MAM
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.
Digital
India leads global adoption of ChatGPT Images 2.0 in first week
From anime avatars to fantasy covers, users turn AI visuals into culture
NEW DELHI: India has emerged as the largest user base for ChatGPT Images 2.0, just a week after its launch by OpenAI, underlining the country’s growing influence on global internet trends.
While the tool was introduced as an advanced image-generation upgrade within ChatGPT, Indian users are quickly reshaping its purpose. Instead of sticking to productivity-led use cases, many are embracing it as a creative playground for self-expression, storytelling and online identity.
From anime-style portraits and cinematic headshots to tarot-inspired visuals and fictional newspaper front pages, the model is being used to create highly stylised, shareable content. Features such as accurate text rendering, multilingual prompts and the ability to generate detailed visuals with minimal input have helped drive rapid adoption.
What sets the latest model apart is its ability to “think” through prompts, generating multiple outputs and adapting to context, including real-time web inputs. But the bigger story lies in how users are engaging with it.
In India, trends are already taking shape. Popular formats include dramatic studio-style lighting edits, LinkedIn-ready headshots, manga-inspired avatars, soft pastel “spring” aesthetics, AI-led fashion moodboards, paparazzi-style visuals and fantasy newspaper covers. Users are also restoring old photographs, creating tarot-style imagery and experimenting with futuristic design concepts.
Local flavour is adding another layer. Prompts such as cinematic portrait collages and Y2K-inspired romantic edits are gaining traction, blending global aesthetics with distinctly Indian internet culture.
The surge reflects a broader shift in how AI tools are being used in the country, moving beyond utility to creativity. As younger users, creators and social media enthusiasts experiment with new visual formats, AI-generated imagery is increasingly becoming part of everyday digital expression.
If early trends hold, ChatGPT Images 2.0 may not just be a tech upgrade but a cultural moment, giving millions a new visual language to play with online.
