VMLY&R India appointments Payal Vaidya as Executive Vice President of Experience Design

VMLY&R India, has appointed Payal Vaidya as Executive Vice President, Experience Design, a role that will shape the agency’s evolving Customer Experience practice.

Prior to joining VMLY&R, Vaidya co-founded The Thinking Hats Innovation in New York City, focused on launching, sustaining, and innovating with brands on their experiences, products, and services. She has robust global experience in transforming brands and businesses in India, APAC, and the US markets.

Formally trained in Design Thinking, Vaidya brings stories to life, and has helped start-ups, not-for-profits and Fortune 500 companies including P&G, L’Oréal, Unilever, Tata, Aditya Birla Group and Mahindra Group translate their experiences for the digital, physical, and human worlds.

At VMLY&R, Vaidya will be a part of the senior leadership council, leading the Customer Experience Design vertical and will be responsible for evangelizing Design Thinking and customer-first experiences within the agency and with clients.

Payal Vaidya said: “I am thrilled to join a passionate team at VMLY&R and help transform brands and businesses to create phenomenal experiences through creativity, problem-solving and collaboration. It’s exciting to see the Human Centered Design approach permeate through agencies and brands alike, and I look forward to building on VMLY&R’s existing practice to allow us to truly put the customer at the centre for every client.”

Anil Nair, CEO, VMLY&R India, said: “In our journey to becoming a complete marketing partner to our brands, we have been evolving our Customer Experience practice. For that precise reason, we are happy to have Vaidya on board to evangelise the importance of CX strategy & partner brands on the delivery of elevated experiences for their consumers.”

Vaidya is a design leader, strategist, and entrepreneur with 19 years of global experience in transforming brands and businesses through collaborative leadership and problem-solving skills. She has worked with marketing agencies and consultancies like Ogilvy, Grey, Publicis and helped co-found The Thinking Hats Innovation Consultancy in New York City. Vaidya has helped start-ups, not for profits and Fortune 500 companies like P&G, L’Oréal, Unilever, Tata, Aditya Birla Group, Mahindra Group, Lowe’s, Apto Global, Surterra Wellness, Shine Foundation and many more – launch, sustain and innovate their brands, experiences, products, and services.

Vaidya is formally trained in design thinking and holds a Master’s in Design Management from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD, US). She has spoken at national and global events including the WMM’s Multicultural National Women’s Conference, in the US as well as facilitated workshops to guide clients find strategic solutions by tapping into human-centred and design thinking principles. Vaidya mentors South Asian women creatives in New York City, Designers at ADPList, and serves as the Chair and Host of the Service Design Speaker series at International Society of Service Innovation Professionals (ISSIP) for US and Europe.