MAM
Dentsu Creative Impact strengthens team with several senior level hires
MUMBAI: Dentsu Creative Impact, creative division of Dentsu Aegis Network, has made a host of new talent acquisitions.
The beefing up of the team has happened across functions, ranging from strategic planning to account management and creative. The appointments come in the wake of the recent client wins such as Maruti Suzuki, Carlsberg and a set of soon-to-be announced brands.
In the creative function, the agency has roped in Sundar Iyer as copy ECD. Iyer will form the creative leadership team along with ECD Sumitra Sengupta and Art ECD Deepak Singh, whose appointment was announced a few months back. Both Iyer and Sengupta join in after their recent stints at JWT.
On his new role and expectations, Iyer said, “Great work can only come from collaboration, which seems to be inherent to the way this agency functions. It’s a place that doesn’t have to unlearn to be ready.”
Sengupta added, “Two months, and Dentsu Creative Impact has already broken my preconceived notions about it. It’s a great place to work at this time. The client is open to innovations, actually demanding it and I’m working at the best place that can provide it.”
On the account management side, Dentsu Creative Impact has roped in Arvinderjit Singh as vice president, who along with vice president Hindol Purkayastha, will bolster the function and bring in greater depth and strength.
Speaking about his new role, Singh said, “The sands of engagement as a creative partner have shifted and our industry is going through tremendous change. Working with an agency like Dentsu Creative Impact that not only recognises change but embraces it, is very exciting.”
Purkayastha added, “It’s rare we get a chance to build and create internal ecosystems to mirror our client needs. This is exactly what we are doing around our clients. I am also excited on utilising Dentsu’s strengths in digital and new media to create advertising that actually touches people’s lives.”
In strategic planning, Shveta Singh has been appointed as vice president. She will work with strategic planning senior vice president Kartikeya Srivastava. Shveta said, “For me, crossing over the digital divide was the next logical step because the future will have no such divide. A new approach to strategic planning is the need of the day. And, Dentsu came across as the right place with the right vision and a set of people who are already breaking the mould of traditional agency planning.”
Talking about the new team additions, Dentsu Creative Impact Group CEO Narayan Devanathan said, “Great work happens when people commit to constantly raising the bar. At Dentsu Creative Impact, we’re doing that by first raising the bar on the talent we’re bringing together, across functions. Across Creative, Account Management, Planning, we have a first-rate second rung in place at Dentsu Creative Impact to sustain the momentum that we have going now.”
Echoing a similar sentiment Dentsu Creative Impact branch head senior vice president Amit Wadhwa said, “It’s been great going for Dentsu Creative Impact especially in the last year or so, and one way we can really continue this upward journey is when we have the right people around. And when we were looking to expand our team this was precisely the thought in our head. We are excited about the fresh thinking and energy that all these guys bring and I am looking forward to working with all of them.”
Brands
33 per cent of women believe the salary scale is rigged: Naukri report
Voices @ Work study finds rising calls for equal pay audits and lingering bias
MUMBAI: Progress may be visible in India’s workplaces, but many women still feel the need to tread carefully. A new report by Naukri reveals that one in two women hesitate to disclose marriage or maternity plans during job interviews, worried that such information could influence hiring decisions.
The findings come from the second edition of Naukri’s annual Voices @ Work International Women’s Day report, titled “What Women Professionals Want.” Drawing insights from more than 50,000 women across over 50 industries, the survey sheds light on evolving workplace aspirations alongside the biases that continue to hold women back.
One of the report’s most striking insights is the growing demand for equal pay audits. The share of women calling for regular pay parity checks has climbed to 27 per cent this year, up from 19 per cent a year ago. The demand now stands alongside menstrual leave as the most sought after workplace policy.
Interestingly, the call for pay transparency grows louder higher up the income ladder. Nearly half of women earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore annually say equal pay audits are a priority, suggesting that pay gaps become more visible as women move up the career ladder.
At the same time, confidence and ambition appear to be rising. About 83 per cent of women say they feel encouraged to pursue leadership roles, a significant jump from 66 per cent last year. Cities in southern India appear particularly supportive, with Hyderabad leading the way as 86 per cent of respondents there reported encouragement to step into leadership positions. The education sector recorded the highest sense of encouragement at 87 per cent.
Yet the report also highlights a growing trust deficit around pay equity. Nearly one in three women, or 33 per cent, say they do not believe men and women are paid equally at their workplace. That figure has risen from 25 per cent last year, pointing to widening perceptions of disparity as careers progress.
Bias in hiring and promotions continues to be the biggest hurdle. About 42 per cent of respondents say workplace bias is the main challenge for women from diverse backgrounds. The concern is consistent across major metros, with Chennai and Delhi NCR reporting similar levels.
Reluctance to discuss personal milestones during hiring processes is also widespread. While 34 per cent overall said they hesitate to share marriage or maternity plans in interviews, the anxiety increases with experience. Among professionals with 10 to 15 years of work experience, the figure rises to 40 per cent.
Info Edge group CMO Sumeet Singh, said the data reflects both progress and unfinished work. “Behind every data point in this report is a woman who is ambitious. The fact that 83 per cent feel encouraged to lead is something to celebrate. However, the fact that one in two still hide their marriage or maternity plans in interviews tells us the work is far from done. As India’s leading career platform, it felt not just important but necessary for us to shine a light on these gaps through the second edition of our report,” he said.
The report suggests that while ambition among women professionals is growing, structural changes around pay transparency, fair hiring and supportive policies will be key if workplaces hope to keep pace.
