DDB Mudra Group bolsters its India leadership

DDB Mudra Group bolsters its India leadership

Menaka Menon is national strategy head, and Nitin Pradhan is creative head – South.

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Mumbai: Strengthening its senior leadership in creative and planning, DDB Mudra Group has onboarded Menaka Menon as national strategy head and Nitin Pradhan as creative head—South. Cumulatively, they bring over 40 years of experience in creative thinking and strategic planning across brands and categories.

Menon started her journey in advertising in account management and eventually moved to other marketing roles. She has also spent time in the media, consulting, and social sectors, all of which have contributed to her unique perspective on culture and consumer behaviour. A MICAn, Menon has previously worked with FCB, Wunderman Thompson, and Leo Burnett. Her diverse portfolio included brands such as ITC Foods, Amazon, HUL, and Star Network.

Pradhan, a seasoned creative thinker with 20+ years of experience, has worked on campaigns such as the Masalas of India for Maggi noodles, Make My Trip’s "MMT Assured" campaign, and brands such as Samsung, Tata Sky, KBC, and Sony Network. His last stint was with Cheil India, with previous experiences at Ogilvy, McCann, Publicis Groupe, and Leo Burnett. Pradhan is also a filmmaker, having directed popular films for Truecaller and the government.

Speaking about the senior appointments, DDB Mudra Group chief creative officer Rahul Mathew said, "Bernbach had said that creativity is the most powerful force in business. And those words form the core of what we're trying to build at the DDB Mudra Group. But how strong the force of creativity is, depends on the talent that wields it and leads it. In Menon and Pradhan, we found strong leaders and wielders of this force. I look forward to working with them and creating some really exciting work on some of our biggest brands."

Commenting on her new role, Menon said, "DDB Mudra Group is at an exciting juncture, having created beautiful and impactful work, with a clear focus on building on the same. I look forward to being part of a stellar team working towards a shared mission and bringing a fresh perspective to work."

Pradhan added, "The vision of making DDB Mudra the integrated agency of choice in the industry is something that inspired me to take up the South creative mandate. The Bengaluru office has recently proven its intent to push creative boundaries with mainline campaigns on BGMI and Indeed. And given the vast portfolio of brands that it has across categories, I’m quite excited to partner with the team in its new phase of growth, where creativity will have a more central role to play."