MullenLowe Sri Lanka Appoints New Head of Strategic Planning

Abhishek Hariharan, Associate Vice President and Head of Strategic Planning, MullenLowe Sri Lanka

MullenLowe Sri Lanka announced the appointment of Abhishek Hariharan as Associate Vice President and Head of Strategic Planning. The appointment further strengthens MullenLowe’s Strategic Planning offering which has given the company the edge to be a creative powerhouse. The company is known for its consistent performance at the Effies, which is a result of great “intel inside” in the work it putsout. 

Hailing from Mumbai, India, where he worked as Associate Vice President for Lowe Lintas Mumbai, Abhishek brings with him 10 years of experience working across a variety of categories and successful campaigns that pushed the boundary of innovation. His clients have included Unilever, Asian Paints, Star TV, Minute Maid, Thumbs Up, and Indian Express. He has written cases that won at the Effies and AMEA Awards as well as being published in the BrandZ Top 100 brands report 2016.

Commenting on Abhishek’s appointment, Thayalan Bartlett, Chief Executive Officer of MullenLowe Sri Lanka, said, “After an extensive search across the region, I believe we have secured a great resource in Abhishek. Histimely addition to our team ispart of a 2018 plan where foresight, knowledge and technology will form the trinity for brands to express themselves.”

Abhishek said, “I have always admired the quality of work that has come out of MullenLowe Sri Lanka and I look forward to working closely with the team to offer brands the impetus they require in an environment of major shifts. MullenLowe Sri Lanka is poised to take the industry in an exciting new direction in 2018 and I am very delighted to be apart of that plan.”

Abhishek’s appointment comes on the heels of MullenLowe Sri Lanka having undergone significant transformation in the past year resulting in the agency seeing accelerated growth in its top-line revenue in 2017.The company is on course to close 2017 strongly with substantial amount of its revenue coming from new business gains alone. Consequentially the company has been producing an average of 1.75 commercials per week up to the 46th week of this year making it the single largest producer of commercials amongst agencies in the local industry. This is apart from the content it produces for digital media.

“MullenLowe is now represented in 80% of the top 10 and 50% of the top 20 advertisedcategories in the country, making it a phenomenal cross category knowledge hub of which Abhishek will be chief custodian,” added Thayalan.

Seeing potential in post war Sri Lanka, IPG in New York further strengthened its commitment by acquiring a 100% stake in the agency that started its operations in the country as LDB Lintas in 1993 and was subsequently known as Lowe LDB, an agency with a vibrant creative legacy. A majority of MullenLowe’s business comes from global FMCG giant Unilever. In addition, it works with some of the country’s leading brands in carbonated soft drinks, banking and finance, insurance, biscuits, milk foods, sanitary napkins, lubricants, foods, fintech, personal care and beauty products, mobile communications, data, consumer electronics and paints to name a few.