Kulfi Collective strengthens leadership team to scale culture-first growth

MUMBAI: As brands increasingly chase culture rather than just consumers, Kulfi Collective is adding fresh ingredients to its leadership mix. The culture-focused creative studio has announced a significant leadership expansion as it prepares for its next phase of growth, appointing Aditya Mehendale as executive creative director while elevating three senior leaders to newly expanded roles.

The appointments come as Kulfi sharpens its vision of becoming what it describes as an “operating system for brands in culture”, a connected ecosystem designed to help brands move seamlessly from cultural insights and creative ideas to production, distribution and performance analysis.

Alongside Mehendale’s arrival, Jayson D’Mello has been elevated to chief innovation officer, Abhimanyu Singh becomes chief strategy officer, and Abhinandan Jain takes on the role of chief financial officer.

The expanded leadership team will play a key role in scaling Kulfi’s culture-first model, which focuses on creating what the company calls “cultural objects” including campaigns, content, experiences, communities, tools and intellectual property that live beyond traditional media plans and become part of everyday conversations.

Mehendale joins with more than a decade of experience across agency networks and independent creative firms. Most recently, he served as executive creative director at Leo Burnett after spending eight years at Schbang, where he rose to become national creative head during a period of rapid growth.

His portfolio includes work for brands such as Raw Pressery, Fevicol, Fevikwik, Jeep, Hot Wheels, Barbie, H&M and Amazon Prime Video, including the launch of Raw Pressery’s brand identity and several award-winning campaigns.

The leadership changes are closely tied to Kulfi’s ambitions in artificial intelligence, cultural intelligence and creative technology. As chief innovation officer, D’Mello will lead investments in AI and agentic workflows, helping build systems that support intelligence, strategy and production. Singh will focus on developing client-facing products spanning analytics, cultural intelligence and distribution, while Jain will oversee the company’s financial strategy as it expands its creative and technology infrastructure.

Speaking about the transformation, Kulfi Collective co-founder and chief executive officer Advait Gupt said the company had spent years rethinking what a modern creative business should look like.

He said the future lies in building organisations that are faster, more collaborative, more intelligent and more deeply connected to culture, adding that the leadership appointments are intended to help Kulfi achieve that vision at scale.

Commenting on Mehendale’s appointment, Kulfi Collective co-founder and chief creative officer Akshat Gupt said the new executive creative director brings a rare combination of creative ambition and organisational leadership. He noted that Mehendale’s ability to build systems while preserving creative excellence would be critical as the company navigates an increasingly AI-native world.

For his part, Aditya Mehendale said Kulfi’s appeal lies in its refusal to define itself by traditional media categories. As the boundaries between advertising, entertainment, technology and digital content continue to blur, he believes the company’s focus on creating culturally relevant work offers a fresh way of thinking about creativity and brand impact.

Over the years, Kulfi has delivered campaigns, experiences and storytelling projects for brands including Spotify, Netflix, Red Bull, Meta, LEGO and Nothing, operating at the intersection of culture, community and technology.

With a stronger leadership bench and a growing focus on AI-powered creativity, Kulfi Collective is positioning itself for a future where brands do not simply advertise within culture but actively help shape it.