delighted to now work on the strategic priorities of our global network with Susan and Tyler as FCB Global Partner.”
While at Publicis, he led the business transformation across Leo Burnett, Leo Burnett Orchard, BBH, Publicis Business and Publicis Health. Leo Burnett was India’s #1 and Asia’s #2 agency at Cannes Lions 2023. He has also held several other leadership roles throughout his career, including Chief Strategy Officer of South & Southeast Asia at Grey Group, where he fostered a culture of strategy at Grey APAC.
“Dheeraj is a strong advocate for the power of creativity, with a proven track record of transforming businesses. His experience driving revenue for iconic creative brands and agencies is exactly what we needed to help fuel our next chapter of success in India,” adds Turnbull.
“I’m delighted to welcome Dheeraj into the FCB family. He is a dynamic leader brimming with new ideas. I believe he has the right capabilities and mindset to take FCB Group India to newer heights,” said Ohri.
And this is what Sinha has to say: “I am so excited to be leading the next phase of narrative for FCB in India and the region. I believe that with data and technology at its service, creativity is the greatest force of our times. The true power of our industry is in maximizing business opportunities and solving for human problems using creativity. I love the perspective at FCB about creativity as an economic multiplier. The agency has had a great run in the country, with very strong partnerships with the best clients, and has been one of the most respected agency brands. I look forward to working with the global leadership at FCB under Susan and Tyler, to continue to build FCB in India and the region as the most creative company, helping our clients maximize the opportunities and leaving the world a better place at the same time!”
And what happens at Publicis group? The vagaries of the business notwithstanding, there’s never a dull day. When the announcement happens, we’ll have another ‘big story’. Perhaps.
On opening up delegate registrations for Goafest 2023, Sam Balsara added: “Goafest has earned its position as a destination that celebrates creative excellence in most disciplines in Communication in South Asia. We look forward to welcoming teams from across India, South Asia and indeed the globe to come and participate in Goafest as we exchange thoughts and discuss the future of communication and increasing its role and accountability to the marketer, further making way for growth of the Industry.”
FCB India in collaboration with Networkbay announced the launch of ‘Retail: Day 1’ a special initiative to work with brands and retailers to manage, redefine and transform their retail experiences in the post-Covid era.