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 3 jury chairs across digital, PR and publisher
Aditiya, Dharmaraj and Puri to lead key categories at Goafest 2026
MUMBAI: The Ad Club has announced the appointment of PG Aditiya, Deepshikha Dharmaraj and Pavita Puri as jury chairs for the Digital, PR and Publisher categories respectively at the ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show.
The awards are set to take place during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, bringing together some of the biggest names in advertising and marketing.
PG Aditiya, founder and CCO at Talented, will chair the Digital jury. A former chief creative officer at Dentsu Webchutney, he now leads Talented, an employee-owned independent agency known for its unconventional structure and award-winning work for brands such as Meta, Google, Britannia and Tanishq. The agency has also been recognised as a global ‘Best Place to Work’ by Campaign magazine for two consecutive years.
In the PR category, Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO at Burson Group India, brings over three decades of experience in public relations and integrated communications. She oversees multiple entities including Burson Genesis, GCI Health India and Hill & Knowlton India. Known for her strategic counsel and leadership, Dharmaraj has also served as president of industry bodies such as PRCAI and PAFI, and has been a jury member at global platforms including Cannes PR Lions and D&AD Awards.
Pavita Puri, chief brand and marketing officer at The Indian Express Group, will chair the Publisher category. With over 15 years of leadership experience, she has been instrumental in driving the group’s transition into a digital-first media powerhouse, overseeing brands such as The Indian Express, Financial Express, Loksatta and Jansatta. Her earlier stints in advertising include roles at Rediffusion and Lowe India, where she handled marquee clients across sectors.
The appointments reflect a strong mix of creative, communications and media expertise, underscoring the awards’ focus on recognising excellence across evolving industry segments.
As the industry gears up for Goafest, the ABBY Awards 2026 promise to spotlight standout work, with seasoned leaders at the helm of jury deliberations shaping the benchmark for creative excellence.
