Senthil Kumar is now chief creative officer, J. Walter Thompson India

Kumar will lead the agency's creative function in India, across six offices.

J Walter Thompson India has named its national creative director Senthil Kumar as chief creative officer. Kumar will lead the agency's creative function in India across six offices.

Announcing the development, Tarun Rai, CEO, J Walter Thompson South Asia, says, "Creativity is no longer only about the 30-second TVC, but has to work across various platforms. For this new world of communication, I needed a new age creative chief -- someone who thinks digital first. Kumar is talented and focused, and always leads from the front. His passion for excellence and his boundless energy is infectious. He will partner me in raising the bar of our creative product, building our clients' brands and attracting the best talent in the industry."

Kumar started his journey with J Walter Thompson around 15 years ago when he joined the agency's Bengaluru office. Over the years, he has worked in all the offices of J Walter Thompson South Asia (Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Nepal and Sri Lanka). His work for brands and companies such as PepsiCo, Nike, Levi's, Google, Ford, The Times of India, Nestle, Unilever, ITC, Diageo, ING bank, Kingfisher Beer, MRF Tyres, De Beers, UNICEF and Rotary, has won him and the agency several awards. He claims to hold an unparalleled record of winning 16 Cannes Lions (giving him the title of The Lion Hunter), and being the only creative director on the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) board.

Speaking on his appointment, Kumar says, "I am thrilled to lead J Walter Thompson India as its chief creative officer. The opportunity to partner Rai in steering India's largest agency into the future, challenges and motivates me. I am proud of our current creative firepower across the country, and our collective ambition will be to spearhead marketing success stories for our clients. The way forward is not just language neutral and media agnostic ideas, but to invent platform specific creative solutions that solve business problems."

Kumar further adds, "Our creativity should leap from deep human insight and be driven by curiosity and collaboration while we build our capability to generate ideas that engage with millions of consumers." he adds.

"Kumar is the definition of a modern ideator and leader who thrives on constantly exploring the power of new technologies and platforms to create truly pioneering work. His boundless energy and enthusiasm for his craft, clients and employees alike, will serve him well in guiding and building our creative brand in the region," says Matt Eastwood, worldwide chief creative officer, J Walter Thompson.

J Walter Thompson is a marketing communications agency that provides integrated and media agnostic communication solutions to its clients through its network across India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The Group companies that comprise the South Asia network are Geometry Global |Encompass Network for experiential marketing, Hungama Digital Services, a digital advertising and promotion marketing agency, the social media agency Social Wavelength, rechristened Mirum India, Contract Advertising, an integrated and independent communications company that specialises in advertising, consulting, design and digital, and ADK Fortune, also an independent agency, that is an equal partnership between Asatsu-DK of Japan and WPP Group.