Tag: Business transformation

India – dentsu has announced the launch of its business transformation practice, Dentsu BX, in India to continue its rapid evolution as a ‘Marketing X Technology X Consulting’ company. Narayan Devanathan will lead the new practice, adding to his existing role as president and chief strategy officer for South Asia. 

He will continue to report to Harsha Razdan, CEO for South Asia at dentsu, while also reporting to Chris Bower, managing director of business transformation consulting for APAC at dentsu, and Yuichi Toyoda, global practice president for Business Transformation (BX).

In his expanded mandate, Narayan will collaborate with businesses to co-create transformation strategies that accelerate sustainable business growth. He will aim to deliver transformative solutions that drive substantial value for clients, businesses, and society. 

Working with a group of agile client transformation specialists internally and specialised strategic alliances externally, Dentsu BX will create innovative strategies for businesses to explore new categories, revolutionise their operations, and stay ahead of the times, true to dentsu’s promise of ‘Innovating to Impact’.

Speaking about the new practice, Narayan said, “I am excited to lead the Dentsu BX practice in India. We have already launched the practice in stealth mode and engaged with multiple businesses on various projects. Clients already get ‘efficiencies and best practices’ with your garden-variety consulting firms and that’s not what Dentsu BX is about. Our goal is to create Next Practices for them via distinctive solutions built on three cornerstones: creativity, our ability to move people and activate and execute outcomes that benefit customers, society, and business.”

He added, “Our solutions span growth hacking, sustainability acceleration, innovation, and incubation – in short, all the ingredients businesses need to create a better, more sustainable future for themselves, their customers, and society. That’s the essence not just of Dentsu BX but of dentsu itself, and we will harness all the extraordinary talent and expertise of dentsu South Asia to deliver it.”

Meanwhile, Harsha commented, “Dentsu’s relentless commitment is on delivering exceptional client- outcomes. As we have evolved to become more client-centric across all practices, the expansion of Dentsu BX into India represents a natural progression. I am confident that Narayan is the perfect leader for this initiative. His extensive expertise and proven track record make him ideally suited to lead this strategic and industry-leading offering.”

He added, “In addition to his existing remit, Narayan will harness our key expertise to craft innovative and transformative solutions that drive significant business impact for brands. With his elite ‘special ops’ team for Dentsu BX, Narayan will leverage the full strength of dentsu to deliver innovative, outcome-driven solutions for our clients.”

Hong Kong – Ogilvy Consulting, the strategic consultancy group of global creative network Ogilvy, has announced a new leadership structure in Asia as incumbent CEO Jerry Smith retires by the end of the year. Chris Brewer is named President of Business Transformation and Innovation, while Paolo Mercado is appointed as the new President of Brand Transformation and Innovation in Asia. Both appointments are senior elevations.

Brewer is former managing director of the region, while, Mercado is previously VP of the Behavioral Science practice. Ogilvy Consulting said the new dual leadership structure aims to bring focus to two large and vital practice areas that it is looking to accelerate in the coming months. 

As Smith steps down, he will continue to work for the company in an advisory capacity. 

“Jerry has been a true pillar and thought leader of Ogilvy in Asia for over two decades as well as a champion of helping create and lead the future. He leaves a lasting legacy and framework that will prevail as we see Chris and Paolo work together to ensure that there is a common and coordinated plan for Ogilvy Consulting in Asia as a whole,” said Kent Wertime, Co-CEO of Ogilvy Asia. 

The Global CEO of Ogilvy Consulting, Carla Hendra, also commented, “No one worked more closely with me than Jerry to develop the original concept of Ogilvy Consulting globally. He led so much innovation for Ogilvy Consulting and our clients – from our relationship with MIT and the Open Roads initiative to forging countless technology partnerships. I am excited to begin work with Chris and Paolo to continue Ogilvy Consulting’s strong growth in Asia, and in support of our global innovation solutions for brands and businesses.” 

Brewer, in his role as President of Business Transformation and Innovation, will be focusing on a number of areas of business transformation, inclusive of business audits, transformation strategies and roadmaps, as well as product/service/experience strategy and design, and marketing transformation. He will closely align consulting services to Ogilvy Experience and Verticurl for digital transformation where Ogilvy has been seeing enormous growth potential. 

Meanwhile, Mercado as President of Brand Transformation and Innovation will continue to develop Behavioral Science services, sustainability consulting, and various other areas of brand transformation and portfolio strategies for clients. 

Prior to joining Ogilvy, Mercado spent 12 years with Nestlé where he headed up marketing and communications for China, and then in the Philippines where he also led Innovation. Throughout his career, Mercado has managed complex marketing projects in all major geographies of Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. 

Meanwhile, Brewer as former MD led Ogilvy Consulting based out of Hong Kong, which he has called home for 15 years. He is responsible for advising C-Suites, boards, and business leaders on the creation of transformational growth strategies. This has included AXA, FWD Insurance, HSBC, Jardine Matheson, China Mobile, PVH, Marriott International, Huawei and Asia Miles to name notables – work which has resulted in both palpable business outcomes and award-winning impact. 

Commenting on the new leadership structure, Chris Reitermann, Co-CEO of Ogilvy Asia, said, “We are thrilled to make these key appointments to our leadership team at Ogilvy Consulting. Both Chris and Paolo have an acute understanding of our clients’ rapidly changing needs in Asia and will be instrumental in delivering cross-capability work that generates impact and positions us as the go-to growth partner in the region.”