DDB Mudra Group appoints Anurag Bansal as CFO

Bansal takes over from Dilipkumar Upadhyaya, who has stepped down after 26 years with the group.

DDB Mudra Group has named Anurag Bansal as its chief financial officer, effective January 1, 2014. Bansal takes over from Dilipkumar Upadhyaya, who has stepped down after 26 years with the group. Upadhyaya will, however, continue to be a consultant to the group.

In his new role, Bansal will oversee the finance, legal and commercial and information technology functions of all entities under the group, in addition to heading the financial integration of the DDB Mudra Group with Omnicom Group Inc.

Bansal has an MBA degree in finance and more than 16 years of experience. He is also a trustee of the Mudra Foundation for Communications Research and Education. He has been instrumental in starting key business initiatives and forging business alliances and joint ventures. He is valued for his expertise in interpreting corporate vision and strategy, translating objectives into actionable plans and providing decisive leadership to cross-functional and multi-regional teams.

Commenting on his new role, Bansal says, "I am very excited to step into the role of group CFO. The CFO of today is very different from the CFO of even a decade ago. The CFO's role today goes beyond the mere accuracy of numbers. Apart from implementing a robust process for financial information, compliance and corporate governance, together with a high level of risk assessment, he is required to have a more sophisticated understanding of all areas of the business and its operations. The journey for me has just begun and I look forward to some challenging yet exciting times ahead."

Madhukar Kamath, group CEO and managing director, DDB Mudra Group, states, "Anurag, in the short span of six years with us, has grown tremendously within the DDB Mudra Group. Apart from his professional capability and competence, I truly admire his energy, enthusiasm and leadership qualities. I am glad to have him partner me in our next phase of growth."