Ogilvy's Kapil Arora takes over as CEO and co-chair of 82.5

Ogilvy India's president for the northern region, Kapil Arora will take over as co-chairman and CEO of 82.5 India from August 1.

 

He will partner Sumanto Chattopadhyay, the agency's chairman and CCO in leading and growing the agency brand and business in India.

 

VS Srikanth, the current CEO of the agency will move on by the end of September 2019. Srikanth has spent over 15 years with the WPP Group, working across Ogilvy offices in Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai, setting up and successfully running his own agency, Temple, and then coming back into the WPP fold to run Bates India and subsequently launch 82.5 India. Srikanth now moves on to pursue a personal passion, setting up a new venture in the Indian tourism sector. 

 

Piyush Pandey, CCO, worldwide and executive chairman, India, the Ogilvy group said, “Kapil will bring new energy to 82.5 Communications in India, and will partner Sumanto to take it to new heights.”

 

Arora has been with Ogilvy since September 2000. He has worked across Ogilvy offices in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi, managing a range of clients and brands, from Unilever, Hutch and Titan in Bengaluru to leading the Vodafone national integrated team in Mumbai. Over the last 6 years, Kapil has played a leadership role at Ogilvy Delhi. 

 

Arora said, “After having built the Ogilvy offering across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi, I’ve felt a strong urge for a new challenge from within the WPP group. 82.5 Communications is just that. When I was offered the opportunity to partner Sumanto in leading 82.5, it was an obvious decision.  My mandate would be to help mould that into a relevant, winning offering that would add disproportionate value to clients.”

 

Chattopadhyay said, "Kapil comes with a proven track record.  He is a people’s person who has built strong relationships with clients over the years. I am confident that together we can take 82.5 to the next level."