Publicis India, a part of Publicis Groupe India, appoints Aman Mannan and Shitu Patil as joint national creative directors (NCDs). In their new roles, the duo will lead the creative vision for all brands at Publicis India, reporting to managing director Oindrila Roy.
Mannan brings nearly 25 years of experience across agencies such as Interface Communication, McCann Erickson, DDB Mudra Group, and Leo Burnett India. He has worked with various brands including P&G, Unilever, Coca-Cola, Mahindra and Mahindra, Godrej, Sony, Amazon, HDFC Bank, and HDFC Life. Additionally, he co-authored the story and screenplay for the web show ‘Saas, Bahu aur Flamingo’, receiving a nomination for Best Screenplay at the Filmfare OTT Awards.
Shitu Patil, a seasoned creative leader with 23 years of advertising and branding experience, joined L&K Saatchi & Saatchi in 2022, marking her return to the Groupe. She has previously worked with agencies such as Lowe Lintas, FCB, and Publicis Ambience, and also operated her own design agency, Plus One. Shitu has received recognition at industry events such as D&AD, Effies, ABBYs, and Kyoorius awards, and has served on juries for D&AD and ABBYs. Her brand portfolio includes names like Lakme, Raymond, Cartier, and Renault.
In their new roles as NCDs, Mannan and Patil will apply their expertise to guide the creative direction of the agency across all its offices in India.
“Publicis India has been on an amazing journey of resurgence in the past 2 years, with a focus on both growth and creative excellence yielding rich dividends. Our impressive portfolio of work and client roster rival that of any top agency in the country. The search for the perfect blend of creative talent and cultural fit was challenging, but in Aman and Shitu, we have found a team of rare creative talent that spans the entire spectrum of creativity. We are confident that these two wonderful people will inspire our teams and clients to new heights,” Paritosh Srivastava, CEO, L&K Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis India, said.
“Aman and Shitu are a powerhouse of creativity and their experience in delivering award-winning work reaffirms this. We are confident that as NCDs, they will inspire our teams with new energies. We are certain that their creative prowess and strategic acumen will contribute to the continued success and growth of Publicis India,” Oindrila Roy, managing director, Publicis India, said.
“My journey at the agency has been nothing short of exciting and full of learnings. I am thankful to Paritosh, Oindrila, and the entire team for their continued trust and support. I really believe we are as good as our people and my focus is going to be on uplifting and strengthening our teams further to create distinguished work and take both our clients and agency to greater glory. I am excited about this new journey and look forward to closely working with Paritosh, Oindrila and Aman,” Patil said.
“I am looking forward to working closely with Paritosh, Oindrila, and the team to build on the great work they have already done. I hope to create state-of-the-art solutions, placing art firmly at the centre of our endeavours and infusing new-age work with age-old wisdom. I aim to integrate the best practices of cinema writing and thinking into our projects, contributing to the development of a unique voice for Publicis India,” Mannan added.