FCB Ulka appoints Suman Srivastava as chief strategy officer

He will continue to head his marketing consultancy Marketing Unplugged.

FCB Ulka Group has appointed Suman Srivastava as chief strategy officer. Srivastava turned entrepreneur with the launch of strategic consulting firm - Marketing Unplugged. The firm has forged a strategic alliance with FCB Ulka.

While being actively engaged with the FCB Ulka Group and its clients' brands on an ongoing basis, Srivastava will continue to provide his professional services to the clients of Marketing Unplugged and give it the necessary thrust.

Speaking of his new assignment, Srivastava says, "I have always admired FCB Ulka Group for its commitment to long-term relationships and its formidable strategic edge. Advertising has been my first love and I am delighted to be back with a large, mainstream agency that shares my philosophy of strategic solutions."

Nagesh Alai, chairman, FCB Ulka Group, states, "This is a step towards fortifying our leadership with fresh blood and energy, and preparing our organisation for the future. As head of our solid strategic planning function, I am sure Suman will help take our clients' brands to greater heights."

A graduate from Delhi University, IIM Ahmadabad and IMD Lausanne, Srivastava is the quintessential advertising strategist. He started his career with the Lintas Group and was part of the team that set up SSC&B. He then moved to Euro RSCG in India and eventually became its CEO as well as chief strategy officer for its Asia Pacific region. He then turned entrepreneur with Marketing Unplugged. He is also an author, a trainer and a marathon runner.

The FCB Ulka Group has over 120 Indian and multinational clients and 800 professionals working across seven offices in six cities. Besides three mainline creative agency brands and a media agency brand, the Group has an array of specialised divisions like Digital, Direct/CRM, Healthcare, Brand Consulting, Analytics, Activation and PR. It is a part of FCB Worldwide, a 140+ years old agency network with 1000+ brands and 8000+ people in 100+ countries, owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG).