Saatchi & Saatchi India strengthens creative leadership with Mayuresh Dubhashi as Chief Creative Officer

Saatchi & Saatchi India, part of Publicis Groupe India, has appointed Mayuresh Dubhashi as Chief Creative Officer, further strengthening its creative leadership bench. Based in the agency’s Mumbai office, Mayuresh will report to Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India, and Propagate India. In his new role, Mayuresh will partner with Kartik Smetacek, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India, to shape the agency’s creative ambition and deliver modern, culture-led solutions for brands.

A creative leader with a culture-first lens, Mayuresh brings over two decades of experience across brand building, innovation strategy and modern storytelling. With a strong track record of creating work that connects brands with culture and consumers, he joins Saatchi & Saatchi India from FCB Neo India, where he served as Chief Creative Officer, having previously held leadership roles at Leo India, Grey, Taproot Dentsu and JWT. His return to Publicis Groupe India follows his successful stint at Leo, where he led Oreo’s #BringBack2011, which became India’s most awarded campaign of 2023. His work has been recognised across leading platforms including Cannes Lions, D&AD, Spikes Asia, Effie India, APAC Effie Awards, The One Show and The One Show Asia, for brands including Oreo, KFC, Adidas, Uber and Amazon.

As Mayuresh Dubhashi takes on the creative leadership mantle at Saatchi & Saatchi India, Rohit Malkani, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India, will transition into an advisory role as Senior Creative Advisor, where he will continue to support the creative mandate for some key brands. Over his nearly decade-long tenure with Saatchi & Saatchi India, Rohit has played a significant role in shaping the agency’s creative journey and growth. He has led the creative mandate across its Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata offices, strengthened relationships with key clients, built new brand partnerships, and helped to raise the bar on creativity and talent.

Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India, and Propagate India, said, “As the industry continues to evolve, we remain focused on strengthening our creative reputation and shaping the future of our agency and our clients’ businesses. Modern creativity is increasingly about understanding culture, consumers and technology to create ideas that drive meaningful business impact. Mayuresh brings exactly this combination and proven ability to build brands, making him a strong fit for our ambition to create transformational work. Kartik and Mayuresh will work closely together and lead the agency’s entire client portfolio to ensure every brand will benefit from their combined expertise. I would also like to thank Rohit for his significant contribution to Saatchi & Saatchi India over nearly a decade and look forward to our partnership in his advisory role.”

Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe South Asia & Chairman, Leo South Asia, added, “It’s wonderful to welcome Mayuresh back to Publicis Groupe India. Having worked closely with him during his time at Leo India, I have seen his ability to build strong creative cultures and shape work that connects deeply with brands and consumers. As we continue to evolve our creative ambition and create work that drives meaningful growth, strong creative leadership remains a key priority for us. Mayuresh brings the right experience, instinct and perspective to further elevate the creative culture at Saatchi & Saatchi India.”

Mayuresh Dubhashi, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India, said, “Saatchi & Saatchi India is known for its distinctive creative culture and its legacy of defining work. As marketing continues to evolve, I believe the most powerful creativity will be informed by culture, data and technology, while remaining rooted in strong human insight and ideas. Publicis Groupe’s capabilities across data, technology and creativity provide a powerful platform to bring this to life for brands. I’m excited to lead this next phase of the agency’s creative journey alongside Kartik and the team.”