The world of advertising and marketing has seen a significant movement of people throughout 2022. Some leaders have moved on to pursue other interests, while others have taken on more challenging roles within the domain.
As consumer habits and patterns shift dramatically, the role of these creative and marketing executives is greater than ever.
We’ll take a look at some of these exits and where these leaders are headed.
Abhishek Reggae
After 15 years at Endemol Shine India, Abhishek Rege decided to step down from his role as CEO in June. He joined Endemol in 2007 as Head of Commercial and Legal, was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2012, and was subsequently promoted to Chief Executive Officer in 2017. Since then, he has taken the company to great heights and multiplied the company’s growth. Rege has successfully leveraged his comprehensive market and industry knowledge to ensure momentum business growth, build high performing teams, and anticipate his future business needs.
Rabbi Rao
GroupM MENA CEO Ravi Rao stepped down in July after more than three years. Rao joined GroupM MENA from Mindshare MENA, where he was CEO. Prior to that, he was the agency’s Chief He Client Officer for nine months.
Jigger Rambia
After 15 years of service, Jigar Rambhia stepped down as National Director and Head of Sports Business at Wavemaker – GroupM in July. He joined Wavemaker in 2007 as Director of Business and has led his team in IPL Media Planning and Buying since its inception in 2008. He also won the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy and he ICC T20 World Cup. Rambhia currently joins Sporjo, a sports education technology startup where he is COO.
Tista Sen
Wunderman Thompson’s Tista Sen has left the agency after 20 years of dating. She stepped down as her regional creative director in November 2022. Sen is the brain behind Lux’s “The Soap with a Bump” campaign and has won several awards. She has been involved with some of India’s biggest brands such as her Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline, ITC, Godrej, Vedanta and Mutual Funds of India.
T Gangadhar
Essence APAC CEO T Gangadhar (“Gang”) stepped down from his position in May 2022 after four years at the agency. He was appointed CEO of APAC during the pandemic in September 2020. As CEO of APAC, Gangs was responsible for driving client-centric innovation in data, analytics and technology across the region, driving business growth and corporate culture. The Mumbai-based gang has worked closely with Global and his APAC leadership team.
Narayan Devanathan
Narayan Devanathan announced in June that he was stepping down from his role as Chief Client Officer (CCO) of Dentsu India, ending his 11-year tenure with the network. Devanathan said his career will take him on a new journey and pursue his interests outside of the advertising industry.
Russell Barrett
Russell Barrett, CEO and CCO of BBH India, announced in December that he was leaving the agency to pursue other opportunities. Barrett has worked at BBH for 12 years and has helped make BBH India one of the most sought after creative agencies he has, including Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, Andy’s, Spikes, D&ADs, London Internationals and more. has won several awards.
Gurjot Shah Singh
Gurjot Shah Singh, senior vice president of media at Isobar India, left Dentsu in July. Singh has been with the company for over eight years. He was promoted in his March just after Dentsu Creative Group India centralized digital media services across all agencies and functions under his Isobar India group. Prior to that, Singh was Executive Vice President and Head of National Media at Dentsu Webchutney.
Ajay Kakar
Aditya Birla Capital Chief Marketing Officer Ajay Kakar has announced his retirement. Kakar’s last day with the company was October 31, 2022. Kakar joined Aditya Birla Capital in February 2008. Prior to that, he worked at Reliance Capital and he at Ogilvy.
Kashyap Gala
Kashyap Gala, Marketing Director of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, left the company in November. At Johnson & Johnson, he led the femcare and oral care portfolio, as well as the full range of brands and P&L ownership. In his 11 years with the company, he managed the largest profile of his J&J’s India operations. Gala currently joins Indian adhesives giant Pidilite Industries as his Senior Vice President. As Senior Vice President of Pidilite, he is responsible for growing the business with full ownership of his P&L. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Gala was involved with Colgate-Palmolive and Perfetti Van Melle.
Smita Muralka
Smita Murarka stepped down as CMO of Duroflex earlier this month. Her move comes after a stint of about three years. Murarka joined Duroflex in February 2020 as Vice President of Marketing and E-Commerce. She has over 19 years of experience in brand building.
Pallavi Chakravarti
Pallavi Chakravarti, West’s creative head at DDB Mudra, has submitted his thesis after a year and a half at the agency. Chakravarti joined DDB Mudra from Taproot Dentsu in May 2021 as Executive Creative Director in Mumbai where he headed the office’s creative function.