Piyush Pandey to take up Chief Advisor role at Ogilvy India and Hephzibah Pathak elevated to lead the agency as Executive Chairperson

Ogilvy India has announced a leadership transition that will see Piyush Pandey, currently Chairman Global Creative & Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India, step back to a Chief Advisor role. Effective January 2024, Hephzibah Pathak is elevated take on the role of Executive Chairperson of Ogilvy India. The transition will involve a variety of senior Ogilvy India veterans taking the next steps in their long tenure with the agency.

As Chief Advisor, Piyush Pandey will work closely with the leadership team to ensure the Ogilvy legacy transcends all functions and levels of Ogilvy in India. He is on a mission to make certain Ogilvy’s rich creative heritage continues and makes an impact particularly on the creative product and the digital transformation that has already seamlessly integrated to make Ogilvy India a modern marketing powerhouse.

In this role Pandey will continue to work closely with major clients and the agency’s executive team to ensure that Ogilvy India maintains its important leadership role in India. Along with the leadership team, Pandey will be involved with key Ogilvy clients and new business prospects and the creative product of the agency. He will also continue to participate in various industry bodies and award forums.

SN Rane, Group Executive Co-Chairman India & COO South Asia, will work as Business Advisor to Ogilvy Asia Pacific. In his new role, Rane will work closely with Ogilvy Asia-Pacific to ensure that Ogilvy India has a smooth transition under the new management and to advise on various business operations and planning issues.

As Executive Chairperson of Ogilvy India Pathak (pictured above left with Pandey) will be Ogilvy India’s first ever woman in this role. Pathak has been the most trusted partner for many of Ogilvy’s key clients. She has played an integral role in creating iconic, category defining transformative work on many of their brands. Importantly, she has been an inspiring mentor to many current leaders and emerging talent in Ogilvy India. In this role, Pathak will lead and drive the strategic direction, growth and transformation agenda of the company.

VR Rajesh, another stalwart of the agency, will move from his current role as Group President of Ogilvy India to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the agency. VR Rajesh has led the charge in building and growing Ogilvy’s capabilities in modern marketing. In his role, he will partner Pathak in further accelerating the transformation agenda of the company. He will also be responsible for running the operations of the agency across offices in India and all its business units. He will also work closely with Hufrish Birdy, who will continue in her current role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO), on various financial, commercial, and compliance issues for Ogilvy India. Birdy has been a strong and astute pillar who has partnered the leadership team over years to deliver healthy financial performance.

Further, Ogilvy India’s leadership transition will also involve important new appointments to the Ogilvy Board. Joining the Ogilvy India Board will be the agency’s three Chief Creative Officers (CCO’s) – Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar and Sukesh Nayak. The creative trio of Nayak, Karmakar and Rajadhyaksha are amongst the most awarded and celebrated in the country and have led the charge in creating industry defining modern work on many of Ogilvy’s valued clients.

The agency’s Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Prem Narayan also joins the board. Narayan has been a strategic partner to many of Ogilvy’s key clients and creative partners. He has championed the effectiveness culture at Ogilvy, making Ogilvy India one of the most effective agencies in the world.

All four of them will continue in their current roles leading the creative and strategic work of the agency. These four executives will be joining Pathak, VR and Birdy, who are already on the Board.

Devika Seth Bulchandani, Global Chief Executive Officer, Ogilvy adds, “Piyush has done what true legends do. Nurtured and groomed a class of leaders who can assume the day to day running of the Ogilvy machine which will give him time to focus simply on the magic he has been so legendary in creating for our clients.
Together I trust the new leadership to take this iconic agency to new heights.”

Pandey said, “Creativity and its impact on our client’s businesses is at the heart of Ogilvy. In keeping with my passion, I will continue to partner and guide the new leadership as always. Our joint purpose is to ensure that we not only maintain but also better our core strengths.”