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WPP’s tenthavenue appoints Sudipto Roy as CEO, Emerging Markets
MUMBAI: WPP’s global communications company, tenthavenue, has appointed Sudipto Roy as CEO of Emerging Markets, covering Asia, Africa, Middle East and Turkey.
Roy will lead tenthavenue across high growth established markets, including China, South East Asia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and drive tenthavenue’s expansion into new markets, including Turkey, Middle East and Japan.
Based out of Singapore, Roy will begin his new tenure in mid-April. Roy spent a significant part of his career in various leadership roles within Mindshare across India, APAC and Africa. These include chief client officer, chair of the Product, Service and Partnerships council, and as client lead for Unilever across APAC, Africa and Turkey, where he played a key role in global leadership of the account.
In the last two years, he spearheaded the partnership drive at Mindshare across diverse domains such as big data, mobility, emerging consumer marketing, content and word of mouth marketing, marketing data and visualisation technologies, as well as orchestrating the creation of new products and revenue streams.
Tenthavenue founder and CEO Rupert Day said, “This appointment comes at a time when we are refocusing our vision for the future. We have had a fantastic start over the last four years, and we want to remain nimble, agile and focused for the next five. By recruiting Roy, we are continuing the energy and direction tenthavenue requires to keep growing, and to keep building winning propositions. Roy is a pivotal part of our APAC management team, and has the right experience to help us realise our strategic ambition to become the best ‘connected experiences’ company in the world. His deep knowledge of the emerging markets, of the technology landscape and his ability to connect the dots to drive new age partnerships is the perfect combination for a company like ours.”
Roy added, “tenthavenue is poised to create a highly differentiated marketing services model for the future. The company has an inherent strength in out-of-home experiences, on-the-go experiences and mobility. That’s the perfect combination for a new age services model as consumers spend less time in front of the TV and desktop and become mobile. The ambition is to forge the units under one strategic umbrella and together become the best ‘connected experiences’ company in the world, driven by deep consumer data and personalisation of content. This vision, combined with the deep entrepreneurial energy in the company, is what has attracted me to join tenthavenue.”
Launched in 2011, tenthavenue now operates across over 55 offices in 25 countries. Based on the four key pillars of data, content, technology and media, tenthavenue builds products and services that enable advertisers to create connected brand experiences. As parent to WPP’s ‘Connected Consumer’ agencies, the tenthavenue agency family consists of market leaders and rising stars in their respective fields, including Kinetic, Aviator, Joule, Spafax, Candyspace, Forward and TMARC.
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Lego brings Messi, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Vinicius together
Campaign clocks 314 million views ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 buzz.
MUMBAI: Four legends, one frame and not a single tackle in sight. Lego has pulled off a crossover few thought possible, uniting Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior in a single campaign ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026 only this time, they’re building dreams brick by brick.
Titled “Everyone wants a piece”, the campaign features the quartet assembling a Lego version of the World Cup trophy, before placing miniature versions of themselves atop it, a playful nod to football’s ultimate prize. Shared widely across social media, the ad carries a pointed disclaimer: it is not AI-generated, a subtle but telling signal in an era where even reality is often questioned.
The numbers tell their own story. The campaign has already crossed 314 million views on Instagram across the players’ accounts, with fans hailing it as a rare, almost nostalgic moment particularly for the reunion of Messi and Ronaldo, whose last shared campaign ahead of the 2022 World Cup became one of the platform’s most-liked posts.
Beyond the film, Lego is extending the play with exclusive, player-themed sets tied to each of the four stars, part of a broader football-led programme designed to ride the global momentum building towards 2026. The idea, as echoed by the players themselves, leans into the parallels between football and play experimentation, creativity, failure, and triumph.
Messi described the sets as a way to bring on-pitch moments into an imaginative, hands-on world, while Ronaldo called the transformation into a Lego figure a rare honour, blending sport with storytelling. Vinícius, meanwhile, struck a more personal note, recalling childhood moments of building with Lego and framing creativity as a universal language that transcends borders.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 World Cup set to run from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico, and featuring an expanded 48-team format, global anticipation is already building. Argentina, led by Messi, will enter as defending champions, adding another layer of intrigue.
For Lego, the campaign does more than celebrate football, it taps into its mythology. Because when icons become figurines and rivalries turn into play, the beautiful game finds a new kind of pitch. one built, quite literally, by hand.
