Amitesh Rao has been named the Chief Executive Officer of Leo Burnett South Asia by Publicis Groupe South Asia. In this capacity, he will oversee operations at Publicis Health and Publicis Business. Reporting to Anupriya Acharya, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia, Amitesh will collaborate closely with Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer of Publicis Groupe India and Chairman of Leo Burnett South Asia.
Rao, selected for his extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-category experience, along with a remarkable track record in client businesses and profound expertise in technology, data, and creativity, is set to steer Leo Burnett South Asia towards its next phase of growth and creative aspirations.
An alumnus of IIM Bangalore, Rao brings over 25 years of leadership experience encompassing advertising, marketing, and technology entrepreneurship in gaming and simulation. His most recent role was at McCann India, where he served as the Executive Director, overseeing North and West Operations.
With a history of holding prominent positions at TBWA, Rediffusion, and JWT, Rao has worked across markets with renowned clients including PepsiCo, Airtel, Nestlé, Reckitt, Coke, Mastercard, and Nissan during his advertising career. His marketing and sales expertise extends to the Telco and Data space with MTS and RPG.
Anupriya Acharya, CEO, Publicis Groupe South Asia, said, “We are in an age of constant invention and re-invention and in Amitesh, we found the perfect leader who brings both a thorough appreciation of the power of creativity in building strong brands and an intimate understanding and fluency in diverse languages of technology, gaming, data, and platforms.”
Rao added, “I look forward to leading Leo Burnett South Asia in an era where the confluence of technology and creativity is redefining the playing field. I hope to bring new perspective on client businesses, strengthen seamless solutions and look forward to accelerating growth for Leo Burnett and its clients.”
Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Publicis Groupe India and Chairman, Leo Burnett South Asia, said, “Having built Leo Burnett South Asia over the last 10 years and making it synonymous with iconic, inspiring creativity that transforms brands and businesses, I am delighted to find in Amitesh a leader who resonates with LB’s ethos and brings with him strong and diverse experience that can take Leo Burnett South Asia to the next level of success and build on the agency’s stellar offerings.”
