Apr 2022 – Oct 2023 · 1 yr 6 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

• Dheeraj set the vision in 2018 for Leo Burnett to become India’s No.1 new-age agency. By 2023, that vision was realized — the agency had transitioned from mid-tier to top-tier, nearly doubling its revenue, with 30% coming from new-age clients. In the same year, Leo Burnett was ranked India’s No.1 agency at Cannes Lions, One Show, AdFest, D&AD and APAC Effies, and No.2 in Asia at both Cannes Lions and APAC Effies.
• The turning point came in 2022, a hat-trick year for the agency. It began with Leo Burnett being named Creative Agency of the Year at the One Show-Abbys at GoaFest, followed by a Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2022 for P&G Whisper’s work on Sustainable Development Goals, and capped by one of the largest business wins in Indian advertising history — signing the entire 15+ brand portfolio of PepsiCo India across creative and digital.
• During this period, Dheeraj spearheaded the transformation of all five Publicis Groupe agencies in India to be future-ready. He consolidated Leo Burnett’s position as a top-tier agency producing new-age work for marquee clients, built BBH India into one of the top two offices globally within the BBH network, and positioned Publicis Business and Publicis Health as leaders in their categories. His leadership style emphasized democratized decision-making, proactive client partnership, digital-first talent transformation, and a culture defined by openness, camaraderie, resilience, and swagger.
• He also led an aggressive new-business agenda across all five agencies, adding clients such as Spotify, PepsiCo, Airtel, PhonePe, Meta, Visa, LinkedIn, Adidas, Colors, Anchor Panasonic, Apollo Health, Roposo, and Bajaj Electricals, while deepening partnerships with existing clients including HDFC Bank, HDFC Life, P&G, GSK, Jeep, Reliance Retail, Beam Suntory, and Red Bull.

Apr 2020 – Mar 2022 · 1 yr 11 mos

• During his leadership at Publicis Groupe, Dheeraj spearheaded the transformation of Leo Burnett, Publicis Business, and Publicis Health into new-age agencies that combined creativity, data, and technology to solve real problems. He fostered a culture of collaboration, excellence, and meritocracy, while reshaping the talent mix through focused training and strategic hiring.
• He launched and successfully established Leo Burnett Digital, Leo Burnett Consult, Leo Burnett Design, and Leo Burnett Regional, expanding the agency’s capabilities and future relevance. Over a four-year period, he drove the addition of 100+ new clients and projects, many from the new economy and often secured without a pitch, underscoring the trust and credibility he built with businesses.
• Under his direction, the agencies achieved global acclaim, winning the Grand Prix at Spikes Asia, being featured in Fast Company’s Top 20 World Changing Ideas, and earning recognition as the Most Awarded Indian Agency at APAC Effies and AdFest. Leo Burnett also ranked among the Top 5 agencies worldwide in Publicis Groupe’s Cannes-Do Awards, consolidating its place as a top-tier player in the industry.

Apr 2018 – Mar 2020 · 1 yr 11 mos

• At Leo Burnett, Dheeraj set the agenda for the agency to become India’s No.1 new-age agency. He built the strategy to achieve this vision through an ambitious talent transformation plan, defining the quintessential Leo Burnett professional as “Mutant DNAs” – individuals with hybrid skills across creativity, data, and technology. He launched a bold campus hiring program to attract top talent from the country’s best institutions, ensuring the agency had the skills to thrive in a digital-first era.
• He also worked closely with lagging business units, introducing structured trackers for new business and cross-selling, which helped transform performance. Strategically, he shifted the client portfolio towards new-age and new-economy brands, adding more than 38 new clients and projects including Spotify, Airtel, PhonePe, Acko, Ola, and SpiceJet, leading to strong and profitable growth.
• Under his leadership, Leo Burnett achieved both creative and business milestones. The agency jumped three notches in the Economic Times Brand Equity agency rankings, was named Leo Burnett’s Global Agency of the Year, won Gold at Cannes Lions Effectiveness, and ranked among the Top 3 agencies at India Effies.

