Ahmed Aftab Naqvi — CEO

Ahmed Aftab Naqvi, a trailblazer of the digital realm, has been the driving force behind digital-led creativity & pioneering innovations in advertising, making him one of the most distinguished & awarded new-age leader in the industry . As a first-generation entrepreneur, he co-founded & bootstrapped GOZOOP from a small garage in Mumbai with just a single laptop in 2008 into one of India's leading & largest independent network of advertising companies that have helped build some of the best brands in the world like Taj Hotels, Dell, Tim Hortons, Saint Gobain, British Council, Olympic Council of Asia, Bisleri, Air India, Ola, Bata, Mashreq Bank among others. While doing so he has helped delivered some iconic campaigns like #AmiKKR for Kolkatta Knight Riders, #NoPlaceLikeHome for Asian Paints, #AntiRoteDay for Dell, #NextAtAsianGames for Olympic Council of Asia, #IamPositive for GNC and #HumHongeKamyaab for NITI Aayog to name a few. Today, 15 years, 400+ employees, 700+ clients, 1000+ awards and 5 acquisitions later, he can confidently say that it is "ideas with purpose" and not network or resources that are the most critical ingredients to build a winning organization in this connected world. He has been instrumental in driving inorganic growth by successfully acquiring 5 leading agencies Red Digital, iThink, 56 Blue Lights, HEPTA, Straton. Besides being a sought after investor for startups, he is a jury member for prestigious awards like the Cannes Lions Awards, The One Show Abbys at GoaFest, among others. He is quoted regularly in reputed publications like Economic Times, Business Week, Times of India, Fortune, Yourstory, Afaqs, e4m, Social Samosa & has spoken at numerous industry-leading events & campuses like Babson, IIM, IIT, SPJIMR, NMIMS among others. He has had the distinction of being invited as a ‘Champions of Change’ for an interaction with Hon'ble Prime Minister of India by NITI Aayog, the policy making think-tank of the Government of India who he has advised on critical aspects of policy making on topics ranging from digital to corporate practices to agriculture and beyond. Keeping people & culture at the heart of everything he does, Gozoop was the first company to introduce the Menstrual Leave Policy & it rank consistently as one of the best places to work for in the country. A sunday-chef with perhaps more confidence than skills and an adventurous scuba diver who is lucky to still exist. While he is not #BreakingTheBox for global brands & high-potential startups, he can be often spotted breaking a few stumps on the cricket field.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in the Advertising and Digital Marketing industry with a focus on innovation and brand strategy.

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Experience: 17 yrs 6 mos