Saatchi & Saatchi India appoints Mayuresh Dubhashi as Chief Creative Officer
CE DESK 
Saatchi & Saatchi India has appointed Mayuresh Dubhashi as Chief Creative Officer. Dubhashi will be based in Mumbai. He will partner Kartik Smetacek, who continues as Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India. Together, they will lead the agency’s entire client portfolio. Dubhashi will report to Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India and Propagate India.
This marks Dubhashi’s return to Publicis Groupe. He previously worked with Leo India, which is also part of Publicis Groupe India. Before joining Saatchi & Saatchi, he was Chief Creative Officer at FCB Neo India. His career spans more than two decades across brand building, innovation strategy and modern storytelling. He has held creative leadership roles at Leo India, Grey, Taproot Dentsu and JWT. He also worked with Lowe Lintas earlier in his career.
During his earlier stint at Leo India, Dubhashi led Oreo’s #BringBack2011 campaign. This became one of India’s most awarded campaigns of 2023. His work has been recognised at major industry platforms. These include Cannes Lions, D&AD, Spikes Asia, Effie India, APAC Effie Awards and The One Show. He has created work for brands like Oreo, KFC, Adidas, Uber and Amazon. This track record makes him a strong fit for Saatchi & Saatchi India’s ambition to create transformational work.
As Dubhashi takes on the creative leadership mantle, Rohit Malkani will transition into an advisory role. Malkani, who was Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi India, will now serve as Senior Creative Advisor. He will continue to support the creative mandate for some key brands. This change ensures continuity while bringing in fresh creative energy. Dubhashi and Smetacek will work closely together. They will lead the agency’s creative work and client portfolio. The goal is to ensure every brand benefits from their combined expertise.
Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India and Propagate India, welcomed the appointment. He said As the industry continues to evolve, we remain focused on strengthening our creative reputation and shaping the future of our agency and our clients’ businesses. Modern creativity is increasingly about understanding culture, consumers and technology to create ideas that drive meaningful business impact. Mayuresh brings exactly this combination and proven ability to build brands, making him a strong fit for our ambition to create transformational work. Kartik and Mayuresh will work closely together and lead the agency’s entire client portfolio to ensure every brand will benefit from their combined expertise. I would also like to thank Rohit for his significant contribution to Saatchi & Saatchi India over nearly a decade and look forward to our partnership in his advisory role.
The appointment comes at a time when Saatchi & Saatchi India is strengthening its creative leadership. The agency is part of Publicis Groupe India. It works with a wide range of clients across sectors. Recently, the agency won the creative account for Australian Retirement Trust. It will evolve the brand’s “Awaken Your Super” platform. This shows the agency’s growing footprint in the region. With Dubhashi on board, Saatchi & Saatchi India is positioning itself for the next phase of creative growth.
