Indian Advertising Guru Named Ogilvy Africa CEO

Ogilvy Africa has named Vikas Mehta as its new Chief Executive Officer. He takes over from Mathieu Plassard, who is moving to Ogilvy South Africa in a new role, after two and a half years in Kenya.

Until his appointment, Vikas was the CEO of Mullen Lintas, in India. He will take on this new role effective December 2019, said Bharat Thakrar, CEO of WPP-Scangroup, which owns the Ogilvy Africa Agency Network.  “Vikas has the right combination of leadership, people and technology skills to continue to scale Ogilvy Africa to even greater heights,” said Mr Thakrar.

Advertising experience

He said has a career track record of 15 years in various agency leadership roles across Asia-Pacific markets including Singapore and Vietnam.

Mr Thakrar said the agency has confidence in Vikas’s ability to be an outstanding, collaborative leader, and most importantly a remarkable brand partner for clients.

A strategist by training, Vikas has experience spanning managing units across disciplines including advertising (on and offline), digital transformation, social, shopper & experiential and PR & influence. He believes in an omnichannel approach to building brands which creates a unified experience across consumer touchpoints.

“In most markets that I have worked in, Ogilvy has been the one to beat,” said Mr Vikas. “I have tremendous respect for the network and it’s an exciting time to bring the ambition of One Ogilvy to life in Africa.”

New to Ogilvy leadership team, Vikas joined Ammirati Puris Lintas in 2002, based in its New Delhi office. After a brief stint with Leo Burnett, he returned to the network in 2006, moving to Lowe Viet Nam in Ho Chi Minh City. 

See Also >> Meet the Mastrubating Student Who Became a CEO

At the age of 31, he was named Managing Director – Lowe Viet Nam, making him the youngest country head in the global network. Under his leadership, the agency went on to create some iconic campaigns, dominate effectiveness awards in the region and become the largest creative agency in the country.

In 2011, he was named Regional Growth Officer for Lowe Asia-Pacific. Based in Singapore, the role was instrumental in charting out and implementing the strategy for business and capability expansion for the network.

Creative agency

The role included 15 countries across the region including North Asia, Greater China, South & South-East Asia, and the Pacific with a focus on developing and emerging (D&E) markets.

He moved to India in 2013 to head marketing for Mullen Lowe Lintas Group as the first CMO in Indian advertising. Since then, he’s played several roles in the group including Head of Digital, President Group Marketing Services and then founding the group’s omnichannel creative agency, PointNine Lintas in 2017.

Vikas has the skills needed to build the agency of the future and his experience as an omnichannel practitioner will give an edge

Paul O’Donnell

Built as a beta (version 0.9) of a new operating model for an integrated agency, PointNine Lintas was incubated and successfully merged with the group’s flagship agency, Lowe Lintas. Vikas took on the role of CEO at Mullen Lintas in January this year.

While congratulating Vikas on his appointment, Chairman and CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Europe, Africa, and Middle-East Paul O’Donnell said Vikas has the skills needed to build the agency of the future and his experience as an omnichannel practitioner will give an edge to the solutions needed to develop the agency.

While announcing the changes, Thakrar, thanked Mathieu who he said had created a solid team across Ogilvy markets in Africa, focusing on client needs, business growth and continuity that saw the firm win 4 of the industry coveted Cannes Lions awards in 2017, among others.

Headquartered in Nairobi, Ogilvy Africa has solidified its presence as a leading creative communications agency, with several global awards reflecting success in various campaigns.

Next Read >> Using Dress Code to Improve Staff Morale & Productivity

Latest

Borrowers Tie Lenders in Web of Litigation as Defaults Rise

In early June, Equity placed TransCentury and East Africa Cables under receivership after declining a request to write off over Ksh2.8 billion ($20 million) debt owed by TransCentury Plc and another Ksh1.948 billion owed by its subsidiary.

SasaPay To “Pay SMEs To Get Paid” Via New Cash-Back Model

SasaPay has introduced a new cash-back model designed to...

Gor Mahia Fan Who Correctly Predicted 15 Out of 17 Games Wins Millions

The 30-year-old, also an avid follower of English Premier League giants Manchester United, came close to the grand prize of Ksh334,783,843 SportPesa Jackpot.

In Race for African Leadership Award, Ruto Faces Tough Opposition

Among the contenders of the prestigious African of the Year award is Kenya’s President William Ruto, who will be battling it out with President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia and Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah, President of Afrexim Bank.

Follow Us

Newsletter

Don't miss

Safaricom To Power Tusker OktobaFest Beer Festival

Safaricom’s involvement in OktobaFest as a technology and payments partner will focus on fostering seamless in-festival connectivity, empowering the youth and Gen Z community through Safaricom Hook, and powering digital payments through M-PESA.

Music Producers Launch Organization To Streamline Recording Industry

Recording Industry of Kenya (RIKE) was launched on 9th October 2023. Registered in 2022 as a not-for-profit organization, RIKE aims to promote the collective interests of producers of sound recordings in the country.

Nairobi’s Hero Bar Listed Among World’s 50 Best Bars

World Best Bars: Hero Bar in Nairobi continues to climb the list, moving up six places to No.62 and Johannesburg’s Sin + Tax comes in at No.94. Dubai new entry Ergo is at No.69 and Melbourne’s Byrdi has re-entered the list at No.61.

Kenyan DJs Face Off In Smirnoff Battle Of The Beats Season 3

The Smirnoff Battle of the Beats Season 3, a DJ competition, is poised to unleash an unprecedented musical frenzy countrywide.

The Highs And Lows Of Betty Kyallo, Sisters Show As Season 2 Ends

Kyallo Kulture has always been, above all, about sisterhood, and in Season 2 we have witnessed the charm of it - the ups that gave us wholesome moments as the sisters led by Betty Kyallo spent time together.

DStv Beats CNN, BBC To Become Most Admired Media Outlet In Africa

DStv, MultiChoice Group’s leading broadcast service, has been named...

MultiChoice Revises Subscription Fees For DStv, GOtv

MultiChoice has announced price adjustments on some of their...

Octopizzo: How I Make My Money

"I've been doing this for 12, 13 years. It reaches a point where you no longer need to prove that you can make a hit record," he stated.

New Spotify EQUAL Artist Qing Madi Talks Music and Dreams

Heavily influenced by her cultural background and the lyrical arrangements of Kendrick Lamar, the versatile Nigerian prodigy is shaping the future of music with her unique genre-bending fusion of Afrobeats, Pop, Soul and R&B.

Bob Collymore Immortalized in New Festival

The late Collymore was famous for his love for jazz and even initiated the Safaricom Jazz Festival, which saw several of the world's biggest Jazz artists perform in Nairobi.
BT Reporter
BT Reporterhttp://www.businesstoday.co.ke
editor [at] businesstoday.co.ke

Borrowers Tie Lenders in Web of Litigation as Defaults Rise

In early June, Equity placed TransCentury and East Africa Cables under receivership after declining a request to write off over Ksh2.8 billion ($20 million) debt owed by TransCentury Plc and another Ksh1.948 billion owed by its subsidiary.

SasaPay To “Pay SMEs To Get Paid” Via New Cash-Back Model

SasaPay has introduced a new cash-back model designed to empower business owners to reduce costs and bolster profitability by receiving compensation for collecting payments...

Gor Mahia Fan Who Correctly Predicted 15 Out of 17 Games Wins Millions

The 30-year-old, also an avid follower of English Premier League giants Manchester United, came close to the grand prize of Ksh334,783,843 SportPesa Jackpot.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here