NEW DELHI: Platform-first startup Wondrlab has appointed Ajeeta Bharadwaj as chief strategy officer. Bharadwaj will be based out of Mumbai and will oversee the entire strategic planning function at the agency. She will report to Wondrlab co-founder and managing partner – content platform Rakesh Hinduja.
Bharadwaj’s mandate at Wondrlab involves taking a deep dive into human journeys via a platform-first lens. She will leverage her cross-category experience of brand insights and human behaviour to create world-class go-to-market strategies for clients’ businesses.
Rakesh Hinduja said, “I can think of no one better to lead Wondrlab’s strategy piece than Ajeeta. We have worked together extensively and I know the excellent thinking that she can bring to the table. Ajeeta isn’t just a strategist, but someone who deep dives into a client’s business to create contemporary solutions. I am confident that she will harness all her knowledge and experience at Wondrlab to help clients win strategically.”
In a career spanning 20 years, Bharadwaj has worked with the Publicis network for 18 years and led the strategic planning function for Leo Burnett Mumbai before moving on. She was also the national planning director at Wunderman Thompson.
“There is an infectious energy about Wondrlab and I look forward to adding to it. I have worked with Saurabh, Rakesh and Vandana and have seen the transformational solutions that came out of this collaboration. I also find the focus on platform-first thinking, extremely relevant. As consumers, we use different platforms differently and adding this understanding to strategy can get the brand entrenched better in the purchase process. It is an exciting vision and the attempt will be to consistently look for data-backed, dynamic solutions that deliver on this,” she said.
Apart from creating an agile planning team that brought home metals from Effies, Cannes, Spikes, and WARC Strategy Awards, Bharadwaj was also a global champion of the Leo Burnett branding system ‘Humankind’ and is expected to drive tools and data-based planning culture in the agency.
