Garage Worldwide has appointed renowned creative leader Ashish Chakravarty as Partner and CCO. With decades of experience across McCann, Contract and major global brands, Chakravarty brings award-winning expertise and mentorship to the agency. Founder Raj Kamble says his arrival strengthens Garage’s ambition to create modern, culture-driven, transformative work for clients.
Garage Worldwide’s announcement that Ashish Chakravarty has joined the agency as Partner and Chief Creative Officer marks a significant moment in India’s advertising landscape, bringing together the energy of a rising creative company and one of the industry’s most respected leaders. The move not only reflects Garage’s ambition to position itself as a powerhouse in new-age creativity but also underlines Chakravarty’s readiness to shape the next chapter of Indian advertising—one that blends bold thinking, cultural intuition and inventive storytelling for a rapidly evolving marketplace. For many in the industry, this appointment feels both timely and transformative, as agencies recalibrate to meet the creative and strategic demands of a digital-first, clutter-heavy environment where differentiation increasingly comes from ideas that challenge conventions.
Chakravarty arrives at Garage with a legacy that spans more than two decades, enriched by leadership roles at some of India’s most influential creative agencies. Until recently, he served as Executive Director and India Head of Creative at McCann Worldgroup, one of the country’s most prominent agency networks known for its long-standing culture of creative excellence. His career path, however, extends beyond McCann. He previously helmed creative operations at Contract Advertising as its Chief Creative Officer, adding depth to a portfolio that has consistently demonstrated versatility, brand understanding and the kind of conceptual freshness that has left an indelible imprint on multiple categories.
Over the years, Chakravarty has worked across a diverse range of global and Indian brands, shaping campaigns that have resonated both emotionally and strategically. His client experience includes multinational giants such as Nestlé, Reckitt, Coke, Microsoft, Docomo and Metlife, each bringing its own set of creative challenges and opportunities. He has also collaborated with Indian majors including Asian Paints, Air India, Reliance, Emami, Britannia, Dabur and Hero. This mix reflects a unique creative fluency—his ability to move smoothly between global brand systems and the cultural specificity demanded by local storytelling. In an industry where brands increasingly look for narratives rooted in authenticity, relevance and technological awareness, Chakravarty’s creative background stands as a valuable asset.
But it is not only the breadth of his work that makes him one of Indian advertising’s most respected figures. It is his consistent recognition on the world stage. His campaigns have been celebrated at global platforms including Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, Spikes Asia and Effies—prestigious benchmarks that signify creative thinking aligned with effectiveness. These accolades highlight a career shaped not just by compelling storytelling, but by ideas that deliver impact, persuasive clarity and lasting brand value. Within industry circles, Chakravarty is also known as a mentor par excellence, someone who has helped shape multiple generations of creative talent. Many copywriters, designers, art directors and creative strategists across agencies credit him with pushing them to think sharper, embrace curiosity and approach creativity with both discipline and joy.
It is this blend of mentoring spirit and creative leadership that Garage Worldwide seems keen to tap into as the agency builds its own identity in a competitive environment. Raj Kamble, Founder of Garage Worldwide, has long envisioned the company as a space where ideas, innovation and culture converge. In his view, the arrival of Chakravarty significantly strengthens this mission. Kamble believes that creativity today must not only be about compelling storytelling but about being culturally alive, technologically aware and strategically grounded. In welcoming Chakravarty, he highlighted the immense creative stature and depth the new CCO brings, saying it amplifies Garage’s ambition to deliver modern, transformative work for its clients.
Chakravarty himself speaks of Garage with the enthusiasm of someone who sees both possibility and purpose in the next phase of his career. Describing the agency as a place with “the hunger and inventiveness of a new-age agency,” he reflects an excitement that aligns with the broader shifts in the advertising ecosystem. As digital transformation dismantles traditional norms, agencies must reinvent themselves in ways that resonate with the new consumer, whose expectations are shaped by swift cultural shifts, fragmented attention, and technology that evolves faster than conventional models. For Chakravarty, Garage offers the ideal canvas—a space not weighed down by legacy structures, one agile enough to embrace experimentation and bold thinking. He emphasises his desire to build something special with the team and to push the boundaries of what modern Indian creativity can be, signalling a vision rooted in innovation, inclusivity and the kind of risk-taking that fuels breakthrough ideas.
The advertising industry has in recent years become a battleground for talent and differentiation. Traditional agencies face pressure from start-ups, digital-first firms, content studios, independent outfits and consulting giants. In such a landscape, leadership appointments often reveal deeper strategic intent. Garage Worldwide’s decision to bring in Chakravarty as both Partner and CCO suggests a commitment to evolving its creative identity with a strong emphasis on contemporary thinking. Partnerships at this level often serve as catalysts for cultural change within organisations, creating a shared vision that flows through departments, influences how teams collaborate, and ultimately shapes the work itself.
For Garage, this infusion of experience and stature also strengthens its ability to attract talent and clients looking for a blend of craft, creativity and modernity. Chakravarty’s global exposure and award-winning pedigree offer an added dimension—an assurance of creative quality that agencies often strive to cultivate but rarely achieve without the presence of a strong creative leader. His involvement in mentoring also indicates that Garage might soon become a nurturing ground for new talent eager to learn from someone who has witnessed the evolution of Indian advertising firsthand.
At a time when brands demand speed without compromising storytelling, and when creative work must compete not just with other ads but with all forms of entertainment, the need for leadership that understands both craft and the changing cultural context is more essential than ever. Chakravarty’s appointment suggests that Garage Worldwide is not just preparing for this challenge but actively shaping its response to it.
As the industry watches this partnership unfold, many will be looking to see how Garage’s work evolves under Chakravarty’s creative stewardship. Will the agency push for more culturally embedded ideas? Will it experiment with tech-driven narratives? Will it take bolder risks in categories that have remained predictable for decades? These questions frame the possibilities ahead.
What is clear is that this move has sparked anticipation. The blend of a seasoned creative leader and a young agency that prides itself on agility and innovation is a combination ripe with potential. Whether through campaigns that reinterpret cultural codes, brand strategies that embrace new media behaviours or storytelling formats that merge creativity and technology, the creative community will be watching closely.
In bringing Ashish Chakravarty on board, Garage Worldwide has signaled not just a hiring announcement but a declaration of intent—a commitment to shaping modern Indian creativity with courage, curiosity and craft. The next chapters of this partnership may very well redefine how independent Indian agencies compete, innovate and inspire in a rapidly changing advertising world.
