Nitin Karkare becomes Chairman of Ulka, joins Omnicom Advertising India leadership

Nitin Karkare has been appointed Chairman of Ulka and Executive Director at Omnicom Advertising India, marking a significant leadership change following the merger of Omnicom and IPG. The development comes as the FCB network is retired globally, with Ulka now moving under the BBDO group as part of the merged entity’s restructuring.

Karkare, one of the longest-serving leaders in Indian advertising, began his career at FCB Ulka in 1986 as a management trainee. After a stint at Everest Advertising, where he worked on the Procter & Gamble business, he returned to Ulka in 1993. Over the next three decades, he held a series of senior positions before being named CEO in 2016.

He has worked on campaigns for several major clients including Amul, Tata Motors, Zee, ITC, Wipro and Zodiac, and has been closely associated with Ulka’s long-standing creative and strategic identity.

The leadership transition forms part of the broader reorganisation of the merged Omnicom–IPG entity in India. As part of the same restructuring, Prasoon Joshi has been elevated to Chairman of Omnicom Advertising India. Aditya Kanthy has been appointed President and Managing Director, taking charge of the company’s India operations amid consolidation across its network agencies.

The appointments signal continued integration of leadership and operations as Omnicom Advertising India aligns its creative networks under BBDO, TBWA and McCann, following the global realignment announced earlier this year.