AD Agencies
DDB Mudra Group launches Bernbach Fridays
MUMBAI: DDB Mudra Group has announced the launch of Bernbach Fridays, a tribute to a man who is the Father of Modern Advertising, a brilliant advertising mind of the 20th Century and DDB’s founder the great Bill Bernbach. The sessions take place on the last Friday of every month at the DDB Mudra Group office, and so far a total of four successful sessions have already taken place.
The maiden session of Bernbach Fridays saw DDB Mudra Group’s very own Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Sonal Dabral. Having over 2 decades of experience in the field of advertising, he shared his life journey with the audience. Right from his NID days to his first job to how he helped Ogilvy Singapore become the hottest agency in the region and the No.1 creative office of the WPP global network and also his experience as a TV host and a scriptwriter in Bollywood. He inspired and engaged the DDB Mudra Group employees which was the perfect kick-start to Bernbach Fridays.
The second speaker of Bernbach Fridays was Shreedavy Babuji, of DDB Mudra West, who presented an extremely interesting project she had worked on. The project was a documentary covering the various aspects of an age old folk art form of India – The Truck art. Titled ‘Horn Please’, the documentary focuses on origin of truck art and its evolution since then. The documentary has been accepted at festivals across the world and is getting tremendous reviews everywhere.
The third and fourth sessions of Bernbach Fridays saw Varun Thakur – stand-up comedian and E Suresh – Founder of Studio Eeksaurus, respectively. With a good mix of personal stories, observational humour and impersonations, Varun was an act that no one could miss. E Suresh, also the founder of Famous Studios, shared his eventful journey in the world of animation.
Sonal Dabral, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at DDB Mudra Group said, “Our instincts and craft as creatives gets honed everyday by just observing and assimilating life happening around us. Which means the more we are aware of our world the better advertising professionals we become. That’s where curiosity comes in. The desire to know as much as possible. Desire to find out the answers. Desire to be acquainted with as many subjects as possible. Curiosity and creativity are never far apart. Without curiosity, we will never be innovative. There will be no growth and nothing will change. To fuel this curiosity we have launched “Bernbach Fridays”.”
The main aim of Bernbach Fridays sessions is to celebrate advertising by creating curiosity. The audiences at DDB Mudra are always ready for something new, therefore these sessions will see speakers from different fields which would include Fashion Designers, Chefs, Film Makers, Scientists, Directors, Musicians, Artists and so on.
You can view the sessions here:
Varun Thakur – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8X715bm1P0
E Suresh –https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfdgXn4Nirk&list=UUXZ6ZNX6CZDAytIwNXZlNkA
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
