MAM
FCB Ulka launches Bushfire for startups
MUMBAI: FCB Ulka, a leading, fully integrated marketing communications agency today announced the launch of their highly-hybridized service Bushfire, a one stop shop for start-ups.
With the emergence of start-ups, there cropped up the need of a specialized agency model to comply to their needs. Since these set- ups require select services, the need to break the conventional organization structures complimented with agility formed the premise of the prototype – Bushfire. epic shit. without bullshit.
Bushfire is new kind of marketing and communications agency that is equipped to provide start-ups with all the services they would require in a menu format. It’s as simple as ordering food, off the menu! The model of typical start-ups defies structure and to serve the start-ups best, so do we! The Bushfire team includes handpicked multi-talented professionals who approach the task with fluidity- serving the need of the hour; to flit in and out of multiple diverse tasks seamlessly, across departments ranging from art, crafting, planning, film making and execution without the conventional shackles of three vendor quotes or the likes akin the ‘Shapeshifters’.
Commenting on the launch, Rohit Ohri, Group Chairman and CEO of FCB India, said, “Startups are looking for ways to prove traction to investors and are generally operating on borrowed capital with a short runway – time is always of the essence and results are imperative for their survival. They are looking for an agency with a different mindset.”
“At Bushfire, we’re creating a ‘maker movement’. We’ve built a team with a ‘maker’ mindset – deeply hybridized and capable of partnering start-ups in the building of a product or service, a business and a brand. And when you add speed and great ROI to that, you have a truly unbeatable proposition” Rohit added.
Surjo Dutt, NCD, FCB Ulka, doubles up as the NCD for Bushfire and will be closely working with Romit Nair, Creative Head, Bushfire. In his role, Romit Nair will report to Surjo Dutt.
Bushfire’s CRM division which continue to be managed by Satish Ramachandran.
Commenting on the launch, Surjo Dutt, National Creative Director, FCB Ulka and Bushfire says, “While the re-energised and rebooted FCB ULKA charges forward with its agenda for clutter breaking, market moving work on its massive brands, the need for another offering with a different set of objectives and offerings has become more and more apparent. Which is why Bushfire. A small, agile, multi-skilled and deeply hybridized team of creative strategists, put together to partner startups primarily and clients looking for mould breaking solutions as projects, secondarily.”
He added, “A team of writers, art directors, audio visual content creators and creative strategists who think, create and produce EPIC brand solutions tailored specifically to startup and project needs. Bushfire is lean, mean, hungry and game ready. With fire in our bellies and passion in our pens we want to create epic shit, without bullshit.”
The operations for Bushfire are running full throttle with some recent business and project wins.
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.
