Leadership change at Ogilvy India; Piyush Pandey gets an advisory role

Ogilvy India has made leadership changes. Piyush Pandey, current chairman global creative and executive chairman of Ogilvy India, will work closely with the leadership team and will be the agency's chief advisor.

In this role Pandey will continue to work closely with major clients and the agency’s executive team to ensure that Ogilvy India maintains its important leadership role in India. Along with the leadership team, he will be involved with key Ogilvy clients and new business prospects and the creative product of the agency. He will also continue to participate in various industry bodies and award forums.

SN Rane, group executive co-chairman India and COO South Asia, will work as business advisor to Ogilvy Asia Pacific. In his new role, Rane will work closely with Ogilvy Asia-Pacific to ensure that Ogilvy India has a smooth transition under the new management and to advise on various business operations and planning issues.

Hephzibah Pathak will take on the role of executive chairperson of Ogilvy India. She will be Ogilvy India’s first ever woman in this role. In this role, she will lead and drive the strategic direction, growth and transformation agenda of the company.

VR Rajesh will move from his current role as Group President of Ogilvy India to chief executive officer (CEO) of the agency. He will partner with Pathak in further accelerating the transformation agenda of the company. He will also be responsible for running the operations of the agency across offices in India and all its business units. He will also work closely with Hufrish Birdy, who will continue in her current role of chief financial officer (CFO), on various financial, commercial, and compliance issues for Ogilvy India. Birdy has been a strong and astute pillar who has partnered the leadership team over years to deliver healthy financial performance.

Further, Ogilvy India’s leadership transition will also involve important new appointments to the Ogilvy Board. Joining the Ogilvy India Board will be the agency’s three Chief Creative Officers (CCO’s) – Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar and Sukesh Nayak.

The agency’s chief strategy officer (CSO), Prem Narayan also joins the board. He has been a strategic partner to many of Ogilvy’s key clients and creative partners. He has championed the effectiveness culture at Ogilvy, making Ogilvy India one of the most effective agencies in the world.

All four of them will continue in their current, vital roles in the agency, leading the creative and strategic work of the agency.

Devika Seth Bulchandani, global chief executive officer, Ogilvy adds, “Piyush has done what true legends do. Nurtured and groomed a class of leaders who can assume the day to day running of the Ogilvy machine which will give him time to focus simply on the magic he has been so legendary in creating for our clients. Together I trust the new leadership to take this iconic agency to new heights.”

Pandey said, “Creativity and its impact on our client’s businesses is at the heart of Ogilvy. In keeping with my passion, I will continue to partner and guide the new leadership as always. Our joint purpose is to ensure that we not only maintain but also better our core strengths.”