MAM
Havas Life names João Camacho chief creative officer for India & Middle East
Global healthcare creative João Camacho to lead bold campaigns across two regions
MUMBAI: Havas Life has appointed João Camacho as chief creative officer for India and the Middle East, signalling the network’s drive for standout creativity in two of the world’s fastest-growing healthcare markets.
Based in Mumbai, João will report to Eric Weisberg, global chief creative officer at Havas Health, and Dorelle Kulkarni, managing director of Havas Life Mumbai.
João brings more than 20 years of global experience in healthcare communications, having worked across Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Middle East. He is known for turning complex science into human-centred, impactful campaigns.
Before joining Havas, João led creative work at Publicis in Dubai, partnering with pharmaceutical and health organisations to launch treatments, build disease-awareness platforms, and deliver patient-first communications that drive measurable results. His work has been recognised at FIAP, CCP, New York Festivals, and other top international award shows. He has also served as jury member at Cannes Lions Health, Clio Health, The One Show, and more.
“João is a truly global creative leader who understands how healthcare brands need to speak differently across cultures and markets,” said Eric Weisberg. “His curiosity, creativity, and experience make him a powerful addition as we grow in India and the Middle East.”
Havas Health global chief client officer and CEO Apac-Latam Charles Houdoux added, “João’s appointment reflects our ambition to build world-class creative leadership locally while staying connected to Havas Health’s global vision. He brings the cultural fluency and creative confidence these markets demand.”
Dorelle Kulkarni said, “We’re thrilled to welcome João. His mix of strategic thinking, empathy, and creativity is exactly what clients and patients need in today’s fast-changing healthcare landscape. He will help us strengthen Havas Life in India and deliver meaningful impact.”
João joins Havas Life at a time of global momentum, as the network invests in talent, innovation, and AI-powered creativity. At CES 2026, Havas unveiled Ava, a large language model portal designed to make AI more accessible across the network and accelerate creative collaboration through its Converged.AI platform.
“Joining Havas Health feels like stepping onto a stage made for bold ideas,” said João Camacho. “Leading creative across India and the Middle East, a region buzzing with energy and possibility, is thrilling and humbling. I can’t wait to bring my perspective and passion to shape campaigns that inspire, connect, and make a real difference.”
With João at the creative helm, Havas Life looks set to turn bold ideas into campaigns that resonate, inspire, and leave a lasting mark across India and the Middle East.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
