BBH’s Himanshu Saxena takes Saatchi helm as growth heads North and East

MUMBAI: If the compass had a favourite executive, it would probably point to him. In a move that tightens its creative grip across India’s fastest-growing regions, BBH India managing director Himanshu Saxena has been handed an expanded mandate as president of North & East for Saatchi & Saatchi India and Propagate.

Based in Gurugram, Saxena will continue to steer BBH nationally while now anchoring leadership across all three agencies. He will continue reporting to Paritosh Srivastava, CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India and Propagate marking a strategic consolidation of creative strength under one roof.

To build a high-impact nucleus for the region, Saxena will be supported by a unified leadership bench:

● Hindol Purkayastha, EVP – North & East India

● Nisheeth Srivastava, senior executive creative director

● Ankit Sharma, EVP for planning

The trio will work across Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India and Propagate, ensuring “Power of One” isn’t just a Groupe philosophy but a daily working model. The aim: tighter integration, deeper strategic thinking, and seamless creative-digital-media solutions for clients across North and East India.

With over three decades of experience spanning advertising, marketing, sales, PR, digital, design, and research, Saxena has built a reputation for award-winning, business-moving work since joining Publicis Groupe in 2022. His elevation signals the Groupe’s renewed focus on markets that are not only large but fiercely competitive.

“Given the significance and size of the North and East markets… we’re committed to doubling down on the region,” said Srivastava. He added that the strengthened leadership axis will help unlock “the next wave of growth” through scale, capability and connected thinking.

Saxena echoed the sentiment, emphasising the power of unified creativity, “With our combined creative and digital strengths, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver end-to-end solutions that drive real business impact… I look forward to strengthening our regional capabilities and helping clients win.”

As agencies across the country push to keep pace with shifting consumer behaviour and multi-screen fragmentation, this move positions Publicis Groupe’s northern and eastern operations as a single, sharper creative engine, one that knows exactly which direction it’s heading.