AD Agencies
John Thangaraj joins Dentsu India as CSO for creative and media
MUMBAI: Dentsu India has snapped up one of the industry’s sharpest minds. John Thangaraj, the veteran planner and brand whisperer, has been appointed as chief strategy officer – creative & media, marking a bold move in the agency’s push for tighter integration across its verticals.
The appointment, effective May 2025, sees Thangaraj bring two decades of battle-tested experience across advertising, media, consumer research and brand building to the Japanese holding group’s India operations. He moves from Havas India, where he served as CSO for a year.
Dentsu’s gain is no small scalp. Prior to Havas, Thangaraj was the group CSO at FCB group India, steering strategy across multiple marquee clients, and also held senior roles at Mindshare, MullenLowe Lintas group, Rediffusion Y&R and adidas.
Known for mixing consumer insight with street-smart cultural acumen, Thangaraj has worked on everything from fizzy drinks (Pepsi) to luxe kicks (adidas originals), search portals (Shine.com) to search-for-meaning campaigns (HT’s “It Is Time”). His career boasts a few Bronze Effies, a cult GSK ‘Innovation Lab,’ and even a side hustle decoding the super affluent Indian for LG.
Now based in Gurugram, the strategy maven is expected to turbocharge Dentsu’s “one brand” promise with unified thinking that aligns creative sparks with media muscle.
For an industry constantly torn between the mad men and the math men, Thangaraj’s appointment might just be the best of both worlds.
AD Agencies
ABBY Awards 2026 names Rajdeepak Das, Khazanchi, Ramaswamy jury chairs
Top creative leaders to steer judging across film and direct categories
MUMBAI: The Ad Club has announced the appointment of three of India’s most prominent creative leaders as jury chairs for the ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club.
Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer, South Asia, Publicis Groupe and chairman, South Asia, Leo Burnett, will chair the AV Film (TV) category. Ashish Khazanchi, managing partner at Enormous, will lead the AV Film (Digital and OTT) jury, while Anupama Ramaswamy, managing director and chief creative officer at Havas Creative India, takes charge of the Direct category.
The trio brings a mix of creative firepower and industry experience to the judging table. Das is known for blending creativity with technology to solve real-world problems, with landmark campaigns such as Whisper’s “Touch the Pickle” and “Missing Chapter” helping reshape conversations around menstrual health. His work has earned top honours at global platforms including Cannes Lions and The One Show.
Khazanchi, meanwhile, has built Enormous into one of India’s leading independent agencies. Best known for creating Tata Sky’s “Jingalala” campaign, he has played a key role in shaping brand narratives for both legacy companies and startups, picking up hundreds of awards along the way.
Ramaswamy’s appointment rounds off the leadership trio with a strong focus on culturally resonant creativity. Her campaign “Ink of Democracy” became one of the most awarded works globally in 2025, earning multiple honours across Cannes Lions, Clio and Spikes Asia. Over the years, she has built a reputation for work that not only wins awards but also shapes public discourse.
The appointments come as the ABBY Awards continue to sharpen their global positioning, with backing from The One Club adding international heft to the platform.
The awards will be held during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, bringing together the industry’s top creative minds for what promises to be a closely watched showcase of ideas.
With heavyweight jury chairs in place, the stage is set for a high-stakes celebration of creativity where craft, culture and commerce collide.
