Madhukar Kamath calls it quits at DDB Mudra Group

Madhukar Kamath, Group CEO and MD, DDB Mudra Group, has stepped down announcing a phased leadership transition for the Group. Effective April 1, 2017, Vineet Gupta, currently the chief digital officer, DDB Mudra Group will be appointed as Group CEO (designate) and Aditya Kanthy, currently the Chief Strategy Officer, DDB Mudra Group will be appointed as group managing director (designate). Effective July 1, 2017, Gupta and Kanthy will formally take over as Group CEO and Group Managing Director respectively. To facilitate a seamless transition, Madhukar Kamath will continue to work closely with them as executive chairman of the DDB Mudra Group, till end December, 2017.

Gupta has championed the cause of technology in marketing which led him to become a part of the founding team at 22feet, a digital marketing firm founded on the bedrock of creativity and technology. As an entrepreneur, he helped build 22feet which was eventually acquired by the DDB Mudra Group and Omnicom. Post the acquisition, Gupta continued to lead 22feet Tribal as managing director working for brands such as eBay, Fastrack, Heineken, Kingfisher, Mahindra Royal Enfield, TATA Global Beverages, Tanishq and Titan. Prior to 22feet Tribal, he had stints with Café Coffee Day, Microsoft and Star TV. He is a post graduate in business administration from LBSIM, Delhi.

As chief strategy officer, DDB Mudra Group, Aditya Kanthy has been leading the cause for work that delivers business results with data and digital at the heart of creative, strategy and execution. During his fourteen-year stint with the DDB Mudra Group, he helped set up the corporate strategy function which helped in the organisation's transformation from an advertising agency to a marketing communications group. As a strategic planner, he has led the effort to deliver growth for Emirates, Future Group, Johnson&Johnson, Nestle, Twitter and Volkswagen, among others. He has contributed to building the agency's reputation for creativity and effectiveness. An economics graduate from St. Stephen's, Delhi, Kanthy graduated from MICA.

Commenting on the development, Chuck Brymer, CEO, DDB Worldwide says, "Madhukar and I have been working on the transition process for over the past year. We have undertaken a fairly comprehensive evaluation of talent, both externally and internally, and I am glad that we've identified the new leadership team from within the organisation. The transition process couldn't begin at a better time, with 2016 being one of the best years for the DDB Mudra Group in terms of both revenue and margin growth. Both are immensely talented, business oriented and client focused. They bring together diverse skillsets of growing businesses by building and leading excellent teams."

"At the beginning of 2016, I had announced my intention to retire from the Group by end of 2017. I have always been a firm believer in empowering young talent and seeing them deliver beyond expectations. Vineet and Aditya have exemplified this in their respective careers so far. As a team, they bring together the best of business, technology, strategy and an appreciation of creativity. I am excited about the next three quarters where I will work closely with Vineet and Aditya in ensuring a smooth transition. I congratulate them and wish them all the best," adds Kamath.

The DDB Mudra Group, part of the Omnicom/DDB Worldwide Group, is an integrated marketing communications and services network.