India – To enhance its creative leadership in the southern markets, DDB Mudra has brought on board Priya Shivakumar as its new creative head for the South region.

Shivakumar brings a wealth of experience to her new role. She joins DDB Mudra from Wunderman Thompson (JWT), where she progressed from executive creative director to chief creative officer for the South region.

With over two decades of experience in the industry, Shivakumar has garnered numerous awards and accolades for her work, including multiple Cannes Lions, D&AD Pencils, One Show Pencils, and Spikes Asia awards. One of her recent achievements is for ‘Hidden Truth,’ a powerful campaign addressing domestic violence.

As the new creative head, Shivakumar will closely collaborate with Rahul Mathew, chief creative officer at DDB Mudra Group, and share leadership responsibilities with Menaka Menon, president of growth and strategy at DDB Mudra.

Speaking on the appointment, Matthew commented, “We have been evolving our offering in the South to go beyond national campaigns and offer specialised expertise for the five South markets. And we believe what will make our solutions even more effective is our creativity. Priya will play a critical role in us achieving this vision for the South Office. She has the unique ability to capture local and cultural nuances and execute them to international standards. I’m excited to have her partner with us on our journey.”

Meanwhile, talking about her new role, Shivakumar said, “I’m thrilled to join DDB Mudra and contribute to the legacy of creating culturally resonant brands. These are exciting times where you can take storytelling to new and unexpected places…through technology, craft, or experience…”

She added, “I’m looking forward to leveraging the power of emotions in my work, driving choices, creating conversations, shaping markets, and rewriting brand stories.” 

India – Dentsu India has appointed Aalap Desai to the role of chief creative officer (CCO) of Taproot Dentsu, a dentsuMB Company. Previously, Desai was with dentsuMB India where he held the position of National Creative Director.

Desai will lead Isobar India’s creative team and will be responsible for Taproot Dentsu’s transformation into becoming a Nex-Gen, digital-first agency. In his roles, he will report to Ajay Gahlaut, group chief creative officer India (GCCO), Dentsu Creative India.

While working at India’s best mainline and digital agencies, Desai has developed a profile that is truly integrated. He has won over 150 International & National awards that include Cannes Lions, D&AD, Spikes and One Show. He also co-headed the creative team at Dentsu Webchutney, Mumbai and was behind some of the most notable works like Code Name: Uri, The 8-bit Journo for Vice and The World’s Most Reported trailer for Thappad. 

Apart from this, Desai was also a part of the creative teams at Disney+ Hotstar, Leo Burnett, JWT, DDB Mudra, Ogilvy, and Publicis Ambience. He has helped build India’s most loved brands like McDonald’s, Complan, Huggies, Nerolac, Videocon d2h, and some youth-centric ones like Early Salary and MTV India. At rank 41, Aalap was recently the highest rated Indian creatives in the global creative listing of 2022 by ‘The Drum’ and was also part of the jury at Spikes Asia 2022.

Meanwhile, Titus Upputuru, who was previously Creative Head, has been promoted to NCD, Taproot Dentsu, Gurgaon. In this new post, Titus will manage the agency’s Gurgaon creative team and report to Aalap Desai, CCO, Taproot Dentsu. Titus has also been tasked with the added responsibility of leading dentsu Creative India’s integrated solutions. He would report to Gahlaut, GCCO, dentsu creative India, in this position.

Speaking on his promotion, Desai shared, “I am humbled by the faith the dentsu network has shown in me over the years. With the integrated approach we have now, I am excited to be a bigger part of that journey with my new role at isobar and Taproot Dentsu. isobar has taught me the power of limitless possibilities, the power of future-gazing and thinking of things that don’t even exist. It is a scary privilege to not just be in step with the world but to create steps that the world will use to climb to the future.”

Desai added, “Taproot Dentsu is legendary. It is a sacred altar that the whole industry pays homage to. It has challenged the industry and created an unmatched space for itself. For years, I’ve looked up to it and to the work that this institution created. To now be a part of it and help usher it into the future, is something that is extraordinarily exciting for me.”

Sidharth Rao, CEO, dentsuMB Group, shared, “The decision is vital to the growth of dentsu Creative in India and aligned with the network’s global ambitions. Talents such as Aalap and Titus come with unmatched expertise & experience, and their contributions are bound to outweigh the expectations of our clients and the industry. Over the years, they have been groomed with the proficiency to build brands from scratch and are excellent at measuring & matching the market pulse with client needs. With this move, I look forward to dentsu Creative India reinforcing creative solutions in newer & undefined ways.”

Ajay Gahlaut, group chief creative officer at Dentsu Creative India, added, “It is fascinating to work with some of the country’s best creative brains. Aalap and Titus are creative geniuses who have delivered some fantastic campaigns over the years. Their brand-building approaches are contemporary and fresh. I feel that’s the need of the hour. All the conversations around us are evolving and it is inevitable for brands to evolve their conversations too. They are perfect for that task. Their expertise in brand thinking and storytelling will create robust digital-led creative solutions for clients. I am looking forward to working with both.”