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 3 jury chairs across digital, PR and publisher
Aditiya, Dharmaraj and Puri to lead key categories at Goafest 2026
MUMBAI: The Ad Club has announced the appointment of PG Aditiya, Deepshikha Dharmaraj and Pavita Puri as jury chairs for the Digital, PR and Publisher categories respectively at the ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show.
The awards are set to take place during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, bringing together some of the biggest names in advertising and marketing.
PG Aditiya, founder and CCO at Talented, will chair the Digital jury. A former chief creative officer at Dentsu Webchutney, he now leads Talented, an employee-owned independent agency known for its unconventional structure and award-winning work for brands such as Meta, Google, Britannia and Tanishq. The agency has also been recognised as a global ‘Best Place to Work’ by Campaign magazine for two consecutive years.
In the PR category, Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO at Burson Group India, brings over three decades of experience in public relations and integrated communications. She oversees multiple entities including Burson Genesis, GCI Health India and Hill & Knowlton India. Known for her strategic counsel and leadership, Dharmaraj has also served as president of industry bodies such as PRCAI and PAFI, and has been a jury member at global platforms including Cannes PR Lions and D&AD Awards.
Pavita Puri, chief brand and marketing officer at The Indian Express Group, will chair the Publisher category. With over 15 years of leadership experience, she has been instrumental in driving the group’s transition into a digital-first media powerhouse, overseeing brands such as The Indian Express, Financial Express, Loksatta and Jansatta. Her earlier stints in advertising include roles at Rediffusion and Lowe India, where she handled marquee clients across sectors.
The appointments reflect a strong mix of creative, communications and media expertise, underscoring the awards’ focus on recognising excellence across evolving industry segments.
As the industry gears up for Goafest, the ABBY Awards 2026 promise to spotlight standout work, with seasoned leaders at the helm of jury deliberations shaping the benchmark for creative excellence.
