Unny Radhakrishnan, the CEO of Digitas India, is rooted in the present with a vision for the future.
As the CEO of Digitas India, he heads one of the leading global marketing communications and technology services brand, which is part of the Publicis Groupe.
Hailing from Kerala, Radhakrishnan comes with over 25 years of experience in marketing communications, technology services and sales. Earlier, he had an 11-year stint as Chief Digital Officer, South Asia at Wavemaker, a part of WPP.
Unny started his career as a programmer before moving into marketing communications. He is a graduate in Physics from Calicut University and has a PG Diploma in Computer Applications.
Most recently he completed a Graduate Certificate Programme in Public Policy, his new area of interest.
Radhakrishnan is someone with a humanist approach towards business. "I believe that business as an institution has the responsibility and the capability to influence people to become better human beings, looking beyond the financial scorecards. Working with people and building teams is what excites me the most. Focusing on people's individual strengths while helping them to discover themselves and collaborate better has helped me in building highly successful teams with the least attrition, consistently," he says n his Linkedin bio.
Though marketing communications and technology are his main focus, Radhakrishnan's areas of interest are vast.
He is also part of the advisory councils of CuriousTimes, India's first online news portal for children, Rustik Travel, an experiential travel brand, Imarticus Learning, an ed-tech and training firm and Victoria Venture Fund, an early-stage fund of Networkonomy Ventures.
He has also delivered guest lectures at IIM-A, ISB, IIT Kharagpur, and is a regular speaker at industry forums. "Trying to make a sense of this world" is how he describes his almost constant state of being.
Radhakrishnan started his career as a programmer in Bangalore and later was also part of one of India's first digital agencies, BOTW (Bridge Over Troubled Waters). He also had an 11-year stint in Maxus, where he built Maxus as the first media agency in the GroupM system to have integrated capabilities in digital media, creative, social, technology and research and development.
In 2018, he took a sabbatical, did theatre training and studied Public Policy, along with a few consulting assignments.
He also took up consulting assignments with SHEROES, an internet start-up and a women-only social network, where he assumed the role of chief people and business officer.
Unny also dons the role of a guest lecturer on subjects related to digital technology and transformation in institutions such as ISB Hyderabad, IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kharagpur.
He has also participated in key industry events as speaker UNDP – APAC Communications Summit in Bangkok.
Publicise Group picked him to head Digitas mainly due to his futuristic approach.
"Apart from his demonstrated capabilities across the whole gamut of digital, what really stood out for me is his approach to the future, passion for everything digital and commitment to grooming talent. Each of these softer skills is very critical to succeed in today's organisations," said Anupriya Acharya, chief executive, Publicis Groupe, South Asia, on Radhakrishnan's appointment.
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