Mayuresh Dubhashi returns to Publicis Groupe India to lead Saatchi & Saatchi India’s creative mandate, partnering with Kartik Smetacek to drive culture-led and modern creativity
Mumbai, September 7, 2026: Saatchi & Saatchi India has strengthened its creative leadership team with the appointment of Mayuresh Dubhashi as Chief Creative Officer. Based in Mumbai, Dubhashi will work closely with Kartik Smetacek, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India, to shape the agency’s creative direction and develop contemporary, culture-led solutions for its clients.
Dubhashi will report to Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India, and Propagate India. His appointment comes as the agency looks to build on its creative reputation while responding to the changing nature of brand communication, where culture, technology, data and consumer behaviour increasingly intersect.
With more than two decades of experience in advertising and brand building, Dubhashi brings expertise spanning creative leadership, innovation, brand strategy and modern storytelling. Before joining Saatchi & Saatchi India, he served as Chief Creative Officer at FCB Neo India. His career has also included leadership positions at Leo India, Grey, Taproot Dentsu and JWT.
Dubhashi is returning to Publicis Groupe India after his earlier stint with Leo India, where he was involved in some of the agency’s notable creative work. Among the campaigns associated with his leadership was Oreo’s #BringBack2011, which went on to become one of India’s most awarded campaigns of 2023.
Over the course of his career, Dubhashi’s work has received recognition across several major advertising and creative platforms, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, Spikes Asia, Effie India, APAC Effie Awards and The One Show. His portfolio includes work for brands such as Oreo, KFC, Adidas, Uber and Amazon, reflecting his experience across both established and contemporary consumer categories.
The leadership transition also sees Rohit Malkani, Chief Creative Officer at Saatchi & Saatchi India, move into the role of Senior Creative Advisor. In this capacity, Malkani will continue to contribute to the agency’s creative mandate, particularly across select key brands.
Malkani has spent close to a decade with Saatchi & Saatchi India and has been an important part of the agency’s creative growth during that period. He has overseen creative operations across the agency’s Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata offices, while contributing to client relationships, new business partnerships, talent development and the overall creative culture of the agency.
Commenting on the leadership change, Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, Saatchi & Saatchi India, BBH India, and Propagate India, said that the agency remains focused on strengthening its creative reputation and delivering work that can create meaningful business impact. He highlighted Dubhashi’s ability to combine an understanding of culture, consumers and technology with strong brand-building capabilities.
Srivastava also said that Dubhashi and Smetacek will work closely together across the agency’s client portfolio, bringing their combined creative experience to the brands Saatchi & Saatchi India works with. He also acknowledged Malkani’s contribution to the agency over nearly a decade and welcomed his continued involvement in an advisory capacity.
Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe South Asia and Chairman, Leo South Asia, welcomed Dubhashi back to Publicis Groupe India, noting his experience in building creative cultures and developing work that establishes strong connections between brands and consumers.
Das added that as Publicis Groupe continues to evolve its creative ambition, leadership that can bring together creative instinct, consumer understanding and business thinking will remain important. According to him, Dubhashi’s experience and perspective will help further strengthen the creative culture at Saatchi & Saatchi India.
For Dubhashi, the new role marks a return to Publicis Groupe as he takes charge of the agency’s next phase of creative development. He pointed to Saatchi & Saatchi India’s distinctive creative culture and legacy, while emphasising the growing role of culture, data and technology in shaping effective brand ideas.
Dubhashi said the combination of Publicis Groupe’s capabilities in creativity, data and technology provides a strong platform for developing work that remains rooted in human insight while responding to the changing marketing landscape. He will now work alongside Smetacek and the wider creative team as the agency looks to build its next chapter of brand and culture-led work.