Gurugram: Cheil South West Asia (Cheil SWA) has announced the elevation of Kumar Awanish as the group’s Chief Operating Officer, in a move aimed at strengthening its leadership structure and accelerating the agency’s next phase of growth.
Transitioning from his role as Chief Growth Officer, Awanish will now lead the group’s operational strategy and report to the recently appointed President and CEO, Sungkyoon Kim. Based at the agency’s Gurugram headquarters, he will play a key role in shaping the organisation’s future direction and operational transformation.
In his expanded role, Awanish will spearhead the group’s focus on operational excellence and drive closer collaboration across the network’s agencies. He will also lead the company’s transition towards becoming an AI-first organisation, integrating advanced technology and data capabilities with creative expertise to deliver future-ready business solutions for clients.
Commenting on the appointment, Sungkyoon Kim said, “Cheil SWA is ushering a new phase of advertising transformation led by AI. Kumar Awanish has the right skill set and experience to lead the group into this dynamic journey. He is passionate about Cheil SWA group and his enthusiasm for work is contagious. I wish him the best in his new role and looking forward to his second innings at Cheil SWA group.”
A seasoned advertising and marketing leader with more than two decades of experience, Awanish has consistently operated at the intersection of technology, data and brand growth. Prior to this role, he served as Chief Growth Officer at Cheil India, where he led a team of over 100 specialists and played a pivotal role in building and scaling the agency’s D2C and commerce functions, while also driving strong growth in its media operations.
Before joining the Cheil SWA group, Awanish held leadership roles across major organisations including Airtel, Snapdeal, Times Internet, GroupM and OPPO, where he contributed to building and scaling digital ecosystems and delivering measurable business outcomes.
Speaking about his new role, Kumar Awanish said, “I am incredibly grateful to our global and local leadership for their trust in me to drive our vision forward. We are on a mission to double down on AI literacy across all functions and group agencies, empowering our people to use AI not just for efficiency, but as a catalyst for human creativity. By blending advanced capabilities, with human ingenuity, we are architecting the future of Cheil SWA. This evolution is strengthened by the reunion of media and creative, ensuring that an agency of our scale remains agile and delivers the holistic, full-funnel impact our clients deserve.”
