AD Agencies
Deepali Saini steps up as global chief experience design officer at Havas CX
BENGALURU: Think Design chief executive Deepali Saini has been elevated to global chief experience design officer at Havas CX, the customer experience arm of Havas Group. In her expanded brief, Saini will continue to run Think Design in India while shaping the network’s worldwide experience design (XD) practice.
The move signals Havas CX’s ambition to place design leadership from India at the centre of its international growth. Saini now joins the global CX leadership board, where she will be responsible for harmonising experience design standards across markets, deepening integration with client programmes, and accelerating growth in new service areas.
Her mandate also includes strengthening design methodologies across geographies, mentoring talent, building proprietary frameworks, and setting ethical guidelines for deploying artificial intelligence in the design process — a theme gaining urgency across global networks.
Saini, who co-founded Think Design in 2004, has spent over two decades shaping design-led strategies for organisations in healthcare, banking, telecom, and public services. A graduate of NID Ahmedabad and ENSCI Paris, she is known for championing research-driven design and has taught methodology at NID.
“This is an opportunity to both honour the foundations we have laid in India and push the boundaries of what experience design can achieve globally,” Saini said. She credited Havas India chief Rana Barua and Havas CX global chief David Shulman for their backing in creating what she called “a truly borderless design practice.”
Her appointment underscores a wider trend of Indian design talent gaining global prominence within multinational networks, with Havas signalling that southeast Asia, India, and the middle east will be pivotal growth regions for its CX portfolio.
AD Agencies
ABBY Awards 2026 names Rajdeepak Das, Khazanchi, Ramaswamy jury chairs
Top creative leaders to steer judging across film and direct categories
MUMBAI: The Ad Club has announced the appointment of three of India’s most prominent creative leaders as jury chairs for the ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club.
Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer, South Asia, Publicis Groupe and chairman, South Asia, Leo Burnett, will chair the AV Film (TV) category. Ashish Khazanchi, managing partner at Enormous, will lead the AV Film (Digital and OTT) jury, while Anupama Ramaswamy, managing director and chief creative officer at Havas Creative India, takes charge of the Direct category.
The trio brings a mix of creative firepower and industry experience to the judging table. Das is known for blending creativity with technology to solve real-world problems, with landmark campaigns such as Whisper’s “Touch the Pickle” and “Missing Chapter” helping reshape conversations around menstrual health. His work has earned top honours at global platforms including Cannes Lions and The One Show.
Khazanchi, meanwhile, has built Enormous into one of India’s leading independent agencies. Best known for creating Tata Sky’s “Jingalala” campaign, he has played a key role in shaping brand narratives for both legacy companies and startups, picking up hundreds of awards along the way.
Ramaswamy’s appointment rounds off the leadership trio with a strong focus on culturally resonant creativity. Her campaign “Ink of Democracy” became one of the most awarded works globally in 2025, earning multiple honours across Cannes Lions, Clio and Spikes Asia. Over the years, she has built a reputation for work that not only wins awards but also shapes public discourse.
The appointments come as the ABBY Awards continue to sharpen their global positioning, with backing from The One Club adding international heft to the platform.
The awards will be held during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, bringing together the industry’s top creative minds for what promises to be a closely watched showcase of ideas.
With heavyweight jury chairs in place, the stage is set for a high-stakes celebration of creativity where craft, culture and commerce collide.
