Malvika Mehra bids adieu to Dentsu India

Dentsu India's Chief Creative Officer, Malvika Mehra has decided to move on. Mehra who submitted her resignation a while ago will complete her notice period in July. Mehra joined Dentsu India in April 2019.

Talking about her journey in the industry she said, "I’d like to thank DAN and Simi for the opportunity and whilst it’s been undoubtedly an exciting one year here, I have decided to move on. I believe that the best work comes from agencies with a firm bedrock of a thriving creative culture. In the past year here, that’s been my focus and whilst cultures are not built overnight, despite my short stint here, I’d like to believe that we did cover some distance there. Whether it’s been attracting good talent, winning pitches across our 4 offices  - Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai and Kochi or just better work on the table."

She further adds, "I'm happy that I’m leaving behind a strong second line in creative with Krishna Mani, leading our South operations, thrilled that we’ve recently won some robust businesses despite the lockdown and that our work is looking admittedly better across brands - Flying Machine (F-Lite,The Split), Ashiana Housing (Eve-Teasing), Pigeon Cookware, TVS Motors, Toyota, ITC Fabelle (Skater seal). Finally, we are in a people’s business and what’s been most gratifying for me here is the strong client relationships I’ve managed to build with some of these clients and some of the folks at Dentsu India in a short time. If the farewell notes that I got from some of the kids across account management, HR, film and creative are any indication, I’d like to believe, I’ve probably done something right. I am leaving a happy mamma!"

Speaking about her next move, Mehra says, "The world as we know it, has changed drastically in the last few months. And with that, so has the brand landscape, be it the business itself or the communication needs around it. As creative folk, I think there can’t be a better time than now to embrace this change and perhaps relook at our roles in helping clients bring alive these brand engagements with a fresher, more relevant lens. With that in mind, I’m exploring some opportunities both, in and outside of advertising, across digital and OTT platforms, design, content and maybe even sitting across the table with the client herself. Who knows! A lot of conversations are admittedly on. You know there’s that famous Chinese saying, ‘May you live in interesting times’? Well, here they are. And I am excited about what unfolds for me. And yes, am taking Tomorrow Creative Lab along with me. Shall keep you posted."

In a statement to the media, Simi Sabhaney, CEO, Dentsu India, said, “Malvika wanted to explore newer opportunities in Content, Digital and OTT space and that is why she decided to move on. She will be leaving by the middle of this month. We wish Malvika the very best for her future endeavours. We will be announcing senior creative leadership, with a bigger mandate, rather soon.”

Malvika Mehra has spent more than two decades in advertising at agencies like Ogilvy and Grey. She launched her independent venture Tomorrow Creative Lab in November 2016. Some of her more famous brand work has been on ITC Foods’ Bingo!, Vodafone, State Bank of India, Gillette, Reliance Telecom, Dell, Fiat, Honda, Duracell and the Indian Army. 

She has been a juror at Cannes Lions thrice (for print, film and most recently for design in 2019). In the past, she has served on other juries including Clio, Spikes Asia and Kyoorius (in association with One Show). She is a highly awarded creative, being a two-time Cannes Gold Lion and D&AD pencil winner.

Also read: dentsu X India ranks No.1 Media Agency: COMvergence