MAM
Dentsu joins the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Mumbai: Dentsu Group Inc. announced on Wednesday that the company and its group companies have become the newest member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) – a CEO-led organisation of 200 international companies working on a variety of issues related to sustainable development.
“Dentsu’s strategy and understanding of sustainability challenges are well aligned with WBCSD’s new membership criteria and Vision 2050: Time to Transform, which sets a shared vision of a world in which more than nine billion people are able to live well, within planetary boundaries, by 2050,” said the company on Wednesday.
As dentsu joins WBCSD, it will leverage its expertise and network in the Japanese market to advise and help position Vision 2050 and the work of WBCSD in Japan among the wider business community.
Operating in over 145 countries, Dentsu Group has recently committed to procuring 100 per cent renewable electricity and reducing absolute emissions by 46 per cent by 2030. Its international operations are already powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity. In addition to this, it has committed to helping one billion people make more sustainable choices in collaboration with its clients and partners.
Meanwhile, Dentsu’s 2030 sustainability strategy has already set out the areas in which the company aims to make the biggest difference, which includes decarbonizing the digital economy by achieving Net Zero emissions by 2030, building a fair and open society by creating a diverse and inclusive workforce and society, and realising the positive potential of digital by closing the digital divide through empowering the next generation with the skills they need to thrive.
It has also launched dentsu Sustainable Business Solutions (dSBS), a commercial strategy to support business growth while integrating sustainability across campaigns. “Dentsu’s strength in integrated communication is based on a deep understanding of consumers and society, creativity, and an ecosystem of co-creation with clients and partners. The Group will incorporate this dSBS perspective into all of its businesses both within and outside of Japan,” it said on Wednesday.
Dentsu Group Inc. director and executive officer, Dentsu International Global CEO and WBCSD council member Wendy Clark said the case for sustainability has never been greater and dentsu is committed to a focused agenda of Growth FROM Good. “As a global leader in media and advertising, we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help guide our clients through this transition and in parallel use our insight into human behaviour to inspire people all over the world to a better and more sustainable way of living. By joining WBCSD we bring this purpose and capability to a network of like-minded global companies, committed to accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, restorative and inclusive economy,” he added.
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
