Dentsu Creative India onboards Surjo Dutt as CCO - West & South

Newly appointed Surjo will collaborate closely with the creative teams while developing transformative solutions. On the other hand, Aalap Desai has decided to move on from his role.

Dentsu Creative India has announced the appointment of Surjo Dutt as the Chief Creative Officer (CCO) for the West & South regions, effective from September 1, 2023.  This development comes after Aalap Desai, Dentsu Creative West and Dentsu Creative Experience, India announced his resignation.

As per the mandate, Surjo will spearhead creative excellence at the agency, leading the charge in aligning with the agency's global vision. Collaborating closely with the creative teams, he will develop transformative solutions that harness the power of modern creativity to elevate brands and fuel business growth. 

Armed with 24 years of experience, Surjo has worked on over 400 campaigns across 70+ brands and 20+ categories. He has previously held the positions of Chief Creative Officer at FCB India, Sapient Nitro's advertising business as the National Creative Director - North and the Vice President and Executive Creative Director (ECD) at JWT. 

Throughout his career, Surjo has worked with brands such as Pepsi, Frito Lay, Hero Motocorp, GSK, Google, Uber, Vistara, Dominos, Pernod Ricard, Nokia, Airtel, Nestle, and British Airways, to name a few.

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Surjo will report to Amit Wadhwa, Chief Executive Officer, Dentsu Creative India, in his new role. 

Commenting on the appointment, Amit Wadhwa said, "I am delighted to welcome Surjo as our creative partner on this exciting journey at Dentsu Creative India. Having previously worked alongside Surjo, I am well aware of his incredible talent for building powerful brands - a quality he has consistently demonstrated across every project he has been involved in. His seamless grasp of strategic contributions and deep understanding of the contemporary media landscape make him the ideal candidate to embody our philosophy of 'Modern Creativity’. I firmly believe that together we will produce work that will leave a lasting mark in the industry.” 

Surjo added, "Dentsu has established itself as a creative powerhouse in India, delivering impactful campaigns that have made a huge impact across various categories. The conglomerate’s work has garnered recognition not only within the industry but also at prestigious national and international award platforms. I am genuinely thrilled and deeply grateful for this incredible opportunity. I extend my gratitude to Amit and the dentsu team for acknowledging the value of my work and approach. I am looking forward to playing my part in this exciting new phase of Dentsu Creative’s journey in India. The fact that I have previously worked with Amit and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it is the icing on the cake for me." 

On Aalap Desai's resignation, Amit Wadhwa, CEO, dentsu Creative India said, "We live in an ever-changing world, and Aalap is excited to start a new chapter. We wish him the best of luck in all his upcoming endeavours and look forward to celebrating his successes in the future."