India – Cheil South West Asia (SWA) has appointed Kumar Awanish as the group’s chief operating officer, following his tenure as chief growth officer.
In his new role, Awanish will lead the group’s operational strategy and report to the recently appointed president & CEO, Sungkyoon Kim. Based at the agency’s Gurugram headquarters, he will play a key role in planning the next stage of the group’s development.
Awanish will oversee operational excellence across the group and facilitate collaboration between its various divisions. He will also guide the agency’s transition towards becoming an AI-first organisation, combining technology and data with creative expertise to deliver innovative business solutions for clients.
Commenting on the appointment, Sungkyoon Kim said, “Kumar Awanish has the right skill set and experience to lead the group into this dynamic journey. He is passionate about Cheil SWA group, and his enthusiasm for work is contagious. I wish him the best in his new role and looking forward to his second innings at Cheil SWA group.”
Meanwhile, Awanish brings over two decades of experience in advertising and marketing, spanning both agency and brand-side roles. He previously served as chief growth officer at Cheil India, leading a team of more than 100 specialists. During this time, he helped establish and scale the D2C and commerce functions, while sustaining growth in media operations. His career also includes senior positions at Airtel, Snapdeal, Times Internet, GroupM, and Oppo, focusing on technology, data, and brand growth.
Commenting on his appointment, Awanish said, “I am incredibly grateful to our global and local leadership for their trust in me to drive our vision forward. We are on a mission to double down on AI literacy across all functions and group agencies, empowering our people to use AI not just for efficiency, but as a catalyst for human creativity.”
He added, “By blending advanced capabilities, with human ingenuity, we are architecting the future of Cheil SWA. This evolution is strengthened by the reunion of media and creative, ensuring that an agency of our scale remains agile and delivers the holistic, full-funnel impact our clients deserve.”
