Leo Burnett India has promoted Neha Kapoor to Executive Vice President, strengthening its senior leadership team. Her steady rise through multiple roles reflects consistent performance, trusted client relationships, and strong leadership. The elevation underscores the agency’s commitment to nurturing long-term talent and internal leadership.
Neha Kapoor’s elevation to Executive Vice President at Leo Burnett India marks a significant moment not just in her own professional journey, but also in the agency’s ongoing effort to build leadership from within. The promotion reflects a story of steady growth, earned trust, and consistent delivery in an industry where longevity and progression are often hard-won. From Associate Vice President to Vice President, then Senior Vice President, and now EVP, Kapoor’s rise within the organisation has been incremental yet decisive, shaped by performance rather than haste and by leadership rather than title alone.
In an advertising landscape that is increasingly fluid, where talent frequently moves across agencies and roles, Kapoor’s trajectory stands out for its continuity. Her journey at Leo Burnett India has been defined by deepening responsibility and widening influence, rather than sharp pivots. Over the years, she has become closely associated with some of the agency’s most important client relationships and complex mandates, building a reputation for strategic clarity and calm execution. Colleagues describe her as a leader who commands respect not through volume, but through preparation and perspective, qualities that have become increasingly valuable as clients demand sharper thinking and faster outcomes.
Kapoor’s promotion to EVP comes at a time when agencies are under pressure to strengthen their senior leadership benches. The industry is navigating changing client expectations, tighter timelines, and the growing need for integration across creative, strategy, media, and technology. By elevating Kapoor, Leo Burnett India has signalled its intent to rely on leaders who understand the organisation’s culture while being equipped to respond to new business realities. Her presence at the executive level adds depth to the agency’s leadership team and reinforces a long-term approach to talent development.
Her career before Leo Burnett India offers insight into the breadth of experience that informs her leadership style today. Kapoor has worked across some of the country’s most influential agency networks, including DDB Mudra Group, Ogilvy, McCann Worldgroup, and ENZ Communication. These stints exposed her to a range of operating models, client categories, and creative philosophies, helping her develop a well-rounded understanding of how brands are built and sustained. From high-profile brand launches to integrated marketing campaigns and long-term strategic partnerships, she has handled assignments that required both imagination and rigour.
At DDB Mudra Group, Kapoor was part of a system known for its strategic sharpness and culturally rooted storytelling. At Ogilvy and McCann Worldgroup, she experienced the scale and complexity of global networks working across diverse markets and stakeholders. These roles sharpened her ability to navigate layered approval structures while preserving creative intent. Her time at ENZ Communication further broadened her perspective, allowing her to operate in leaner environments where adaptability and ownership were critical. Together, these experiences shaped a professional who is comfortable moving between big-picture thinking and operational detail.
At Leo Burnett India, Kapoor has applied this accumulated learning to build durable client partnerships. Her work is marked by an ability to understand business challenges beyond the brief and to translate them into communication strategies that are both relevant and effective. Clients have come to rely on her not just as an agency representative, but as a strategic partner who can anticipate needs and manage complexity. This trust has played a key role in her progression, as leadership responsibilities naturally followed the confidence placed in her by both clients and colleagues.
Her elevation also reflects Leo Burnett India’s broader philosophy of nurturing and retaining talent over time. In an industry often characterised by rapid movement, the agency has increasingly emphasised continuity and institutional memory. Kapoor’s growth within the organisation underscores the value Leo Burnett places on leaders who invest in the culture and contribute to its evolution. By recognising her contributions with an executive role, the agency reinforces a message that long-term commitment and consistent excellence are rewarded.
As EVP, Kapoor’s responsibilities are expected to extend beyond individual accounts to include wider leadership mandates. This includes mentoring emerging talent, shaping strategic direction across businesses, and contributing to the agency’s overall vision. Her leadership style, shaped by years of hands-on experience, positions her well to guide teams navigating changing client demands and evolving creative formats. In an era where integration is no longer optional, her ability to see across functions and stakeholders is likely to be a key asset.
The advertising industry itself is at an inflection point, with creativity increasingly intersecting with data, technology, and purpose-driven storytelling. Leaders at the EVP level are required to balance these forces while safeguarding the core creative product. Kapoor’s background across diverse mandates gives her a pragmatic understanding of how ideas travel from strategy to execution and how teams can be aligned to deliver consistently. This makes her elevation timely, both for her career and for the agency’s ambitions.
For many young professionals in the industry, Kapoor’s journey offers a counter-narrative to the idea that progress must be rapid or linear. Her career demonstrates the value of patience, adaptability, and sustained performance. By growing within roles and taking on incremental responsibility, she has built credibility that supports her leadership today. This approach aligns closely with Leo Burnett’s belief in “humankind,” where understanding people—clients, consumers, and teams alike—remains central to effective communication.
As she steps into the Executive Vice President role, Kapoor carries with her the expectations of an agency that sees her as a key pillar of its future. Her promotion strengthens Leo Burnett India’s leadership at a time when stability and vision are equally important. It also reflects a quiet confidence from the organisation in leaders who have proven themselves over time, rather than through short-term wins. In doing so, Leo Burnett reinforces its commitment to building leadership that is both experienced and deeply embedded in the agency’s ethos.
Neha Kapoor’s rise to EVP is ultimately a story about consistency in a volatile industry, about earning trust through performance, and about leadership that grows organically. As the advertising world continues to evolve, her journey stands as an example of how long-term talent development and strategic clarity can create leaders who are ready to shape the next chapter of an agency’s story.
