Mumbai: Grey today announced the appointment of Harsh Kapadia as Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Grey India.
A Mumbai-born creative leader with extensive global experience, Harsh joins from MRM New York (part of McCann Worldgroup), where he served as CCO since 2021. He will be based in India and report to Grey’s Global Chief Creative Officer, Gabriel Schmitt.
This strategic hire underscores Grey’s commitment to strengthening its creative firepower in the critical Indian market and leveraging his unique blend of local understanding and international best practices. The move to Grey represents a return to the WPP network for Kapadia, who brings valuable experience from his previous tenures at VML and JWT.
“Bringing together the proven leadership of Anusha Shetty with the creative vision of Harsh, whose experience spans the spectrum from cutting-edge AI-driven technology solutions to time-tested traditional advertising, sets Grey India up for an exciting future,” said Sarah Trombetta, Chief Executive Officer, Grey APAC. “This breadth of worldclass expertise will allow us to craft uniquely effective campaigns that resonate with diverse Indian consumers across all platforms and touchpoints.”
Kapadia will partner with Anusha Shetty, CEO of Grey India, who brings over 25 years of marketing and advertising experience. Together, they will spearhead Grey India’s next phase of growth across its Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore studios, focusing on delivering famously effective creative solutions that resonate with local audiences and achieve global impact.
Gabriel added, “India presents a tremendous opportunity, both culturally and economically. We need to be at the forefront of marketing and communications, creating exceptional work for the remarkable brands we represent there. Harsh’s experience in New York, London, Melbourne and India, coupled with his deep understanding of the local culture, makes him the ideal leader to drive lasting value for our clients. With Harsh and Anusha at the helm, our clients will gain a significant creative advantage and unparalleled client partnerships. Can’t wait to see the ideas flowing.”
“Harsh’s return to India is an extraordinary win for Grey,” said Anusha Shetty. “He is a well-known creative force with deep experience across brands and strongly believes in the application of technology to ideas and ideas to technology; we couldn’t have asked for a stronger addition to leadership.”
Kapadia’s appointment is particularly significant given his Mumbai roots and his extensive experience working across four continents. His understanding of the Indian market, combined with his exposure to global best practices, positions him uniquely to lead Grey India’s creative vision. He has a proven track record of delivering award-winning campaigns for global clients like Google, Reckitt, Motorola, Lego, New Balance, and Diageo.
“I’m thrilled to continue my global journey while returning to WPP and lead Grey India at such a transformative moment. Partnering with Anusha and the exceptional team at Grey, I’m eager to harness the philosophy of Cultural MacGyverism—blending rich local insights with cutting-edge marketing—to create work that drives real business impact,” said Harsh.
Sarah Trombetta added, “After almost 10 years with Grey India, Sandipan Bhattacharyya is moving on to explore a new opportunity. We want to thank him for his contributions during his tenure and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
About Harsh:
Before joining Grey India, Kapadia served as CCO at MRM NY (McCann Worldgroup) since 2021. Prior to that, he held senior creative roles at VML, including Executive Creative Director at VML New York and a three-year stint at VML London. While at VML New York, his ‘Drink Up’ campaign earned a letter of recognition from Michelle Obama, and the agency won its first Pride of Cannes Lions. Earlier in his career, Kapadia worked at JWT New York on brands like Kleenex, Smirnoff, Rolex, and Nestlé, following roles at JWT Melbourne (Ford, Kraft, Government of Australia) and JWT Mumbai, where he began his career in 2003. His award-winning work has been recognized at Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clios, Spikes Asia, AWARD, and Adfest. He has also served on juries at Cannes Lions, D&AD Impact, New York Festivals, ADC (The One Club for Creativity), and the D&AD Impact Council.
About Grey
Grey’s mission is to create Famously Effective ideas that move people, business, and the world forward harnessing the power of creativity to solve business problems and deliver growth for the world’s most influential brands and companies such as Procter & Gamble, Haleon, The Coca-Cola Company, Axis Bank, Volvo, Bandhan Mutual Fund and Aditya Birla Group. Grey is part of an international family of autonomous agencies with shared values and an independent mindset, backed by WPP (NYSE: WPP). In recent years, Grey has won a Grand Effie in every market it operates; Newsweek named Grey a Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplace (2023) and ranked a top 10 Network by the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity (2024).
