AD Agencies
Jaideep to lead Ignition’s A-Pac expansion
MUMBAI: Ignition Creative – a leading, global integrated marketing agency headquartered in Los Angeles – has announced the development of its Asia Pacific operations, launching first in India and led by the newly appointed Ignition’s chairman APAC and Middle East Jaideep Singh.
Ignition creates culturally relevant entertainment, offering: strategy, print, audiovisual, digital, social, motion design, music, post-production, sound, computer generated (CG) visual effects and physical production. Clients include: 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, TNT, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., Amazon, A&E, AT&T | U-verse, Cirque du Soleil, HBO, Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Nike, Mattel, Yahoo and many more.
Ignition is bringing a new realm to creative integrated marketing campaigns for brands in India. In addition, it intends to partner with leading Indian film production houses leveraging its recognized experience in creating some of Hollywood’s best integrated film campaigns.
Ignition is a one-of-a-kind, full service marketing agency. Founded in 2003, its vision was to build an offering that combined CEO Martin Kistler’s renowned entertainment expertise with the deep strategic rigor of brand advertising. Starting as a small trailer house, Ignition quickly saw the future development of the entertainment marketing space, adding an integrated department, physical production division and cutting-edge digital and social tools to respond to clients’ evolving needs. This foresight made Ignition Hollywood’s go-to shop for driving new kinds of audience engagement through innovative, viral campaigns.
To date, it has delivered hundreds of award-winning campaigns – from Cannes Lions to Clios – for film studios, TV networks and blue chip brands. Notable work includes Netflix and Marvel’s Daredevil, Transformers, Nike’s NIKEID: LeBron’s Homecoming, The Hunger Games, ESPN / Land Rover, LA Dodgers, Game of Thrones and 2K Games’ awaited Civilization VI, to name a few.
Jaideep Singh’s board consists of veteran, global creatives and business leaders who will be announced over the next two months. Singh will develop, launch and guide Ignition’s expansion in to the APAC and Middle Eastern markets opening its first office in Mumbai, followed by branches opening in Delhi and Bangalore.
“We have experienced rapid growth thanks to Ignition’s proprietary creative process, Ignite360, which led us to become recognised globally for our ability to help clients unleash new revenue streams while also meeting their marketing needs. As we’ve gained organic momentum, we have seized the opportunity to expand our international footprint, bringing the agency’s diverse talent-pool and full-service offering to more markets,” said Ignition Creative founder, CEO and chief creative officer Martin Kistler.
“We feel fortunate to have found a perfect partner in Jaideep Singh whose relevant experience of India and solid understanding of global media industries will help us grow our international operations. His extensive knowledge of international partnerships and expertise in cultural and social trends make him an invaluable addition to Ignition’s leadership team,” added Kistler.
Earlier this year, Singh was appointed as the managing director of creative technology innovation group, Volocity Media, to launch its India and APAC operations. He continues to spearhead Volocity’s expansion plans alongside his new role at Ignition. Singh holds to his credit 20 years of diverse experience across marketing, media and entertainment. A decorated ex-army major who for the last 15 years has worked with notable companies, including, JK Tyres, Confederation Of India Industries and Radio Mirchi. His last stint was a stellar 10-year position at Viacom India, where — as Senior Vice President and Business Head of Integrated Network Solutions — he launched hosts of domestic and global impact’s (IP’s), secured strategic media partnerships with brands, government sectors and engaged with entertainment and media divisions across the globe.
“There is high demand from businesses in the Middle East, India and across Asia to work with an agency that combines data-driven strategy, purposeful creative and cutting-edge technologies to deliver measurable campaign results. Ignition offers a unique, integrated package of services plus award-winning experience marketing global brands and Hollywood blockbusters. So it’s a thrilling venture applying its success to explore new markets and push new creative boundaries,” said Singh.
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.
