DDB Mudra Group announces leadership transition

Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO & MD, DDB Mudra Group, today announced a phased leadership transition for the Group. Kamath had last year announced his intention to retire from the Group by end of 2017. Effective April 1, 2017, Vineet Gupta, currently the Chief Digital Officer, DDB Mudra Group, will be appointed as Group CEO (Designate), and Aditya Kanthy, currently the Chief Strategy Officer, DDB Mudra Group, will be appointed as Group Managing Director (Designate). 

Effective July 1, 2017, Vineet Gupta and Aditya Kanthy will formally take over as Group CEO and Group Managing Director, respectively. To facilitate a seamless transition, Madhukar Kamath will continue to work closely with Gupta and Kanthy as Executive Chairman of the DDB Mudra Group, till end December 2017. 

Gupta has championed the cause of technology in marketing, which led him to become a part of the founding team at 22feet, a digital marketing firm founded on the bedrock of creativity and technology. As an entrepreneur, he helped successfully build 22feet, which was eventually acquired by the DDB Mudra Group and Omnicom. Post the acquisition, Gupta continued to lead 22feet Tribal as its Managing Director, driving its growth by delivering cutting edge work for brands like eBay, Fastrack, Heineken, Kingfisher, Mahindra Royal Enfield, Tata Global Beverages,  Tanishq and Titan. Prior to 22feet Tribal, he had stints with Café Coffee Day, Microsoft and Star TV. 

As Chief Strategy Officer, DDB Mudra Group, Aditya Kanthy has been leading the cause for work that delivers business results with data and digital at the heart of creative, strategy and execution. During his 14-year stint with the DDB Mudra Group, he helped set up the corporate strategy function which helped in the organisation’s transformation from an advertising agency to a marketing communications group. As a strategic planner, he has led the effort to deliver growth for Emirates, Future Group, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Twitter and Volkswagen, among others. He has contributed to building the agency’s reputation for creativity and effectiveness. 

Chuck Brymer, CEO, DDB Worldwide, commented, “Madhukar and I have been working on the transition process for over the past year. We have undertaken a fairly comprehensive evaluation of talent, both externally and internally, and I am glad that we’ve identified the new leadership team from within the organisation. The transition process couldn’t begin at a better time, with 2016 being one of the best years for the DDB Mudra Group in terms of both revenue and margin growth. Both are immensely talented, business oriented and client focused. Together, they bring diverse skillsets of growing businesses by building and leading excellent teams.” 

Madhukar Kamath said, “At the beginning of 2016, I had announced my intention to retire from the Group by end of 2017. I have always been a firm believer in empowering young talent and seeing them deliver beyond expectations. Vineet and Aditya have exemplified this in their respective careers so far. As a team, they bring together the best of business, technology, strategy and an appreciation of creativity. I am excited about the next three quarters, where I will work closely with Vineet and Aditya in ensuring a smooth transition. I congratulate them and wish them all the best.”