May 2016 – Apr 2018 · 1 yr 11 mos

• At the leader of strategy at Leo Burnett South Asia, Dheeraj championed the culture of strategy, building strong strategy teams across offices and embedding thought leadership and effectiveness as the cornerstones of great work. He fostered collaboration and a sense of community among strategists across departments, while helping brands discover and define their purpose in meaningful ways.
• He also led new-business initiatives across offices, ensuring strategy was at the heart of growth. Under his guidance, Leo Burnett became known for its culture of effectiveness, winning at the APAC Effies, India Effies (including a Grand Effie), and the WARC Strategy Prize for brands such as Amazon, Bajaj V, HDFC Life, and others.

Aug 2012 – Apr 2016 · 3 yrs 8 mos

• At Grey APAC, Dheeraj fostered a strong culture of strategy, building and leading a network of planners across offices in India, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. He played a pivotal role in driving growth by leading and winning large regional new business pitches such as Maybank and Telecom Malaysia.
• He championed the thought leadership and effectiveness agenda across the region, winning the prestigious Atticus Award for best published thinking in WPP, as well as multiple Effies for brands including Sensodyne, Killer Jeans, and others. Dheeraj worked closely with clients to deliver work that was both famous and effective—partnering with Maybank across Asian markets, Grameenphone in Bangladesh, A-Mild in Indonesia, and in India with GSK (Sensodyne), Kinder Joy, Tic Tac, Ferrero Rocher, Reliance Telecom, among others.
• During this time, he also authored his second book, India Reloaded: India’s Resurgent Consumer Market, published by Palgrave Macmillan globally and Westland in India, further cementing his reputation as a leading voice on the Indian consumer and brand-building.

Mar 2011 – May 2012 · 1 yr 2 mos

• At Bates 141, later repositioned as Bates, Dheeraj led the network’s strategic transformation, developing the philosophy of ChangeEngage and creating a proprietary strategy toolkit. He rolled out this new thinking framework through workshops across key Asian markets including China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, and India. Working with regional leadership, he helped align business growth with brand ambitions while partnering closely with country heads on new business and client opportunities across the region.
• He built and nurtured the planning community across 14 offices in Asia, and drove thought leadership initiatives that brought to life the Bates positioning around “the ChangeEngage people.” Under his guidance, the network strengthened its reputation at creative and effectiveness awards, winning across the Effies, Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards (AMEs), and WARC.
• In addition to his regional mandate, Dheeraj partnered with the India leadership to deliver strong business growth, a sharp 5-year plan, and a highly effective creative and strategic product. He worked closely with marquee clients in India and led a talented team of planners across disciplines. During this period, he also authored his first book, Consumer India: Inside the Indian Mind and Wallet, published globally by John Wiley & Sons, establishing himself as a leading voice on the Indian consumer market.

Nov 2008 – Mar 2011 · 2 yrs 4 mos

• At Bates141 India, Dheeraj led the strategic planning discipline, driving brand thinking across all national businesses and practices, including advertising, experiential, and out-of-home. As a member of the National Executive Committee, he contributed to the agency’s overall growth agenda, and as part of the Regional Strategic Council, he helped shape and implement the regional planning framework and best practices across Asia.
• He was an active voice in industry forums, speaking at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival 2010 (Shanghai), presenting “Building Youth Brands in a Youthful Country” at the ESOMAR Asia Pacific Conference 2009 (Beijing), and serving on the Programme Committee for ESOMAR Asia Pacific 2010 (Kuala Lumpur).
• During this time, he and his teams earned multiple accolades, including the Jay Chiat Planning Award (2009), a Bronze Effie (2009), Silver Effies (2008), and a Silver at the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards (2009). He was also awarded the WPP Atticus Award (2008, Highly Commended) for best published thinking.
• Dheeraj also drove pioneering consumer insight initiatives such as The Luxury Consumer in India, 20 Changes in India, and Indian Youth – The No-Strings Generation. His client portfolio included leading brands such as Colgate, Virgin Mobile, Fiat, TATA AIG, TVS, Max Bupa, Marico Bangladesh, Pfizer, ICICI Bank, MTV, Park Avenue, Radico Khaitan, and ITC Tobacco.

