Sonal Dabral to join Ogilvy India in Group Chief Creative Officer and Vice Chairman role

As widely speculated by Indian advertising insiders since the announcement of his departure from DDB Mudra Group, Sonal Dabral is indeed heading to join Ogilvy India

It was announced this afternoon that Dabral is joining as Group Chief Creative Officer and Vice Chairman, Ogilvy India.

Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, Ogilvy South Asia: “I am delighted to welcome back Sonal Dabral to Ogilvy India as Group Chief Creative Officer and Vice Chairman. This is a first-time designation at Ogilvy & Mather in keeping with Sonal’s stature. Sonal was my first partner in building the creative reputation of Ogilvy India as it stands today. I am sure we will have a great partnership again to take Ogilvy to even greater heights.”

Dabral is a man of great creative reputation around the world, who worked at Ogilvy India from 1991 to 1999.  He then took over as the Creative Head of Ogilvy Malaysia and within three years made it the No. 1 Creative Agency in that country.  Thereafter he took on the reins of creativity in Ogilvy Singapore as its leader and raised the flag even higher, after which Ogilvy India wooed him back to India as the Chairman India and Regional Creative Director for Bates Asia-Pacific.  He then took on the responsibility at DDB Mudra as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer.

Pandey added: “As my partner in the 90s, he hired more creative talent than I have done in my life.  He not only hired them, but inspired them and gave them wings to fly on their own. Sonal is a popular speaker around the world and a favourite jury member on every international award show.  There is so much to Sonal’s achievements, that if I write them all, his joining us will get delayed”.

This appointment is welcomed and celebrated by John Seifert, Chairman & CEO of Ogilvy Worldwide, Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and Co-Chairman of Ogilvy Worldwide, Kent Wertime, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific and Eugene Cheong, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific.  

Pandey concludes: “We welcome Sonal to Ogilvy, as we start a new chapter of great Indian creativity. This is what will make our clients’ businesses stronger and Ogilvy India stronger”.

Close industry associates of Dabral and Pandey would not at all be surprised by this latest development. In an 2004 interview with Campaign Brief Asia Pandey predicted that Dabral would be enticed back to lead Ogilvy India, in his words, “within a decade”.