MAM
Dentsu Creative promotes Manika Juneja to chief operating officer
The digital advertising veteran, who has spent 15 years scaling the agency from startup to network heavyweight, steps into her biggest role yet
MUMBAI: Manika Juneja has been appointed chief operating officer of Dentsu Creative, capping a career trajectory that has taken her from digital media manager to the top of one of India’s most prominent creative networks in just over 15 years.
Juneja joined what was then WATConsult back in 2011 and never really left. She climbed steadily through the ranks — senior manager, group account manager, associate vice president, vice president, executive vice president — before taking on the managing partner role at Dentsu Creative Isobar, the agency’s digital-first practice, in 2022. Along the way she built and scaled video production and influencer marketing into revenue-generating verticals, led a team of over 250 professionals, and held full P&L accountability across regions and verticals.
Her client roster reads like a roll call of Indian corporate heavyweights: Tata Motors, SBI Life, Bajaj General Insurance, Adani Group, SAP, Godrej, Mumbai Indians, My11Circle and Sony, among others.
In the managing partner role, Juneja also spearheaded EGIYO, a consulting-forward practice designed to deliver outcome-driven strategies spanning creative, media, customer experience management, martech, business consulting, retail media, out-of-home, entertainment, sports and gaming. The breadth of that mandate made her, in effect, the operational backbone of the agency long before the title caught up.
Juneja, announcing the appointment, was characteristically understated. “Growth isn’t driven by a single campaign, client win, or milestone,” she said. “It compounds through great people, honest partnerships, a willingness to keep evolving, and the discipline to deliver consistently.”
She holds an MBA and built her early career across stints at Della Adventure and Resorts and TOPSGRUP, where she managed Indian Premier League events for Mumbai Indians and Pune Warriors, before finding her real home in digital advertising.
Fifteen years, one agency, one relentless climb. Dentsu Creative has just made it official.
