MAM
Leo Burnett elevates Dheeraj Sinha, Rajdeepak Das as MDs
MUMBAI: Advertising agency Leo Burnett India has announced two key elevations in its senior leadership. Dheeraj Sinha and Rajdeepak Das have been named as managing directors.
Both currently serve as the chief strategy officer and chief creative officer at Leo Burnett South Asia, respectively. The duo will continue to be based out of Mumbai and will report into Publicis Communications India CEO Saurabh Varma. Their new roles are in addition to their current responsibilities.
In his new mandate, Sinha will be responsible for the agency’s revenue growth, in addition to heading its strategic and planning output. Das’ new role will see him leverage Leo Burnett’s humankind philosophy in order to elevate Burnett’s creative product.
Speaking about his promotion, Sinha says, “I am looking forward to leading Leo Burnett at possibly the best time that the agency has ever had. Our success at Cannes Lions last year — being the only agency to win for innovation and effectiveness — is a good framing of our agency ambition. As a chief strategy officer, in various jobs across Asia, I have been deeply involved in the business aspect of the agency over the last decade. I am now looking forward to running the business hands-on. I am fortunate to have Raj’s partnership and Saurabh’s backing in my new role.”
Das adds to this, “I am incredibly proud of where Leo Burnett’s creative output stands today. The last three years have been a great journey. We have turned our agency into one of the youngest and most dynamic creative companies in the region. Having said that, I believe we are only as good as our last piece of creative work. There is so much more to take on and achieve and I can’t think of a better partner than Dheeraj to take on my new responsibilities with.”
Speaking about the development, Varma says, “Four years back we started on an incredible journey as a team. We challenged every rule book, every status quo. We wanted to create ‘Wave Three’ where engagement, experience and utility would be celebrated as much as a piece of content. We wanted to create a maker culture. In this period, Indigo Consulting became a digital powerhouse. We launched Arc Worldwide and made it one of the leading experiential agencies, and built Prodigious into one of the finest production houses in India. We created epic work and had great fun doing it.”
He further adds, “Leo Burnett now needs a new chapter. The ‘power of one’ has given Leo Burnett access to the best specialist operations in the country. Backed by the expertise of Indigo, Arc, Prodigious MSLGroup and Publicis.Sapient, the agency is now in the best position to partner our clients’ businesses. Raj and Dheeraj have, together, transformed Leo Burnett India into the formidable force it is today. They have always led from the front and it is the right time to acknowledge the role they already play. Our collective ambition remains the same; to be the best in the world, bar none.”
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Digital
Galgotias apologises after AI summit robot sparks backlash, blames ‘ill-informed’ representative
University says no intent to misrepresent innovation
NEW DELHI: Galgotias University has issued a formal apology after a controversy over a robotic dog displayed at the India AI Impact Summit led to scrutiny, backlash and the university’s exit from the venue.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the university said it “apologises profusely for the confusion created” at the summit, attributing the episode to an “ill-informed” representative manning its pavilion. The individual, it said, was unaware of the product’s technical origins and was not authorised to speak to the media.
The controversy erupted after online users identified the robotic dog as the Unitree Go2, a commercially available model made by Unitree Robotics, contradicting claims made during the event about its development.
Galgotias said there was “no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation” and reiterated its commitment to academic integrity and transparency. It added that it had vacated the stall in line with organisers’ sentiments.
Events at the summit venue, Bharat Mandapam, took a dramatic turn as electricity to the Galgotias pavilion was cut, followed by barricades being installed around the stall. A video circulated by PTI showed workers at the site saying they were acting on instructions from their supervisor.
Summit organisers have yet to issue a detailed public explanation outlining the sequence of decisions that led to the stall’s shutdown, even as the incident fuels wider debate around claims, verification and accountability at high-profile technology showcases.
