NEXT by Rediffusion names Asheesh Malhotra as Executive Director

NEXT by Rediffusion today named Asheesh Malhotra as its Executive Director. The launch of NEXT was announced by Rediffusion last month on August 15. Asheesh joins the Rediffusion group from Dentsu.  

With over 25 years of experience in the advertising industry, Asheesh Malhotra has worked in leadership roles at Dentsu, Ogilvy, Lowe and Bates. He has straddled strategy and business functions on global and local businesses alike. Malhotra helped launch India's first private life insurance company ICICI Pru.  He led global business hubs for Castrol and BP across Europe, Asia and also the business of Unilever beverages. 

Asheesh has over the years won the prestigious Effie awards for Unilever, ICICI Pru, Mondelez in India and APAC regions. He has also worked on the launch of Royal Enfield Meteor and Classic and Malabar Gold’s Brides Of India campaigns. Asheesh Malhotra teaches marketing and advertising students at institutes like SP Jain and Northpoint Center of Learning. He is also on the advisory councils of a couple of universities. He’s an active member of INTACH.  

Interestingly, Malhotra is a certified apple orchardist and grew up in the pristine Kullu valley. He did his schooling from St Edwards in Shimla. Went on to pursue his higher studies from Delhi University and later attended the New York Film Academy and studied film and content development.

Welcoming Asheesh Malhotra to NEXT by Rediffusion, Dr. Sandeep Goyal, Managing Director of the Rediffusion group said, “In Asheesh we have a true blue blooded professional who has worked across categories, domains, brands and geographies. I have personally worked with him during his earlier stint at Rediffusion when he was handling the Taj hotels business nearly 20 years ago. We again worked together when he led the Toyota business in Bangalore at Dentsu. Asheesh is client focused, strategically strong and very good with creative teams. The assignment at NEXT by Rediffusion is just right for him – a combination of innovation and experience”. 

“This is my second innings at Rediffusion. I love the easy informality at the agency. Also the wide canvas afforded to everyone to do their best. NEXT by Rediffusion is a rare opportunity for me to create a completely new metaphor in advertising and communication. All soonicorns and unicorns, despite their size and apparent success, need a lot of help with brand building and ideation. We will do just that at NEXT by Rediffusion”, added Asheesh Malhotra.  

Asheesh Malhotra will be based in Mumbai. NEXT by Rediffusion will have offices pan-India in the next 18-24 months.