Publicis Groupe India has named Unny Radhakrishnan as Chief Executive Officer for Digitas, where he succeeds Amaresh Godbole, who moves to Google.
Prior to joining Digitas, Radhakrishnan was Chief People and Business Officer at Sheroes,an internet startup and a women-only social network. He had also served as Chief Digital Officer at Wavemaker.
A seasoned campaigner in the digital space, Unny has over 20 years of experience in digital marketing, consulting, and technology and began his career as a programmer in Bengaluru. The digital movement had just set in and Radhakrishnan spent time with BOTW (Bridge Over Troubled Waters), one of India’s earliest digital agencies.
Subsequently, Radhakrishnan spent a little over a decade at GroupM’s Maxus, where he transformed it into one of the earliest agencies with integrated capabilities in creative, digital media, social, technology, and R&D. He was Chief Digital Officer South Asia at Maxus and led a large team of over 250 people.
Unny, who frequently delivers lectures on digital technology and institutional transformation at institutes, such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Kharagpur, and ISB Hyderabad, took a sabbatical in 2018 for training in theatre and reading Public Policy.
Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe, South Asia, said, “We are delighted to have Unny join us. Apart from his demonstrated capabilities across the whole gamut of digital, what really stood out for me is his approach to the future, passion for everything digital and commitment to groom talent. Each of these softer skills is very critical to succeed in today’s organisations. Digitas has a very strong team, great momentum and very diverse capabilities. Unny’s leadership will add to it tremendously.”
Radhakrishnan said, “I am very excited to join Digitas at a time when the Publicis Groupe model has just been put in place. The canvas to succeed both as Digitas and as a player in Publicis Groupe is limitless. It has an amazing track- record and momentum. I look forward to taking it from strength to strength.”
Godbole added, “My time at Digitas has been exceptionally rewarding and enriching. We’ve made tremendous progress over the years in shaping up Digitas’ approach and culture while maintaining a scorching pace of growth. I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate with a remarkable bunch of people and brands to produce great work that speaks for itself. It’s the right time for a new challenge, and I look forward to the next phase of my career. I leave Digitas in very capable hands. Unny’s vast experience and ability makes him a perfect fit for the agency.”
