Hires & Promotions: Leo Burnett India, Arré Studio, DoubleVerify, Hakuhodo India

Leo Burnett India elevates Vikram Pandey and Sachin Kamble as CCOs

Leo Burnett India has made changes to its senior creative leadership with the elevation of Vikram Pandey and Sachin Kamble from National Creative Directors to Chief Creative Officers for Leo Burnett, South Asia. They will continue to report to Rajdeepak Das – Chief Creative Officer (CCO), Publics Groupe - South Asia and Chairman, Leo Burnett – South Asia.

As NCDs, Pandey and Kamble have been an integral part of Leo Burnett India’s success story. As CCOs, they will lead the creative growth of the agency across its offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru to elevate its creative output and contribute to the agency’s strategic initiatives.

Commenting on the announcement Rajdeepak Das, CCO, Publicis Groupe - South Asia and Chairman Leo Burnett – South Asia says, “This is a huge moment for Leo Burnett. Sachin Kamble and Vikram Pandey have both spent years alongside me enhancing our creative talent. They have been my co-conspirators as we led Leo Burnett to its current glory. As leaders, they exemplify the Leo Burnett value system, centred around people and purpose, powered by creativity to deliver impactful work for our clients. There are no two better individuals to lead Leo Burnett’s creative growth and I am looking forward to seeing them create even more magic together.”

Adding further Amitesh Rao, CEO Leo Burnett - South Asia comments, “We have always believed in offering growth opportunities to our people and both Vikram and Sachin have proven themselves to be incredible talents, well deserving of the promotion. Their calibre and commitment to creative excellence sets them apart from their peers and I am delighted to recognise their leadership as Chief Creative Officers.”

Speaking about the elevation Kamble shares, “For the past decade, we've invested heavily in cultivating a creative culture. Our vision is clear: to be the best in the world by prioritising new-age work and championing young talent. For us at Leo Burnet, everything revolves around our Humankind work ethos and ideas which will impact a billion. I'm incredibly excited to take on this new role and feel fortunate to have an exceptionally talented co-captain for this journey.”

Adding further Pandey mentions, “We've had a really good run in last 3-4 years. We've won top honours at all international award shows, we manage some of the biggest businesses and most sought-after brands, and we have an enviable, talented bunch working with us. I feel we are completely aligned to deliver on the promise of modern creativity and I am absolutely delighted to lead it from the front. There couldn’t be a better partner to do this with, than Sachin, we both go back a long way and the next chapter is only going to be most interesting.”

Namit Sharma joins Arré Studio as CEO

Arré, a digital brand that houses Arré Studio & Arré Voice, has named Namit Sharma as CEO of its studio business. With a career spanning over 25 years in the media and entertainment sector, Sharma brings a wealth of diverse and exciting experience, ranging from journalism and scriptwriting to television production, broadcasting, film production, live entertainment, and digital content.

Starting with the early days at Sony Entertainment Television and Yash Raj Films, Sharma has held leadership roles at Wizcraft Entertainment, Zee Network & Reliance Entertainment which underscore his strategic vision and commitment to creative storytelling.

His leadership at Arré signals a new chapter, enabling the building of a new-age media brand that speaks to consumers directly as well as via OTT platforms, broadcast, movie theatres, social media and more. Moreover, Sharma will provide guidance to the content team at Arré Voice which is bringing forth a whole new idiom of 30-second audio pods presently across Tamil, Telugu and Hindi languages in tier 3 and rural India

In response to his appointment, Sharma states, "I am honoured to join Arré Studio at such a pivotal moment for the media landscape. The audience is making sharper choices with every passing day and we hope to deliver entertainment that lives up to expectations in time to come. I am excited about building a content slate for Arré across mediums, platforms and genres with great storytelling and consumer choices at the centre.”

