FCB India names Debarpita Banerjee as CEO, Surjo Dutt as CCO and John Thangaraj as CSO

FCB Group India has announced the restructuring of its creative agencies and a new three agency structure - FCB Ulka, FCB Interface and FCB India. FCB India, the newest agency in the fold, led by Swati Bhattacharya as the Creative Chairperson, has also announced its newly elevated C-Suite leadership team.

FCB India will be led by Debarpita Banerjee as Chief Executive Officer, Surjo Dutt as Chief Creative Officer and John Thangaraj as Chief Strategy Officer. In their previous roles, Banerjee, Dutt and Thangaraj were President - North and East, National Creative Director and National Planning Director, respectively.

The pandemic has fundamentally changed the rules of the game. It has caused the industry to question decades-old beliefs about how consumers behave and make choices. In an increasingly digitised marketplace of ever-increasing options, influencing consumer choice has become more complex than ever before. It is this tremendous complexity that informs FCB India’s belief system: that siloed, medium-first thinking is no longer enough to build powerful brands in today’s world.

As mentioned in the press release, FCB India has been conceptualised as a hybrid new agency for a new era of hybrid marketing, combining hybrid talent and hybrid thinking to unleash ‘hybrid creativity’ – powerful, unmissable, media-agnostic ideas that truly span the length and breadth of the consumer journey.

In a marketplace inundated with specialist agencies, FCB India aims at bringing a multidisciplinary approach to creative ideation, drawing from fields as varied as design and data to media and marketing.

Bhattacharya said, “When Debbie, Surjo, and John enter the room to solve a problem… you know it will be done. Very rarely do you see such chemistry and energy in the boardroom. They can afford to be terribly honest with each other, and that directly makes the idea shiny and the brand shinier.”

Rohit Ohri, Chairman and CEO, FCB Group India, said, “Hybrid thinking truly begins with hybrid talent. Debbie, Surjo and John’s diverse experience across content marketing, media strategy and digital storytelling, respectively, uniquely positions them to deliver to the challenges of building and growing brands in today’s complex, ever-changing marketplace”.

“Debbie, Surjo and John have been instrumental in growing the FCB brand across new clients, categories and markets. Having spent half a decade working with each other, they play off each other’s strengths, bring multiple perspectives to the table and form a formidable base from which to further consolidate the tremendous equity they have already built. I wish them the best in their new roles and have no doubt that they will lead FCB India into a new era of success,” Ohri added.

Banerjee joined FCB in 2016 as President-North and East and now heads the agency as the CEO. Previously, Banerjee headed marketing for National Geographic India. She is a content enthusiast and also leads Fuel- the branded content and production arm at the agency.

Dutt joined FCB in 2016 as National Creative Director. In his previous role, he was heading creative for specialist digital agency Sapient Nitro.

Thangaraj joined FCB in 2016 as Executive Planning Director. In his previous role, he was Head of Strategy- North for Mindshare.

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