AFRICA – Ogilvy Africa, a public relations agency, has named Vikas Mehta as new chief executive for Sub Saharan region, replacing Mathieu Plassard who is taking up a similar post in South Africa.
Until his appointment, Vikas was the CEO of Mullen Lintas, in India. He will take on this new role in December
Bharat Thakkar, CEO WPP-Scan group which owns the public relations firm said Vikas’ combination of leadership, people and technology skills will help Ogilvy Africa scale greater heights.
”The agency has confidence in Vikas’s ability to be an outstanding, collaborative leader, and most importantly a remarkable brand partner for clients,” Thakkar said.
Vika said in most markets he had worked, Ogilvy has been the one to beat.
“I have tremendous respect for the network and it’s an exciting time to bring the ambition of One Ogilvy to life in Africa,” he said.
A strategist by training, Vikas has experience spanning managing units across disciplines including advertising (on and offline), digital transformation, social, shopper & experiential and PR & influence.
He believes in an omni-channel approach to building brands which creates a unified experience across consumer touchpoints.
“In most markets that I have worked in, Ogilvy has been the one to beat. I have tremendous respect for the network and it’s an exciting time to bring the ambition of One Ogilvy to life in Africa,” said Vikas on his appointment.
“With Bharat’s vision and Paul’s keen support, I think Ogilvy has the right recipe in place to author the next chapter of its evolution across the continent. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my work in D&E markets in Asia and hope to bring that on board in contributing to Ogilvy’s continued success in Africa.”
New to Ogilvy leadership team, Vikas joined Ammirati Puris Lintas in 2002, based in its New Delhi office.
At the age of 31, he was named Managing Director – Lowe Viet Nam, making him the youngest country head in the global network.
Under his leadership, the agency went on to create some iconic campaigns, dominate effectiveness awards in the region and become the largest creative agency in the country.
In 2011, he was named Regional Growth Officer for Lowe Asia-Pacific. Based in Singapore, the role was instrumental in charting out and implementing the strategy for business and capability expansion for the network.
He moved to India in 2013 to head marketing for Mullen Lowe Lintas Group as the first CMO in Indian advertising. Vikas took on the role of CEO at Mullen Lintas in January this year.
Headquartered in Nairobi, Ogilvy Africa has solidified its presence as a leading creative communications agency, with several global awards reflecting success in various campaigns.