B Saikumar, Founder, Arré, mentions, "Namit's strategic leadership will undoubtedly propel Arré to new heights as we continue our journey in building one of the most exciting media brands of our time. Arré is poised to bring the world of tech, content, and social media together to entertain and engage consumers via Arré Studio and Arré Voice’

Niyati Merchant, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Arré adds, “Namit's extensive experience across various facets of media—from television to digital platforms—complements our goals perfectly as we aim to deliver compelling stories that resonate with our diverse audience. The industry is experiencing significant growth, and with Namit's creative insights and proven track record, we look forward to shaping the future of entertainment by working with creators dedicated to authentic storytelling as well as platforms and partners across the country.”

DoubleVerify bolsters APAC leadership team

DoubleVerify has reported a robust lineup of strategic leadership appointments in the APAC region. These appointments will also kick off DV’s entry into two new markets – Hong Kong and Thailand.

“The digital advertising landscape in APAC is dynamic and growing,” says Mark Zagorski, CEO of DoubleVerify. “The unique needs of our customers in the APAC region require a leadership team with significant market insight and expertise. This new team will drive enduring growth in APAC and will help us advance our mission of making the internet stronger, safer, and more secure.”

Conrad Tallariti, previously Regional Vice President of Sales, will assume the role of Managing Director for Asia Pacific. With nearly two decades of experience in programmatic sales and marketing, Tallariti will spearhead operations across the APAC region, driving growth and business momentum. Having held leadership roles in the APAC and EMEA regions, Tallariti has worked with some of the world’s leading businesses.

Following DoubleVerify’s acquisition of Scibids AI, Rahul Vasudev will be stepping into the role of Regional Vice President for APAC, with a focus on Scibids go-to-market. Vasudev, who has been instrumental in overseeing commercial efforts for Scibids in APAC, will continue to leverage his expertise to expand the influence of AI-powered ad technology across the region.

Marty Buragay joins as Global Director, Global Client and Agency Partnerships, APAC, to enhance DV’s work with global brands across the region. Bringing over a decade of specialized experience in solutions strategy and management, Buragaya’s previous organizations include Uber, Meta, and Diageo.

As Sales Director for Thailand, Jantra Khonrangde (Joy) will accelerate momentum and strengthen DV’s in-market presence. A seasoned digital marketing strategist who contributed to the growth of companies like Innity, Khonrangde will accelerate DV’s expansion in Thailand,  leveraging her strong capabilities to develop lasting partnerships.

Junny Yiu, as Senior Business Director, North Asia, will be responsible for expanding and solidifying DV's business in key North Asia Markets, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea. In a digital advertising career spanning over a decade, Junny has developed proficiency in a diverse range of digital advertising verticals, from Search Engine Marketing to Programmatic Advertising. She previously drove SSP adoption at Hivestack and also counts Verizon and Yahoo as earlier associations. 

Sumant Bhattacharya joins Hakuhodo India as Managing Partner – Strategy

Hakuhodo India has appointed Sumant Bhattacharya as its Managing Partner – Strategy. He, previously, worked for Publicis Communications as EVP of Strategic Planning. 

Announcing the new position on his LinkedIn handle, Bhattacharya wrote, “Happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Managing Partner – Strategy at Hakuhodo India!” 

Before this, Bhattacharya worked for Publicis Communications for a short period. Before this, he was associated with GroupM as the National Head – Communication Planning between 2018 and 2023. Previous to this, Bhattacharya served for Lowe Lintas and Partners as Senior Vice President – Strategic Planning from 2014 to 2018. Before his stint with Lowe Lintas, he was positioned as AVP & Planning Director at Grey Worldwide. He also began his career as AVP and Strategic Planning Director at JWT in 2012. 

Bhattacharya brings to the table an extensive professional experience. He also has a proven track record of being a brand marketing expert. He has excelled in areas such as market sizing (TAM, SAM and SOM) and prioritization, consumer insights, buyer journeys brand framework, culture, content & communication, consumer cohorts, digital strategy, e-commerce, and offline and online deployment.