Charles Victor takes over as CEO at Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate

Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate, the full service digital agency of the Publicis Groupe has announced the departure of its CEO, Priya Jayaraman. Taking over the reins is Charles Victor, who has been elevated as the Chief Operating Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate. Charles will be responsible for driving business growth and strategic direction at the agency while also continuing to serve as the Executive Director of L&K Saatchi & Saatchi. He will continue to report into Paritosh Srivastava, MD of L&K Saatchi & Saatchi.

To further strengthen the team, the agency has also announced the appointment of Sabah Iqbal as Sr. VP & Head – S&S Propagate. She will report into Charles Victor and will play a key role in furthering business growth at the agency. Sabah joins the agency from Digitas where she was Sr. VP – West & South and managed some of the key brands at the agency including Puma, Hindustan Unilever, Nivea, Nissan, Mondelez among others.

Commenting on the development, Paritosh Srivastava, MD, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi said: “Would like to thank Priya immensely for her contribution and hard work in making SSP into a powerful digital offering with a national footprint with some amazing client partners and talent.”

Adding further he said, “Charles Victor has been with LKSS for 15 years, working across creative, mainline and digital. He’s got a perfect mix of business, creative and technology that one could have asked for to take on SSP. He’s a trusted and true partner for clients and agency alike. Joining him will be Sabah Iqbal, who with 15 years of enviable pedigree brings with her a unique creative lens combined with astute knowledge and expertise across mainline, digital and media. I am excited to partner the duo in the next chapter of growth at the agency.”

Sharing her views on the decision, Priya Jayaraman said: “It’s been a decade of a journey of creating a digital agency from inception and seeing it through to becoming a part of a global entity. I feel blessed and humbled to have met such fabulous colleagues who built their careers here, of many clients who trusted their journey with us, and partners without whose support this journey would have been impossible. I am carrying with me stories, learnings, friendships and a whole lot of gratitude for a lifetime.”

On assuming a new role at the agency, Charles Victor said: “Firstly, we cannot thank Priya enough for the tremendous legacy she leaves behind for all of us. She and the team have accomplished so much in a short span of time on the creative and the business front, attracting an enviable bunch of partner brands around the Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate fireplace. For me, it isn’t so much about taking on the reins at Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate but the excitement of helping our partners unlock growth and deliver dynamic, diverse, disruptive creative in the platform world.”

Welcoming Sabah Iqbal to the agency, Charles added, “I am absolutely stoked to have Sabah on board as Sr. VP and Head - Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate. For us, it’s like having a wonderful relative coming over to stay at your home for good, as she moves internally from within the Publicis Groupe. Sabah’s fabulous energy, her deep experience and her strong leadership skills are just what we need to step up.”

Part of the Publicis Groupe, Saatchi & Saatchi Propagate is a specialist digital agency serving a wide range of local and global clients, notably MaxLife Insurance, Max Group, Scripbox, Practo, ESPN CricInfo, Embassy Springs, Revlon, Dailyhunt among others. Known for its entrepreneurial spirit, the agency today partners with reputed clients in drafting their customer journeys that operate at the intersection of media, technology and creativity.