MAM
Avantgarde eyes growth markets, sets foot in India
MUMBAI: Avantgarde, a Munich-based communications agency, is setting foot in India as it seeks to focus on fast-growing emerging markets with slowdown impacting the most matured economies.
The agency is opening its first India office in Delhi on 14 February and its 12th globally.
The Indian operations will be looked after by Avantgarde India MD Isabelle-Jasmin Roth.
After the launches in Brazil, Russia and China, the opening of Avantgarde India will complete the company‘s BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) strategy.
The agency already runs offices in London, Paris, Vienna and the Middle East.
According to an official communiqué, the completion of the agency‘s presence in all BRIC states emphasises on its global engagement with target groups and brands and creating outstanding experiences in its mission of ‘creating fans‘.
Avantgarde CEO and founder Martin Schnaack said, “Avantgarde strongly believes in the fast and sustainably growing Indian market. We see great opportunities for us, adding perfectly to our dynamic global expansion.”
Roth added, “India has become a leader in the global business world. The market has a great potential and is of prime importance to us. We are excited to start our Indian operations.”
Founded in 1985, Avantgarde is a global communications agency with a focus on experiential marketing. With over 400 employees at 16 locations around the globe, Avantgarde creates brand experiences.
MAM
WPP appoints Estée Lauder’s Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer
Former Estée Lauder executive to lead operations, technology and culture overhaul under WPP’s three-year growth plan
LONDON: WPP has appointed Anne-Isabelle Choueiri as chief transformation officer in a newly created role tasked with delivering the group’s Elevate28 strategy.
Choueiri joins from The Estée Lauder Companies, where she led enterprise-wide strategic initiatives, including the “One ELC” operating model and major upgrades to enterprise marketing, data and analytics capabilities. She also led the redesign of enterprise technology teams and served on the company’s AI taskforce, driving AI strategy, adoption and value realisation across the business.
At WPP, she will be responsible for designing, implementing and embedding the operating model behind Elevate28, the company’s three-year growth plan unveiled in February 2026. She will lead efforts to improve innovation, efficiency and integration across WPP’s client offerings, with a focus on delivering agile, outcome-driven solutions and measurable growth.
Choueiri will oversee organisational transformation across the group, working closely with product and enterprise technology teams to deploy AI, data and technology to build new capabilities and improve operational performance. She will also work with the people function to embed cultural change, strengthen an agile performance mindset and support talent development across the organisation.
Before joining Estée Lauder, she held senior roles across consulting and digital agencies, including at Accenture, Masaï (a Bain & Company spin-off), and Kearney, with experience spanning strategy, data and digital marketing transformation.
Cindy Rose, chief executive officer of WPP, said Choueiri brings a strong track record of leading large-scale transformation across operations, technology and culture, adding that her appointment will help accelerate the group’s next phase of growth under Elevate28.
Choueiri said WPP’s strategy represents an ambitious opportunity to reshape how the company operates and delivers for clients, adding that she looks forward to building integrated solutions and fostering a culture of innovation and change.
She will be based in New York and will join WPP’s executive committee.
