Dentsu appoints Unmesh Pawar as Chief People Officer for India & South Asia

Accelerates ambition to become a future-ready, people-focused organization in a fast-moving economy

Speeding up its growth journey, dentsu has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of Unmesh Pawar as Chief People Officer (CPO) for India & South Asia. In his new role, Unmesh will report to Luke Speers, Chief People Officer, dentsu APAC, and Peter Huijboom, Interim CEO, dentsu India. 

He will continue to bolster dentsu’s distinctive talent expertise across the Indian and South Asia markets - overseeing all aspects of the talent strategy while assisting dentsu India leadership in shaping the culture journey to retain and attract best-in-class talent. He will also continue to work towards enhancing the network’s employee experience and overarching value proposition - stepping up the network’s consistent effort to design a future-ready, people-focused organization that delivers against the changing needs of clients in this fast-moving economy.

Unmesh has more than 25 years of experience in diverse aspects of Human Resources, with an early foundation in services and consulting. He has expertise in developing high-performance leadership teams and leading large-scale complex cultures. He has built differentiated capabilities for well-known brands such as Accenture, Mastek, Tata, and Peerless by designing and deploying innovative talent management practices. Previously, Unmesh served as KPMG's Chief People Officer, guiding the brand through a period of rapid change, and delivering on a progressive people agenda. 

Speaking on the appointment, Luke said, “We are delighted to have Unmesh joining us. His experience and performance over a long period of time perfectly align with the transformational nature of developing people strategies and products fit for the future. The path ahead for this great market is incredibly exciting and I very much look forward to partnering with him to enhance the way our employees experience dentsu every day.”

Peter added, “Dentsu has always positively adapted to the fast-changing market dynamics with agility. Attracting and retaining key talent is crucial to continue serving our clients with excellence and passion. Unmesh will play a key role in that. The experience and expertise he brings will add value and help accelerate success. We are delighted to have him on board!” 

Sunil Seth, who has been supporting the network as Human Resource Director-South Asia, will continue to maintain his role in dentsu India. He will report to Unmesh and focus on the People function's operations, making sure these are set up for success.  

Speaking on his new role, Unmesh commented, “The ongoing transformation has set dentsu on the path to lead the future and become the preferred choice for its clients. It is a huge opportunity for me to build a talent-powered capability that is distinctively local. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow and deliver innovation and value, and nurture talent as we instill new levels of pride amongst our employees.”

2022 has been an outstanding year for the dentsu network in India. It began with DENTSU CREATIVE India taking the world by storm when it was declared the 'Agency of The Year' at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2022 - the first-ever for India. We also lifted a Titanium and bagged three Grand Prix, two Gold Lions, and three Silver Lions. Over the year, dentsu India has continued to focus on its growth trajectory by adding key marquee brands to its clientele such as ArcelorMittal, Croma, Hero Vida, Lenovo, Licious, LinkedIn, MakeMyTrip, Monster.com, Motorola, OLX Autos, Tata 1mg to name a few. It also grew its talent base and currently operates with a massive strength of more than 3600 passionate and dedicated employees.