MUMBAI, INDIA — Wieden+Kennedy’s ninth global office in Mumbai was announced in March 2022 and has been set up under Santosh “Paddy” Padhi’s creative leadership. Paddy has taken over India operations as CCO for both India offices. While the Delhi office is already a decade and a half old, the Mumbai office is in the process of being set up and has hired Yogesh Rijhwani and Abhishek Deshwal as Creative Heads. Both Yogesh and Abhishek have 15 years of experience under their belts.
Before Wieden, Yogesh Rijhwani was an ECD at Taproot Dentsu. He spent five years there, working across brands like Parle, Star Sports, Airtel, Aditya Birla Capital, and Times of India, among others. He also led the work on Aquaguard and Marico’s Set Wet gel over the past few years. He has more than 15 years of experience in the business, having worked at Scarecrow M&C Saatchi before this. His work has won more than 25 awards, with his work on Nitco Tiles winning multiple awards from Kyoorius Writing Craft to Mirchi Kaan’s Writer of the year, the win he remembers most fondly.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Deshwal has been at Lowe Lintas, Taproot Dentsu, JWT, and Contract. His most popular work has been on Micromax, OLX, and Google among many others. He considers ‘helping Hugh Jackman escape a high-security prison’ and ‘making stand-up comedians roast the brand he was advertising’, the highlights of his career. Right from flirting with “Oddvertising” to pursuing a higher purpose through advertising, Abhishek continues to experiment with innovative ways to make brands stand out.
“The legacy of Wieden has always been awe-inspiring. But over the last few weeks, it’s the infectious, inclusive creative culture that’s surprised me. The knack of sharing creative wisdom across the 8, now 9, offices is what I think makes the place what it is. And with all of this, there’s Paddy’s zen-like clarity. I can’t wait to be part of what team India will create,” said Creative Head Mumbai Yogesh Rijhwani.
“I remember once I was eavesdropping on a great conversation between some really interesting people in a restaurant. I really wanted to say something but couldn’t because well, it was another table. Joining Wieden and Kennedy feels like being invited to that table. And I really hope I’m able to share some really entertaining nuggets with this crazy tribe of storytellers,” added Creative Head Mumbai Abhishek Deshwal.
“Both Yogesh and Abhishek are wonderful human beings and holistic creative thinkers, both have a track record of performing on different categories, mediums, and platforms which is exactly what we are looking for. W+K is known for its eclectic thinking, and I want to be true to this spirit, and I think both these guys are a great fit. This is just the beginning of the growth plan of W+K India. We are looking for a variety of creative minds like these, who will take the legacy forward with us,” said Santosh Padhi, CCO, Wieden Kennedy, India.
