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Virtue Worldwide appoints Saumya Baijal as director of brand strategy
Mumbai: Virtue Worldwide, a new-age creative agency powered by VICE Media Group announces the appointment of Saumya Baijal as Director of Brand Strategy, further strengthening its leadership team in India. Virtue specialises in helping brands discover an authentic voice at the epicentre of culture. With a presence in 17 cities across 13 countries, Virtue operates as a ‘borderless’ agency, putting together bespoke teams with diverse skills, backgrounds, and perspectives to drive creativity and innovation.
Saumya Baijal brings a wealth of multifaceted experience to Virtue. Renowned for her roles as a feminist, ad woman, bilingual writer, storyteller, poet, radio presenter, theatre personality, and activist, Saumya has held prominent positions in major advertising networks including Ogilvy, McCann Erickson, and MullenLowe Lintas Group. Her portfolio includes impactful collaborations with esteemed brands such as Absolut, Google, and Fabindia. Saumya has also served on the jury of the Effies for several years and has been an integral part of the Laadli Media Awards for Hindi Journalism jury since 2021.
Virtue APAC head of strategy Huiwen Tow shared her thoughts on Saumya’s appointment, stating, “In a world that is more divided than ever before, Saumya is one of those rare individuals that sees the world, not for what it is, but what it can be. She is a force of nature, unafraid to confront the real or challenge the status quo to move the conversation forward in culture. We are beyond ecstatic to have her with the Virtue India leadership team to take us into our next era of growth in India.”
In response to her new role, Saumya Baijal, the newly appointed Brand Strategy Lead, India commented, “I am very excited to be a part of Virtue. The idea of diving deep into constantly evolving culture, extracting the insight, and then giving it a distinct flavour, is a very very interesting challenge. In a world that changes so quickly and so drastically, finding anchors for a brand, embedded in culture, is not only important but necessary. Virtue understands this, and I can’t wait to explore more with the very talented team that has already set up a young, energetic, spirited place, committed to the same endeavour.”
Virtue Worldwide is making significant strides in the Indian advertising arena, enhancing its team and leadership. The company is committed to pushing boundaries, embracing innovation, and forming strong partnerships. They have teamed up with notable brands such as Diageo, poppi, Delta, Vanguard, P&G, General Mills, H&M, Volkswagen, McDonald’s, eToro, Red Bull, and Converse. Virtue is also the creative force behind award-winning campaigns including Backup Ukraine, Weedmaps’ Museum of Weed, Dove’s Dear Future Dads, Q the Genderless Voice, and Carlings adDRESS the Future. At Virtue, they believe in appointing team members not only based on their experience but also on the unique talents and perspectives they bring to the table, nurturing a culture of diversity and innovation.
MAM
Omnicom Media appoints Bradley Rogers as CEO of OMD USA
Red Ventures president to lead OMD’s largest market as Chrissie Hanson exits
NEW YORK: Omnicom Media has named Bradley Rogers as chief executive officer of OMD Worldwide’s US business, handing him the reins of one of the world’s largest media agency operations. His appointment takes effect on March 23.
Rogers steps into the role with more than 25 years of experience across media, creative services and digital platforms. Over the years, he has held senior leadership roles at global organisations including McCann Worldgroup, Ogilvy, Mindshare and Red Ventures, working across global, regional and market level operations.
His career has also seen him build long standing partnerships with major brands such as IBM, Mastercard, Microsoft and Nestlé.
Announcing the move, Ralph Pardo, chief executive officer of Omnicom Media North America, said Rogers brings a rare mix of business acumen and cross discipline expertise shaped by leadership roles across media, creative services, commerce and consumer platforms.
Pardo noted that Rogers’ entrepreneurial mindset and ability to connect capabilities, teams and ideas makes him well suited to lead OMD as marketing grows more complex and outcome driven.
Rogers succeeds Chrissie Hanson, who is stepping down after four years as chief executive officer of OMD USA. Pardo credited Hanson with strengthening the agency’s market leadership and deepening the value delivered to clients during her tenure.
Before joining OMD, Rogers served as president at Red Ventures, a digital marketing and large scale customer acquisition company recognised by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing private companies. Prior to that, he was global president and chief operating officer at MRM, part of McCann Worldgroup, where he oversaw global operations across 16 markets and managed relationships with several of the world’s largest brands.
In his new role, Rogers will lead the US arm of OMD, the largest market within the global media agency network.
Commenting on his appointment, Rogers said that as marketing organisations navigate rapid change, agencies must work closely with clients to understand both the pressures they face and the opportunities ahead. He added that his focus will be on delivering measurable outcomes while unlocking Omnicom Media’s strengths in scale, data, identity, commerce and talent to drive growth for the brands it serves.
