Cheil India has appointed Ritesh Rao as Head of Operations to lead the Mumbai branch of Cheil X, reinforcing its expansion strategy in a key market. The move strengthens Cheil’s integrated offerings across digital, activation and retail, supporting its position as one of India’s fastest-growing agency networks within the global Cheil Worldwide ecosystem.
Cheil India has announced that industry leader Ritesh Rao has joined the network to head operations for Cheil X in Mumbai, marking a significant leadership move as the agency continues to consolidate its multi-disciplinary strengths in one of India’s most competitive advertising markets.
The appointment signals the next phase of Cheil X’s expansion within the country, with Mumbai serving as both a creative and commercial focal point for brands across categories. In his new role, Rao is expected to accelerate operational excellence, partner integration, and client delivery across the ecosystem, aligning Cheil X’s value proposition for brands navigating omnichannel consumer landscapes. The move also reflects Cheil’s continued push to evolve from a traditional communications outfit into an end-to-end marketing solutions partner with strong digital, retail and activation capabilities.
Cheil India today ranks among the country’s top five advertising agency networks and functions as Cheil Worldwide’s regional headquarters for South-West Asia. The Indian unit has been one of the network’s fastest-growing operations, underpinned by mandates spanning ATL campaigns, digital marketing, brand activation, shopper marketing, and retail experience design. Its ability to stitch these capabilities into unified solutions has been a core differentiator in a market increasingly defined by fragmented consumer journeys and platform-driven marketing complexity.
Globally, Cheil Worldwide has emerged as Korea’s largest advertising and marketing network and one of the most rapidly scaling agency groups. Headquartered in Seoul, the network is now the 11th largest agency group in the world by revenue, according to Ad Age’s 2022 rankings, and operates across 45 countries with a workforce of more than 6,500. Its portfolio of specialist agencies—including Barbarian, BMB, Cheil Centrade, Cheil PengTai, ColourData, Experience Commerce, Iris, McKinney, and One RX—has collectively earned recognition across the industry’s highest creative and effectiveness platforms such as Cannes Lions, CLIOs, and Spikes Asia.
Rao’s onboarding comes at a time when agency holding groups are reshaping their operational models to deliver more integrated offerings that connect brand storytelling with performance, commerce, and data-backed customer experience design. Mumbai, as a hub for legacy and new-age brands alike, represents a strategic battleground where such integration increasingly determines competitive advantage. Cheil X’s mandate intersects this shift, positioning Rao to build operational frameworks that enhance agility, collaboration, and client value.
With brands seeking partners equipped to influence not only communications but full-funnel consumer engagement—from awareness to conversion to in-store experience—the network is betting on leadership talent to sustain its growth momentum. Rao’s track record in operations and market expansion is expected to support Cheil India in meeting those expectations as it broadens its footprint in the country and strengthens its role within Cheil Worldwide’s global structure.
Industry observers view the move as reflective of broader confidence in India as a growth frontier for global marketing networks. With Cheil India’s integrated model gaining traction, the Mumbai leadership push is designed to harness that momentum and expand the network’s influence across categories, platforms, and capabilities in the coming year.
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