Mumbai: As part of its new era, MullenLowe Group has announced the appointment of S. Subramanyeswar, aka Subbu, as the group CEO, effective immediately.
Amer Jaleel, who held the designation of chairman and chief creative officer, and Virat Tandon, who was group CEO at the agency, have bid adieu to the company.
In a strategic realignment from the previous model, all the functions of the group will now report to Subbu. In addition, Subbu will continue to directly lead the strategy function for the group in India and maintain his role as chief strategy officer for the MullenLowe APAC region.
Speaking about the new era, Interpublic Group executive vice president and MullenLowe Group chairman Alex Leikikh said, “During these transformative times where we are all facing many challenges, I believe there is no better person to lead MullenLowe Lintas Group than Subbu. He is a proven leader with hard-core strategic skills, business imagination, and the ability to bring people together. Subbu has a global perspective on how brands, communication, and technology will intersect in the future. He’s also a big believer in brand purpose. This combination is exactly what we need as the company enters the next chapter.”
He added, “As we move into this new era, I want to thank Amer Jaleel and Virat Tandon for their dedication, passion, and leadership throughout the years for us and all of our clients. I wish them the best in their next endeavours.”
Since joining the company in 2011, Subbu has played a leading role in MullenLowe Lintas Group becoming the number one agency in India and APAC and number two globally on the Effie Index ranking. MullenLowe Lintas Group was also awarded ‘Agency of the year’ several times at India and APAC Effies and by Tambuli, Campaign South Asia, Ad Age, and WARC, with Subbu helming the leadership from the strategy end.
Leikikh noted, “Subbu is a genuine thought leader who is passionate, ambitious, analytical, creative, self-aware, and very humble. He leads with heart and soul and is someone whom we trust as CEO to bring value to our clients, employees, and communities.”
Excited about his new responsibility Subbu said, “Lintas is one of those extraordinary institutions that has truly impacted Indian society for decades through big, bold, culture-leading ideas based on a decisive stand taken by the brand. I couldn’t be more honoured to have been given the charge to lead the company at such an important time. The opportunity that lies ahead in an ever-expanding world of possibilities is limitless, but to seize it, we must focus precisely, move at a rapid pace, and be transformational. A big part of my job is to widen our creative and strategic aperture to innovatively apply technology and talent to solve new problems for clients, people, and the world at large. I’m excited, grounded in the challenges, and upbeat all at once.”
Most recently, Subbu authored ‘Brands to Stands,’ a ground-breaking book that celebrates the authentic and highly captivating stories of how more than 25 of India’s leading brands have created brand history by adopting a point of view, taking a stand, and spearheading purposeful action.
In addition, he has authored and won 142 awards at India Effies, APAC Effies, Global Effies, Asian Marketing Effectiveness, WARC and by 4A’s – American Association of Advertising Agencies. He has also been jury chair at the Jay Chiat Awards for Strategic Excellence in 2021 and 2022 and judged the coveted IPA Effectiveness Awards in 2022 in the UK.
A regular columnist and passionate educationist, he is also a visiting faculty at IIMs across India and has delivered several talks at the distinguished Kellogg School of Management, MIT Sloan, and leading global business forums like SXSW, Austin and IPA Effworks in London.
He has spent two and a-half decades in advertising and marketing, having worked at Wipro, Publics, Rediffusion Y&R, and Saatchi & Saatchi in the Indian, US, and UK markets.
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