VMLY&R has formally named Saurabh Saksena to be its new CEO for India based in Mumbai. He replaces Pooja Jauhari who stepped down as CEO in October after just seven months in the role. The agency had indicated at the time of Jauhari’s exit that Saksena would be succeeding her.
Reporting to Hari Ramanathan, CEO of VMLY&R, South and South-East Asia and Japan, Saksena is tasked with further integrating the agency’s creative, BX, CX, commerce, data and platforms capabilities.
Well-known for his WPP leadership roles across Asia, Saksena has been president of Red Fuse Communications, WPP’s agency that manages Colgate Palmolive, where he development broader marketing management expertise around social, CRM and new media. He was also previously CEO of both JWT and Ogilvy in Malaysia.
“I’m thrilled to take up this new role and lead the VMLY&R operations in India,” Saksena said. “The agency houses a great pool of talent across specialisations that don’t usually exist together in a single agency, making it well-positioned to harness creativity, technology, and culture to create connected brands.”
Added Ramanathan, “India is an anchor market for us in Asia and with a breadth and depth of offerings that are unmatched in the industry, VMLY&R India, under Saurabh’s leadership, is all set to help clients get their ‘unfair’ share of growth in a vibrant market.”
VMLY&R India has three offices in Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai and has expanded over the past two years to include Social Creative Agency The Glitch, and VMLY&R Commerce. Clients include Unilever and IDFC First Bank.
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