MAM
DDB Mudra West ropes in Manish Darji as ECD
MUMBAI: In a bid to further fortify its creative mandate, DDB Mudra West has appointed Manish Darji as executive creative director.
With over 15 years of experience, Darji joins DDB Mudra Group, from BBH India. He’s worked with agencies such as McCann Erickson, Ogilvy, Rediffusion Y&R and Bates 141 and has worked on world renowned brands such as Coca Cola, NDTV, Western Union, WWF, Incredible India, Fevicol, Cadbury, Tata Nano, Virgin Mobile, Skoda, CRY, TVS Wego, Marico, Vaseline and Vat 69.
This is Darji’s second stint with DDB Mudra Group. Darji said, “DDB Mudra is undergoing a transformation and it’s always great to be a part of change. The agency has a terrific roster of clients who I’m keen to work with. I’m also happy to be working with Rahul again and create some spectacular work.”
DDB Mudra West creative head Rahul Mathew said, “I’ve worked with Manish Darji at various stages of his career, and he has been a different Manish each time. It is this doggedness of his to keep evolving that makes him one of the finest in the country. With his unique and inimitable style, he harnesses the power of design to create solutions for many brands. Little wonder that work has been applauded and celebrated at various forums. And we can’t wait for him to create a lot more magic with us.”
AD Agencies
WPP Media elevates Dipti Gulati to vp, client growth for APMEA
Singapore-based executive to commercialise AI-powered solutions business across the region
SINGAPORE: WPP Media has promoted Dipti Gulati to vice president, client growth, handing her the mandate to lead the commercialisation of its solutions business across APMEA.
Based in Singapore, Gulati steps up after serving as senior director, client growth, where she drove expansion across APAC spanning programmatic, search, social, CTV, DOOH and cross-channel offerings. Now, she is tasked with translating advanced AI, data and technology ecosystems into scalable growth strategies for global brands across FMCG, luxury, F&B and financial services.
“I commercialise the future of media — at scale, across APMEA,” Gulati said, announcing her appointment. She added that she turns advanced data, AI and technology ecosystems into real commercial outcomes, shifting the conversation “from a pure media play to owning business outcomes”.
Her brief is unapologetically future-facing: addressable, accountable and AI-powered media. She will work with cross-market teams across APMEA, bringing together diverse perspectives and cultures to accelerate growth and build what she calls the “future of media”.
Gulati’s rise caps nearly two years at WPP Media and follows a six-month stint as regional director of growth, APAC, at Mindshare, where she led new business development and expanded capabilities for existing clients. Earlier, as global account director for integrated marketing communications on the Unilever business, she drove communications strategy for multi-million dollar beauty and wellbeing brands across Southeast Asia.
Before that, Gulati spent close to two years as associate director at Warner Bros. Discovery in Singapore. She also served as director, strategic partnerships and market development at TrustSphere, leading go-to-market and growth initiatives across Asia and evangelising relationship analytics to C-level executives. TrustSphere, credited by industry and Harvard Business School case studies as a pioneer in relationship analytics, became a springboard for her deeper engagement with data-driven growth.
Her board and evangelist roles at the Asia Cloud Computing Association and its Asia Analytics Alliance further sharpened her regional policy and analytics credentials. Earlier chapters include marketing consultancy at Blockchain Foundry and a seven-year run at Warner Bros. Discovery in India, where she led ad-sales and business development for HBO and WB across north and east India, delivering record billings. She began her career at Diligent Media Corporation Ltd and Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd..
From ad-sales floors in Delhi and Mumbai to boardrooms in Singapore, Gulati’s arc mirrors the industry’s own shift — from selling spots and slots to engineering outcomes through data and AI. At WPP Media, the brief is clear: scale smarter, move faster and turn algorithms into advantage.
