MAM
Havas appoints Joji Jacob as regional CCO for Southeast & North Asia
Mumbai: As a creative partner and co-founder at BLKJ Havas Singapore, Joji Jacob has been appointed regional chief creative officer for Southeast Asia and North Asia.
Joji will take on comprehensive responsibility for steering the creative direction and ensuring seamless integration into client engagements across the region. Through his role as Chair of Havas’ APAC and member of the Global Creative Council, he will work closely with the council to drive creativity across local offices and explore innovative storytelling approaches while maintaining meaningful connections.
Over the past 20 years, Joji has contributed significantly to renowned agencies in India and Singapore. In addition to co-founding BLKJ in 2016 and joining the Havas family in 2021, BLKJ Havas boasts an impressive client portfolio that includes the likes of Great Eastern, the Economic Development Board of Singapore, and JLL.
The former group executive creative director Joji at DDB has a remarkable track record in the advertising industry. During his nine-year tenure, the agency received numerous accolades and became one of the most awarded in the industry. Joji himself has been recognised as Singapore’s Most Influential creative director and Southeast Asia’s creative person of the Year, consecutively for two years. He has also served as a prestigious juror for global and regional awards shows such as Cannes, D&AD, LIA, One Show, and Spikes Asia. Known for his innovative thinking and ability to create iconic campaigns, Joji is revered for his commitment to excellence and passion for his craft.
Barua shared his opinions regarding the appointment, “As a network, our united focus is consistently directed towards delivering clients a meaningful experience through exceptional work, achieved by investing in the best talent. The region while culturally diverse shares the same purpose. Joji with his extensive experience and creative strength across the region, will enhance our overall creative output, and play a universal role in fostering positive momentum for all markets, building towards the goal of One Asia. This appointment underscores Havas’ commitment to cultivating top-tier creative leadership, driving the creative mandate and signifies a significant stride toward achieving our growth objectives in these dynamic markets.”
Joji Jacob expressed, “I’ve spent 20 years as a creative, with the last ten years spent leading a creative business. So, I step into this role not just with experience but also with a beginner’s mindset. Rana and I have been discussing the many plans and ambitions and my job is to help create the conditions that enable our people make the best work of their lives for our clients, and I find myself at the right place and at the right time. Havas is a place where the entrepreneurial spirit thrives, meaning it’s not set in its ways. We can respond to a rapidly changing marketplace with agility which I find exciting. And Rana’s energy is infectious, that’s one bug I’m happy to catch.”
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
