Cheil South West Asia (SWA) has announced the elevation of Kumar Awanish to group’s chief operating officer.
Awanish, who was previously the chief growth officer, will lead the group’s operational strategy, reporting to the recently appointed president and CEO, Sungkyoon Kim. He will be based at the agency’s Gurugram headquarters where he will be instrumental in mapping the next phase of the group’s evolution.
In his expanded remit, Awanish will steer the agency toward becoming an AI-first organisation.
Commenting on Awanish’s new role, CEO Kim said, “Cheil SWA is ushering a new phase of advertising transformation led by AI. Kumar Awanish has the right skill set and experience to lead the group into this dynamic journey. He is passionate about Cheil SWA group and his enthusiasm for work is contagious. I wish him the best in his new role and looking forward to his second innings at Cheil SWA group.”
A seasoned advertising and marketing leader with over two decades of multifaceted experience, Awanish has consistently operated at the intersection of technology, data, and brand growth.
As chief growth officer at Cheil India, he led a high performing team of 100 plus specialists. He was instrumental in establishing and scaling the D2C and commerce functions, while simultaneously sustaining high growth momentum in media operations. Before commencing his stint with Cheil SWA group, Awanish amassed over two decades of experience driving growth for market leaders such as Airtel, Snapdeal, Times Internet, GroupM and Oppo.
Awanish said, “I am incredibly grateful to our global and local leadership for their trust in me to drive our vision forward. We are on a mission to double down on AI literacy across all functions and group agencies, empowering our people to use AI not just for efficiency, but as a catalyst for human creativity. By blending advanced capabilities, with human ingenuity, we are architecting the future of Cheil SWA. This evolution is strengthened by the reunion of media and creative, ensuring that an agency of our scale remains agile and delivers the holistic, full-funnel impact our clients deserve.”
