Publicis India appoints Amit Shankar to drive creative function at Delhi office

Publicis India has beefed up its creative leadership team in Delhi with the appointment of Amit Shankar as the National Creative Director. Shankar joins the agency in place of former Head of Creative, Nitin Pradhan, who has moved on from the agency. 

Shankar would report to Bobby Pawar, Managing Director & Chief Creative Officer, Publicis India. He joins Publicis India from J. Walter Thompson-Gurgaon, where he was Senior Vice President & ECD. He would work towards scaling up the creative offering from New Delhi and provide effective and transformational solutions to a host of brands across categories, including Maggi, Nestle, Cera, SpiceJet, RalcoTyres, etc. 

Welcoming Shankar to the agency, Bobby Pawar said, “Over the last few years, our Delhi office has created some of the most talked about work for our biggest brands. Amit comes in at the right time. His mandate is to keep raising the creative bar and partner me in leading the agency into the new age of creativity. Given his talent, passion and pedigree I’m sure he will do great here.” 

Commenting on the appointment, Srija Chatterjee, Managing Director, Publicis India, said, “Amit joins us at an opportune time with our Delhi office witnessing some high-profile action with some key new business wins. His sharp creative reasoning and ability to throw ideas at you on a quick-fire basis is what makes him a talent to watch out for. We’re glad to have him into our foldand look forward to Delhi becoming a strong creative hotshop under his tutelage.” 

In his 21-year advertising stint, Shankar has worked in leading agencies like Grey (including Trikaya), Contract and J. Walter Thompson. Microsoft Windows XP, Domino’s Pizza, NIIT, Honda Cars, Honda Two Wheelers, Hyundai, General Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Jaypee Cement, Pedigree, GlaxoSmithKline, Proctor & Gamble, FujiFilm, National Geographic, HeroMotoCorp, Times of India, Nestle, ITC, India Today, Government of India, Whirlpool, SpiceJet, Hindustan Times and Revlon are some of the marquee brands he has contributed to. He has also nurtured challenger brands like Intex Mobiles, Creambell ice Cream, Kwality Dairy Best, Manforce, SetWet Deodorants, Franke Faber and Jubilant Organosys. 

Highlighting his role at the agency, Shankar said, “I’m quite excited about joining Publicis India. Whatever I do here, I want keep to creativity at the heart of it. I believe that in today’s dynamic marketing landscape two things are important – a great supply of disruptive ideas and speed of execution. I want to bring these to the agency. I’m also a big believer in the power of momentum. If we start doing good work, better things follow. And of course, Publicis has a great talent magnet in Bobby. He is a unique visionary and a mentor. Bobby’s vision and courage as a creative leader is both unwavering and unmatched. He has a long history of creating breakthrough work, and simply being a part of his team is a constant inspiration.” 

In his earlier leadership role as an ECD, Shankar is widely credited with reigniting the creative department of Grey, Delhi virtually from the scratch and bagging the office’s first Cannes Lions and Ad fest metals. And, bringing in over 15 new brands into the agency’s fold. 

At J. Walter Thompson, he continued the winning spree on both brands and the awards annuals. His name features in the winners’ lists at multiple award shows like Cannes, One Show, Adfest, Spikes Asia, Luerzer’s Archive, Effies and The Work, besides the Abby Awards.