Rohit Ohri, who stepped down as CEO of Dentsu Asia Pacific, is joining Interpublic Group's creative agency FCB Ulka India as group chairman and chief executive.
Announcing the leadership change in a statement, Carter Murray, worldwide CEO of FCB, said Ohri will assume his position effective January 2016.
Nagesh Alai, FCB Ulka's current CEO and group chairman, will become the global vice-chairman at FCB. Alai will work on special global initiatives with Murray.
“When Nagesh and the board introduced me to Rohit as someone they felt fitted the culture of the company, I was struck by his passion for what we do, his focus on great work and strong client relationships, and his natural gravitas. If you add his track record in the industry, Rohit is someone whom I think will lead FCB Ulka forward with vision and energy, and keep the flame strong,†said Murray.
As part of the restructuring at the top level, Ohri will serve as a member of the global operating committee and report directly to Murray in New York.
Ohri will be supported by FCB Ulka’s management board, which includes Shashi Sinha, executive director, Lodestar Media and CEO – Media Brands; Niteen Bhagwat, executive director, Interface Communications and Asterii Analytics; MG Parameswaran, executive director of FCB Ulka Mumbai and Bengaluru, FCBi, Cogito; and Arvind Wable, executive director, FCB Ulka Delhi.
“FCB has gone back to its roots and is reigniting its brand essence under Carter’s leadership. The opportunity to partner with him, in what could be the most defining time in the history of FCB, convinced me to quit my regional assignment and come back to India,†Ohri said.
Ohri had resigned from his position as CEO of Dentsu Asia Pacific on July 25.
“Rohit Ohri, CEO Dentsu Asia Pacific (ex Japan), has resigned after four years at the company. He has made a great contribution and we thank him for that. New leadership of Dentsu brands in Asia Pacific will be announced in due course,†Dentsu said.
In his 28-year-long career in advertising and communications, Ohri has spent 21 years working at JWT India before joining Dentsu. He headed the JWT-PepsiCo relationship in central Asia for seven years. Ohri was elected as managing partner for JWT Delhi in 2005.
In January, Dentsu Inc through its Indian unit signed an agreement to buy 90 per cent stake in WAT Media Pvt Ltd, which operates a full-service digital agency in the country under the brand WATConsult.
London-headquartered Dentsu Aegis Network provides branding, media and marketing services. It offers digital creative execution, content creation, media planning, sports and entertainment marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy, near field communications (NFC) and marketing analytics.
A wholly owned subsidiary of Dentsu Inc, Dentsu India Group comprises three standalone full-service advertising agencies – Dentsu Communications, Dentsu Marcom and Dentsu Creative Impact – as well as Dentsu Media and Dentsu Digital.
Tokyo-based Dentsu Inc has a presence in 24 countries across five continents.
In 2012, it acquired 51 per cent stake in Mumbai-based advertising agency Taproot India Communication Pvt Ltd for an undisclosed sum.
