Bengaluru: Ulka, part of BBDO Group India, has appointed Sai Karthik as Senior Vice President & Head of Strategy, South, strengthening its strategic leadership as the agency expands its footprint and capabilities across the region.
In his new role, Karthik will drive creative effectiveness and support business growth across key regional accounts. He will report to Saad Khan, Chief Strategy Officer, Ulka.
Karthik brings more than 15 years of experience across network and independent agencies, with expertise spanning brand strategy, creative effectiveness and new business. He joins Ulka from Talented, where he led award-winning campaigns including Urban Company’s Dignity of Labour, The Hindu’s Written by Journalists and Zee5’s Apni Bhasha, Apni Kahaniyan.
Prior to Talented, Karthik served as Senior Strategy Planning Director at 82.5 Communications, working across brands such as Himalaya, Costa Coffee and Unibic. His earlier career includes stints at McCann, Dentsu, M&C Saatchi and JWT.
Speaking about his appointment, Sai Karthik, SVP & Head of Strategy, South, Ulka, said, “The South is a crucial market for Ulka and leadership’s bold rebuilding vision is genuinely exciting. There’s also a strong appetite to push strategic boundaries under Jeetu’s leadership. Even in these first few weeks, I can see Ulka has a rare combination of experience and newness coming together intentionally across the agency, not to mention legacy client relationships built on trust, empathy and care. It’s refreshing to be at an agency that genuinely believes in the substance of work that moves client business forward.”
Jitender (Jeetu) Dabas, CEO, BBDO Group India, said, “Ulka has always built its reputation by partnering clients deeply and enduringly, and that can only happen on the back of strong strategic thinking. We are now building, under Saad’s leadership, what we intend to be one of the strongest strategy communities in India, and Sai is an important addition to that ambition.
A strong planning leadership in the South is critical to our ambitions in the region. It enables us to make our global and national clients far more effective and culturally relevant across Southern markets, while also giving us the strategic depth to partner some of India’s most important businesses headquartered in Bengaluru and Chennai. And with the South emerging as the epicentre of India’s startup and new-economy ecosystem, it significantly expands the kind of brands and growth opportunities we can partner.
Sai brings exactly the qualities we want in our strategy culture—the curiosity to keep asking new questions, the energy to build, and the ability to challenge conventional ways of thinking. I am excited about what he will add to the team and about the next chapter of Ulka in the South.”
M Damodaran, President & Head of Office – Bengaluru, Ulka, said, “Delighted to welcome Sai Karthik to our Bangalore office! His passion, hunger, and drive are what truly make him stand out. With experience across both traditional and new-age agencies, Sai brings a fresh perspective and a different way of thinking to Ulka. For a brand with such a rich legacy, his energy and contemporary outlook will add a whole new dimension to our thinking. Beyond his agency career, Karthik is also the founder of The Hidden Slide, an online community for strategists, researchers, thinkers and curious minds to share ideas, document the craft, challenge perspectives and discuss culture and brands.”
The appointment comes as Ulka continues to strengthen its strategic and creative capabilities in the South, with a focus on developing culturally relevant solutions for regional, national and global brands.
