Jitender Dabas is set to join Omnicom Advertising India as BBDO Group CEO, according to industry sources. He will exit Cheil X, where he currently serves as CEO.
Under Omnicom’s new operating model, Ulka and Mudra have been placed within the BBDO Group, alongside BBDO India. Dabas will lead this cluster as CEO.
His move comes amid leadership and structural changes at Omnicom Advertising India following the global Omnicom–IPG merger. The integration has created uncertainty around agency structures and reporting lines in the Indian market.
Dabas joined Cheil X in May 2025, marking a short tenure at the agency. Prior to that, he spent nearly 14 years at McCann Worldgroup in senior leadership roles, including COO and Chief Strategy Officer for India and Head of Effectiveness for Asia-Pacific.
An IIT Delhi alumnus, Dabas has over two decades of experience in advertising and strategy and has worked on brands such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Reckitt, MasterCard, Dabur, Britannia, ITC Foods, Paytm, Flipkart, and Asian Paints.
Josy Paul continues as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of BBDO India, while Prasoon Joshi is Chairman, Omnicom Advertising India, and Aditya Kanthy serves as President and Managing Director.
