Saatchi & Saatchi brings in Ashutosh Karkhanis as creative head, Mumbai

He comes from Ray+Keshavan | The Brand Union, where he was creative director.

Saatchi & Saatchi has appointed Ashutosh Karkhanis as executive creative director at its Mumbai office. Karkhanis will head the creative team in Mumbai. He moves in from Ray+Keshavan | The Brand Union, where he was creative director.

Ramanuj Shastry, national creative director, Saatchi & Saatchi India, says, "Ashu (Karkhanis) is an awesome talent and an outstanding leader. But more importantly, he is an exceptional man. I worked with him at Rediffusion-Y&R and in the process became a fan of his work - be it advertising, design, digital or photography. He will bring with him new energies and new thinking that is invaluable. He's a total rock star and I look forward to working with him."

Speaking about the development, Nisha Singhania, general manager, Saatchi & Saatchi Mumbai, says, "Ashu will be a critical driver of transformation at Saatchi & Saatchi. Having worked with Ashu both at Grey and at Rediffusion, I find his passion for ideas absolutely infectious. His experience in design and digital gives us the edge that we need to succeed in today's VUCA world."

Over his 20-year career span, Karkhanis has worked with Lowe Enterprise, Ambience, Grey, Contract and Rediffusion-Y&R. His prolific career has included clients such as Britannia, Unilever, Kotak Mahindra, HSBC, Asian Paints, Taj Hotels, Economic Times, Kingfisher Airlines, Himalayan Water, Tata Nano and Tata Sky, and has spanned advertising, design and digital. As a successful executive creative director in advertising, he decided to make the switch to head of design and after a momentous year, he was awarded the mandate for the new digital division at Rediffusion-Y&R, Mumbai. Besides many local awards, he has won at international awards such as The One Show, Cannes, London International and Adfest.

Apart from advertising, his other passions are photography and travel. His work was featured in the National Geographic Worldwide Photography Contest Editor's Choice, 2009.

His latest photography work titled 'The Lost City' was a winner at last year's Spikes Also competition. He also moonlights as a photographer and has taken on many prestigious projects for Taj, DNA, Nano and other brands.

Last year, he moved base to Bengaluru as creative director to head the design department at Ray+Keshvan | The Brand Union, India's biggest brand consulting firm. Here, he got a chance to work closely with Sujata Keshvan to explore the design side and enhance it.

Karkhanis says, "Today when I see my young sons playing on the iPad, I realise that digital is the future. Meeting with the Saatchi team confirmed my belief. With Saatchi & Saatchi, I have found the perfect match. I am truly excited to join this great team," he concludes.