Kinnect appoints Shipra Chinchankar as national planning director

MUMBAI: Kinnect, part of Omnicom Advertising India, has roped in industry veteran Shipra Chinchankar as its new national planning director. The move comes as the agency ramps up its strategic capabilities to build more connected, multi-platform brand solutions.

Reporting directly to Chandni Shah, chief executive officer at Kinnect and 22feet, Chinchankar takes charge of the planning function across the country. Her main mandate is to bring a sharper strategic and business lens to the agency’s work.

Chinchankar brings over 19 years of strategy experience to the table, having worked with heavyweight agencies such as FCB Ulka, JWT, and Lowe Lintas. Over her career, she has managed brand architecture, market launches, and growth strategies for major accounts including Amul, Tata Teleservices, TCS, Good Knight, and Parag Milk Foods.

During a 13-year stint at Lowe Lintas, she led strategic planning across Unilever’s portfolio, driving campaigns for Surf Excel, including its high-decibel Ramzan and Holi films: Vim, Glow & Lovely, and Knorr. Her track record also boasts key launches such as Hershey’s chocolate entry into India, the repositioning of Complan, and the rollout of Prudential Health.

Welcoming her aboard, Chandni Shah noted that as brand, commerce, content, and technology collide, turning complexity into decisive strategic action gives agencies the winning edge. She added that Chinchankar’s mix of enduring brand-building principles and modern thinking will deepen Kinnect’s strategic ambition and help solve core business problems for clients.

Speaking on her appointment, Chinchankar remarked that moving to Kinnect felt like a natural progression, offering her a space to marry classic strategic rigour with new-age creativity across multi-platform media. She added that every creative idea needs a bit of logic, and every piece of logic needs a bit of creativity to deliver lasting value for brands.