AD Agencies
22feet Tribal makes two senior hires
MUMBAI: 22feet Tribal Worldwide has roped in two senior professionals to strengthen its leadership. While Axon Alex has been hired as strategic planning lead, Shikha Davessar, has been promoted to EVP & head – client business. Both will report to 22feet Tribal president Vanaja Pillai.
Axon who has 16 years work experience is a MICA alumnus who began his advertising journey with DDB Tribal. Some of the key roles in his professional journey include strategy director at BBH India and managing partner at Jack in the Box Worldwide where he played a significant role in contributing to the agency’s growth. Axon boasts a strong portfolio with marquee brands such as McDonald’s, Vi (Vodafone Idea), Mars Petcare, ITC Hotels.
Shikha has been with the DDB Mudra Group for close to 10 years, and has worked with several prestigious Fortune 500 global brands including Britannia, Battlegrounds Mobile India, Diageo, Flipkart, LG, and Mars Petcare. Shikha strongly believes in data-driven decision making but she emphasises the importance of fresh creativity to fuel it all.
“I am delighted with these developments at 22feetTribal Worldwide, building off the success we experienced over the last year,” says Pillai. “Axon joins us at a perfect time, with an enviable roster of clients and exciting business challenges ahead. He brings a wealth of experience from his 16 years in the industry, including key roles at esteemed agencies and a strong portfolio with marquee brands. His expertise will undoubtedly enrich our strategic capabilities and propel our agency’s further growth.
We’ve made great strides in new business and creative wins, and Shikha’s contributions have been significant in making this happen. Her journey within our agency exemplifies our commitment to nurturing and recognizing internal talent, and her elevation is a well-deserved recognition. We can’t wait for the amazing journey we have ahead at 22feetTribal WW!”
Adds Alex: “This agency in its previous avatar was where it all started for me, and I made the promise to come back someday. I’ve come back not on the back of the promise I made but the promise 22Feet holds. The teams have built a reputation in being in the consideration set when you think about the top agencies in the country. Strategy is simply the process of charting the way forward and I hope I’ll play a part in our growth story through the work for our clients and the thinking behind it.”
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
