Dentsu appoints new president and chief strategy officer for South Asia

Dentsu has announced the appointment of Narayan Devanathan as president and chief strategy officer, South Asia. 

 

In his new role, Devanathan is entrusted with the task of executing the network's strategy to deliver industry-defining client solutions at the intersection of marketing, technology, and consulting.

 

His mandate includes bringing together the strategy and planning teams across various critical practices including creative, media, and customer experience (CX). Further, Narayan will also set up and run the business transformation, sustainability consulting, innovations, startup growth partnerships, expert alliances, and knowledge verticals across the group. 

 

He will report to Harsha Razdan, CEO, South Asia, Dentsu. 

 

Devanathan who is also the chief strategy and communications officer for National Foundation for India, rejoined Dentsu in June 2023 as group chief strategic officer after leaving in 2022. Devanathan had been at Dentsu prior since 2011 in various capacities, including chief client officer, executive vice president, national planning director, group executive and strategy officer, and president of strategy and integration. In a career spanning over 28 years, he has also worked with R K Swamy BBDO and Ogilvy, among others. 

 

He exited the Group in August 2022 to pursue interests outside the advertising industry, as was reported by Campaign India at the time.

Speaking of the appointment Harsha Razdan said, "Dentsu stands as an unparalleled powerhouse of creativity, innovation, and exceptional talent. Our goal is to enhance our customer focus, adaptability, and inventiveness as we embark on the next phase of our growth journey. We aspire to be the primary choice for clients seeking progress for themselves and their customers in marketing, technology, and consulting. Narayan's appointment seamlessly aligns with our global strategic vision. He has proven himself to be an invaluable asset at dentsu – a remarkable individual, a distinguished leader, and an outstanding professional. I wholeheartedly welcome Narayan to his new role."

 

Devanathan added, “As someone who started off as a copywriter many years ago, I’ve never forgotten the unparalleled power of creativity to solve problems and unlevel the playing field. At dentsu, we’re now bringing that power to create positive change for companies and society. It starts with reminding our people of the power of a diverse collective and re-arming ourselves with new ways to collect and connect dots across the business spectrum. And in the process, we’re putting down three simple principles: have amazing fun, do the right thing, don’t settle for the status quo. I’m excited as I was on the first day of my first job to do all of the above, in partnership with Harsha, all of our wonderful people, our clients, and our partners. We’re the future we want to create.”

 

This story has been amended for accuracy purposes as it was initially reported Devanathan had rejoined Dentsu after two years away. He in fact, rejoined in June 2023, but now assumes a new role.