Wunderman Thompson India Bolsters Mumbai Leadership Team with Senior Hires

Wunderman Thompson India has announced the appointment of two senior hires, Rakesh Varma and Abhay Godbole at its Mumbai office. The new hires come at a time when the agency has embarked on an accelerated growth path of creative transformation with a continued focus on driving relevance and scale, inspiring growth for its clients.

Rakesh who has joined as vice president and executive business director has over 15 years of advertising experience, having worked across a diverse range of brands with a special liking for the automobile & the auto ancillary category with brands like Volkswagen, TVS Motorcycles, Ashok Leyland & Gulf Oil. He has been associated with leading brands like Hotstar, Radio City, FBB, Gelusil & Tata AIA amongst others. He has in depth understanding and experience in brand strategy, campaign planning and leading integrated marketing efforts.

Having previously worked with Wunderman Thompson Mumbai, Abhay Godbole returns to the agency for a second innings as vice president and client servicing director. During his previous stint with the agency, Abhay was instrumental in leading the much lauded ‘Mutual Funds Sahi Hai’ for AMFI. He has close to two decades of experience in marketing communications working across categories like FMCG, Automobile and BFSI. Passionate about advertising and creativity, Abhay believes any marketing challenge can be addressed through compelling creative solutions.

Commenting on the new appointments, Anurag Tandon, managing partner, Wunderman Thompson Mumbai, said, “As we continue to diversify our client roster and grow our talent base, it was critical for us to have the right hands on deck. Rakesh and Abhay bring with them extensive experience and domain knowledge that will propel us to drive growth in key industry domains and deliver the best outcomes for our clients. Both our senior hires have an impressive track record of building strong consumer brands and I am looking forward to scaling new heights with our client partners.”

On taking up his new role at Wunderman Thompson, India, Rakesh Varma, commented, “At Wunderman Thompson, we’re building a future that’s as exciting as its legacy. And I’m really fortunate to be a part of this transformation. With its diverse brand portfolio, integrated service approach and promising growth vision, WT is all set to thrive. Looking forward to nurturing some of the long-standing client relationships and creating new ones.”

Abhay Godbole added, “I am delighted to be back at Wunderman Thompson, one of India’s finest agencies that has nurtured and built multiple brands in the country. Wunderman Thompson is in a unique position of creating the agency of the future, an agency that is capable of delivering the best of both mainline and data led digital communications. I look forward to be a part of this exciting and transformational journey.”

Rajesh and Abhay will report to Anurag Tandon, managing partner, Wunderman Thompson Mumbai.