MAM
Dentsu Impact elevates Ajit Devraj & Anupama Ramaswamy to managing partners
NEW DELHI- Dentsu Impact has elevated Ajit Devraj and Anupama Ramaswamy to the role of managing partners. The duo will continue to report into Soumitra Karnik, chief creative officer, Dentsu Impact, Dentsu India & mcgarrybowen India and Amit Wadhwa, President, Dentsu Impact.
In their new role, Ajit and Anupama, together, will oversee the Gurgaon and Bangalore operations for Dentsu Impact. Here, Ajit will be the business lead while Anupama will head the creative arm of the agency. For the record, Dentsu Impact handles significant brands such as Maruti Suzuki, IKEA, Tata Consumer products, Subway, and Carlsberg, to name a few.
Erstwhile executive vice president, Ajit decided to dabble into the creative side of the business in 2018 when he joined Dentsu Impact. Prior to that, he was a management consultant with companies like Accenture and PwC in Australia and the UK.
Anupama has successfully led Dentsu Impact as national creative director for four years. Under her leadership, the team has worked on some prestigious accounts like Maruti Suzuki, Ikea, Tata Tea, Max Hospitals, Max Bupa, Unicharm, Vivo, and many more. Previously, Anupama has worked with agencies like Cheil India, JWT, Draft FCB, and Lowe.
Speaking on the elevation, Devraj said, “I feel honoured to be able to take up the role of managing partner of Dentsu Impact. Our strength lies in being innovative. Over the years, we have built a unique set of capabilities ranging from pure creative and brand work to delivering end-to-end MarTech, design, and business-oriented solutions. A few years ago, bringing in business-driven, management, and consulting skills was a rarity and I would like to thank Amit Wadhwa, Narayan Devanathan, and Soumitra Karnik for their vision. Of course, I am grateful for the support of my team and our wonderful set of clients who have backed my learnings and growth into this role. I am looking forward to taking Dentsu Impact through its next phase of growth and supporting our clients in delivering a fully connected experience to their customers.”
Commenting on her new role, Anupama Ramaswamy added, “Well, it is a huge and challenging responsibility. But creativity comes truly alive when there are constraints. The only way to fight stiff competition is to push ourselves harder, and think even more out-of-the-box. We must march forward into the future with ideas that are different yet relevant at the same time. With so many unique touch-points, it is critical that we become the single partners to every client, thereby ensuring that every element of communication has the same levels of quality and brand integration. The idea is to learn and unlearn and then learn again every single day. Soumitra and Amit have placed their trust in my abilities, and together, I’m sure we will create magic. I am absolutely looking forward to creating memorable stories that will help Dentsu Impact shine.”
Speaking on the development, Soumitra Karnik said, “I am thrilled to announce the second phase of Dentsu Impact. Our journey has been really exciting so far and we are proud to hand over the steering wheel in the able hands of Ajit and Anupama. Both are absolutely amazing at what they do. They bring in a lot of method and discipline, which is required during this time of constant fast changes that our industry is going through. They have a hard task ahead – to embrace ‘what’s new’ faster than others, to deliver growth at the back of solid creative reputation, to be always ‘people-first’ and to keep the joy of advertising intact.”
Amit Wadhwa added, “This is an important phase for Dentsu Impact. We move into a new era, hereon, where creativity embraces the new approach to communication. We could not have better leaders than Ajit and Anu to lead the organisation into this exciting phase. Both come with extremely balanced mindsets and have the hunger and eagerness to accept new challenges and work towards achieving them. I am excited!”
Brands
Emami names Dhruv Aggarwal as chief growth officer
Former Bain partner steps in as FMCG firm sharpens growth playbook
MUMBAI: Emami Limited has appointed Dhruv Aggarwal as its chief growth officer, effective 25 March 2026, following the resignation of Giriraj Bagri.
Aggarwal joins the FMCG major from Bain & Company, where he most recently served as partner. With over two decades of experience across consulting and strategy, he brings a global perspective shaped by work across India, the US, the UK and Germany.
During his tenure at Bain, Aggarwal advised consumer, retail and media companies on large-scale transformations, business turnarounds and growth strategies. He was also closely involved with India’s startup ecosystem, guiding early-stage ventures on scaling and digital expansion, while supporting private equity and venture capital firms on investment decisions.
His earlier stints include a brief role at Barclays Capital and operational experience at Jindal Power, giving him a mix of financial and industry exposure.
Academically, Aggarwal holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and has also been associated with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a PhD candidate and teaching assistant.
The appointment comes at a time when Emami Limited is looking to sharpen its growth strategy in a competitive consumer market. With a seasoned strategist now at the helm of growth, the company appears set to double down on transformation and expansion in the months ahead.
