Cheil X, part of the Cheil SWA Group, has appointed Souvik Datta as National Creative Director. This appointment signals the agency’s commitment to scaling its creative ambition and delivering brand storytelling that’s both culturally relevant and business-driven.
Souvik, currently National Creative Head – West at McCann Worldgroup, brings with him over 23 years of experience and a legacy of award-winning campaigns for major brands such as Hero MotoCorp, Maggi, Domino’s, Reckitt, and Asian Paints. His new role will see him co-lead the creative function at Cheil X alongside Amit Nandwani, who continues in the same designation, ensuring a robust dual leadership model. Both Souvik and Amit will report to Vikash Chemjong, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil SWA Group.
Over the years, Souvik has built a reputation for pairing strategic clarity with creative excellence. His past stints across McCann, Lowe, TBWA, and Contract have seen him shaping campaigns for brands like Tanishq, Fastrack, Liril, Dettol, and ICICI Prudential—across regions including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata.
Jitender Dabas, CEO, Cheil X, expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “I’ve worked with Souvik and know just how good he is at steering big brands and businesses. Whether it was Hero, Maggi, Domino’s, Asian Paints, or Reckitt, I have seen the real-world impact his work has had on businesses. He is someone who champions ideas that build brand meaning at scale—not just through big TVCs, but through ideas that create impact every moment across the consumer journey.”
Amit Nandwani, who remains in his national leadership position, brings a similarly rich pedigree, having led creative mandates at agencies like Leo Burnett, Ogilvy, McCann, and DDB Mudra. His work with Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Amazon, Star Sports, and others has blended insight with executional flair, including hands-on experience directing over 20 brand films.
The leadership expansion doesn’t stop there. Cheil X has also elevated Rajit Gupta, who heads creative for Cheil X Mumbai, to oversee the agency’s brand experience and design capabilities across India—integrating spatial, experiential, and environmental design into the larger strategic narrative.
Reflecting on the developments, Vikash Chemjong noted, “It’s said that great advertising moves people. What’s also true, is that great advertising people, also moves people! And with Jeetu coming in, talent has begun to move steadily towards Cheil X. The first of course being Souvik. One just has to look at the breadth of his work to understand the creative flair.”
With this new trio—Souvik Datta, Amit Nandwani, and Rajit Gupta—Cheil X is positioning itself as a modern agency built for today’s attention economy.
As Jitender Dabas summed up, “We’re building an agency designed to solve business problems through creativity. Our focus is on ideas that impact every moment—ideas that move beyond campaigns to show up consistently across platforms, experiences, and touchpoints. With our new creative teams driving different dimensions of our creative ambition, Cheil X is entering its most exciting chapter yet.”
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