Dentsu Aegis Network appoints Gautam Mehra as Chief Data Officer

In an attempt to help clients and marketers understand and predict the influences of human behaviour on media and advertising, Dentsu Aegis Network has announced the launch of Data Sciences in India. Data Sciences have been designed to effectively catalyse the decryption and interpretation of the overwhelming amount of data that agencies within the Dentsu Aegis Network explore and exploit every single day to drive efficiencies for its clients. Meanwhile, the team will also face clients directly and come up with customized solutions for them.

Led by Gautam Mehra, Chief Data Officer, Dentsu Aegis Network India along with Vivek Bhargava, CEO, iProspect India, the division houses a capable team of economists, statisticians and computer scientists. Apart from driving efficiencies within the network, the team will come up with data driven solutions to solve complex problem of clients, help effective data management within the group and that of the client and will work with all the network companies to bring Data, Analytics and Technology together to provide business intelligence at the click of a button.

Commenting on the launch, Ashish Bhasin, Chairman & CEO South Asia Dentsu Aegis Network, Chairman Posterscope & MKTG Asia Pacific said, “In order to take a leadership position in managing the ever-growing Data requirements for our clients, we have invested in a team of experts, led by Gautam, who will use technology to bring Data and Analytics together. We want to invest ahead of the curve as leaders in the Digital Marketing services to ensure that Dentsu Aegis Network clients in India get the best-in-class Data Management solutions, of a world standard. Vivek Bhargava will be the executive sponsor for the team and this will help us further strengthen our position in Digital Marketing services.”

He added, “With Gautam and the team, we are welcoming the avenues of smarter marketing by not just providing our clients with data, but also giving them tools  that can help them make better business decisions.”

Expressing his view on the new initiative, Vivek Bhargava, CEO, iProspect India said, “Data rests at the centre of all brand marketing in modern times. The new-age marketer keenly studies customer action and envisions disruptive products and campaign communication in accordance. It was a no-brainer therefore that as a network that leads in digital capabilities, we had to own a data division that adds immense value to our client campaigns across categories, in-turn boosting business achievements. This is definitely a sign of exciting times ahead.”

Gautam Mehra said, “Digital plays a critical role in the evolution of marketing. Data is being generated everywhere, that too volumes and volumes of it. The first challenge was to measure and collect it. The second obstacle to store data, which resulted in concepts like the cloud. And the third hurdle was to analyse and fructify it. And that’s where the need for a data team came into place. At Dentsu Aegis Network, we believe that data is a multiplier, not just a layer and needs to be analysed in milliseconds. Our Data labs consist of contemporary propriety tools that will positively provide effective and practical solutions to clients. I’m thrilled to be given this unique opportunity and certain that the data division will see great success.”

Prior to this Gautam Mehra was Vice President – Social Media at iProspect, a Dentsu Aegis Network company.