Its official now; Sonal Dabral to join DDB Mudra as the Chairman and Chief Creative Officer

"Coming on the back of an excellent 2011, both in terms of business and recognition, the DDB Mudra Group is poised for explosive growth. As the most awarded Indian agency at Cannes, Spikes, Abbys etc. to name a few, we are thrilled to welcome a truly exceptional talent, an excellent creative leader and a wonderful person like Sonal to the DDB Mudra Group. His mandate will encompass the entire spectrum of agencies that work across what is certainly the most integrated marketing and communications services network in the country. Agencies like DDB Mudra, Mudra, DDB Mudra Max ( OOH, Media, Experiential and Retail), Rapp, Tribal DDB, DDB Health & Lifestyle, Water, Maatra etc. which constitute the DDB Mudra Group will now have their creative teams reporting in to Sonal, " said Madhukar.

He added, "I am personally thrilled to welcome Sonal Dabral. I have known him for two decades now. We worked together in Delhi years ago, on the iconic "Humko Binnies Mangta' campaign. He will partner me on the exciting agenda that we have ahead of us for the DDB Mudra Group. The legendary Bernbach legacy, the much admired creative business solutions of the DDB Worldwide network, the Social Creativity agenda, the entrepreneurial zeal and track record of building several successful national brands that Mudra brings to the table, the extensive and certainly unique multi-faceted offerings in the DDB Mudra Group will all form an excellent platform for Sonal."

Sonal has over two exciting decades of experience on brandslike Audi, Fiat, Tata Safari, Dove, Le Sancy, Unilever Foods, Ponds, Lakme, Panadol, Cadburys, Asian Paints, Fevicol, Virgin Mobile, Tata AIG, Prudential, GE, Nestle's Maggi and Milo, DBS, Remy Martin, Colgate, Pizza Hut, Sony, Coca Cola, DHL etc. A graduate of the National School of Design (NID), Sonal began his career in Lintas, Delhi. After a brief stint in Mudra Delhi, he went on to have an extremely successful stint at Ogilvy Mumbai before moving to Kuala Lumpur to head Ogilvy in Malaysia and make it one of the top creative offices in the region. Next, as the Chairman and ECD of Ogilvy Singapore, he led the agency to become not just the hottest agency in the region and the No 1 creative office in the whole of Ogilvy Worldwide but also in the entire WPP global network. His last assignment was in a dual role, as the Regional Creative Head and Chairman-India of Bates operating out of Singapore and Mumbai.

Apart from being a prolific winner in most of the Regional and International Award shows like Cannes, Clio, D & AD, One Show, LIA, Andy Awards, AdFest, Spikes etc., Sonal has served on most of the juries globally.

Said Madhukar,"Apart from partnering me in India, Sonal Dabral has also been invited by Amir Kassei, the Global Chief Creative Officer of DDB WW, to serve on the Global Creative Council of DDB. In the Asia-Pacific region, he will Co-Chair the Regional Creative Council with Amir Kassei.

With the vast array of clients, brands, services and offerings in the DDB Mudra Group, an exciting "Growth Agenda', an unparalleled creative manifesto in the Bernbach legacy, I eagerly await Sonal's arrival."