Publicis Groupe has revealed the selection of Amitesh Rao as the new chief executive officer of Leo Burnett South Asia. Following Dheeraj Sinha’s departure from the agency last year to join FCB, Rao steps into this role from McCann, where he previously served as executive director, overseeing North and West Operations.
In his new capacity, Rao will not only lead Leo Burnett Orchard but also supervise Publicis Health and Publicis Business. He will be reporting to Anupriya Acharya, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia. He has also worked with TBWA, Rediffusion, JWT, MTS and RPG.
Acharya said, “I am delighted to welcome Amitesh Rao. We are in an age of constant invention and re-invention and in Amitesh, we found the perfect leader who brings both a thorough appreciation of the power of creativity in building strong brands and an intimate understanding and fluency in diverse languages of technology, gaming, data, and platforms. His easy demeanour and candid attitude are an added asset for clients, our teams and our Groupe’s power of one agenda. I look forward to working with him.”
Elated upon the latest development, Rao said, “I look forward to leading Leo Burnett South Asia in an era where the confluence of technology and creativity is redefining the playing field. With its outstanding creativity and top accolades, a remarkable roster of blue-chip clients and amazing talent pool, the agency offers an incredible canvas. I hope to bring new perspective on client businesses, strengthen seamless solutions and look forward to accelerating growth for Leo Burnett and its clients.”
Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer, Publicis Groupe India and chairperson, Leo Burnett South Asia, said, “Having built Leo Burnett South Asia over the last 10 years and making it synonymous with iconic, inspiring creativity that transforms brands and businesses, I am delighted to find in Amitesh a leader who resonates with LB’s ethos and brings with him strong and diverse experience that can take Leo Burnett South Asia to the next level of success and build on the agency’s stellar offerings. We all look forward to partnering him!”
