Siddharth Mehta joins Ulka South as group creative director

MUMBAI: Musical chairs in Indian advertising rarely produce a hire this neatly fitted, and Ulka’s latest move is a case in point. Siddharth Mehta has been named group creative director at Ulka, part of BBDO Group India, arriving with more than fifteen years of experience spanning mainline, digital and creative-tech work. He will report to Rakesh Menon, chief creative officer at Ulka, and will work alongside the creative leadership team to set the agency’s creative agenda.

Mehta’s résumé reads like a tour of the country’s better creative shops. He joins from The Womb, having previously spent time at HyperCollective, and before that at Sapient Nitro, Leo Burnett and JWT, a spread that covers both traditional and digitally native agency cultures. Over the years he has worked across categories as varied as FMCG, personal care, electric mobility, food and beverages, finance, consumer durables, AI and technology, entertainment and media, with brands including Fogg, Vicco, DHFL, Starbucks, William Grant & Sons, DBS Bank, HDFC Life, Sony MAX and Good Knight passing through his portfolio. His recent work includes the Fogg Neu launch, the BGauss RUV 350 campaign and Padhanisa by Saregama, and his cabinet of honours takes in Spikes Asia, FAB London and Effie, alongside a clutch of Indian awards.

Mehta himself struck an upbeat note on the appointment, calling Ulka one of India’s longest-running agencies and one that has stayed relevant through cultural shifts and new mediums. He spoke of wanting to bring greater courage to the work, paired with sharp insight and storytelling craft, and singled out the team he inherits as driven and hungry to do great work.

Menon was equally warm about the hire, describing this as an interesting inflection point for Ulka, one built around getting the right people into the room, people who are restless and want to push the work forward. He credited Mehta with a curious mind and a varied mix of experience.

M Damodaran, president and head of office, Bengaluru, at Ulka, rounded off the praise, pointing to Mehta’s strong track record across mainline, creative-tech and digital agencies and his distinctive approach to storytelling and brand building. The appointment, he said, brings fresh energy to the Ulka South leadership team and opens up new creative possibilities across the agency’s roster of brands.

For an industry that talks endlessly about the war for creative talent, Ulka’s answer has been simple: go and get someone who has already worked at nearly every kind of agency there is.