Aug 2005 – Oct 2008 · 3 yrs 2 mos

• At Bates141, during this period, Dheeraj led strategic planning for the Mumbai and Kolkata offices, fostering a strong planning culture and nurturing a young team into a high-performing unit. He played a pivotal role in business growth, leading and winning several major new business pitches including Colgate, Max Bupa, Marico Corporate & Soaps, AIG, Virgin Mobile, Dabur, Fiat, and TVS.
• He co-created market-defining and award-winning work on Virgin Mobile, Marico Corporate, and Fiat, which went on to win at the India Effies, APAC Effies, Jay Chiat Planning Awards, and the AME Awards. He was also awarded the WPP Atticus Award (2007, Market Research & Insights) for best published thinking, contested globally across WPP.
• Dheeraj was an active contributor to international industry forums, presenting “The Changing Mindset of a Billion Minds” at the ESOMAR Asia Pacific Conference 2007 (Kuala Lumpur)—a paper later cited in the Frommer’s Guide to India. He followed this with “Three Generations, One Big Market – A New Segmentation of India” at ESOMAR APAC 2008 (Singapore), “Marico Uncommonsense – A Case Study” at the World Effie Festival 2008 (Singapore), and “Creating a Kshatriya Culture at Marico” at the Asia Pacific ABC Conference 2006 (IIM Ahmedabad).
• He also spearheaded insight-led initiatives on The Changing Face of Beauty in India, Money as Emotional Currency, The New Improved Indian Man – A Cute Warrior, and The Changing Role of Entertainment and Media – Reel Meets Reality. His client portfolio during this period included Virgin Mobile, Fiat, AIG, TATA AIG, Marico, Dabur, Ayush (Unilever), Amante, ABP Group, and Radio City.

Jan 2005 – Aug 2005 · 7 mos

• At Euro RSCG, now Havas, Dheeraj led the Strategic Planning function for the Mumbai office and supported national new business initiatives. He successfully led pitches for Emirates Airlines and RED FM, the latter resulting in the now-iconic “Bajate Raho” positioning that continues to define the brand.
• He also co-championed a landmark youth study, The Remix Generation, a large-scale quantitative project conducted across 8 cities in India and 6 cities in China, with a sample size of 2,000 respondents in each market—providing fresh insights into youth culture across Asia.
• His client portfolio included leading brands such as Emirates, Sony Entertainment Television, SET MAX, HDFC Bank, Globus, Red FM, Reckitt Benckiser, and Zandu Chyawanprash.

Oct 2003 – Dec 2004 · 1 yr 2 mos

• As a strategist at McCann, Dheeraj handled surface care brands at Reckitt Benckiser including Harpic, Colin, and Lizol, before moving on to work on MasterCard, LG (Televisions & IT), and Goodyear. He was also part of successful new business pitches for LG Televisions and Washing Machines, Aashirvaad (ITC), DT Cinemas, and TATA CR Steel.
• His experience extended beyond India, working with brands across cultures, including MasterCard in the Middle East & Singapore and Panasonic in Singapore. During this time, he also honed his problem-solving skills through diverse consultancy projects—ranging from conducting a cultural audit of MAX Healthcare’s business model, to creating a brand identity for Coca-Cola’s Georgia hot-beverages dispenser brand, to developing a brand architecture and mapping opportunity spaces for TVS Motors.

Jan 2000 – Sep 2003 · 3 yrs 8 mos

• In the initial phase of his career, as a young strategist, Dheeraj worked on leading consumer brands such as Reckitt Benckiser (Dettol, Harpic, Lizol, Colin), Babool Toothpaste, Panasonic India, and ITC Foods (Aashirvaad Wheat Flour), gaining deep experience in FMCG and consumer behavior.
• Alongside brand-building, he developed a strong interest in mythology and its relevance to modern life, undertaking an insight project that studied mythology systematically. He also toured small-town India with a camera, capturing visual insights into the country’s changing social and cultural fabric.
• During this time, he authored several early papers exploring emerging cultural and media trends, including “The Idea of Music Videos and Their Appeal”, “SMS – The New Language In-Between”, and “The Cultural Re-Drawing of the World Map.” These early explorations laid the foundation for his later reputation as one of India’s leading voices on consumers, culture, and brands.

Apr 1999 – Dec 1999 · 8 mos · Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

• Early in his career, Dheeraj worked on Mahindra Tractors as a key account and contributed to several successful new business wins, including Pondicherry Tourism and Mahindra British Telecom. He led the creation of the first-ever tourism identity and campaign for Pondicherry — “Peaceful Pondicherry” — whose logo continues to be seen on the streets of Pondicherry even today, a testament to its lasting impact on destination branding in India.