Publicis Groupe Middle East has named Kalpesh Patankar Chief Creative Officer of Leo Constellation, the newly unified creative network spanning Leo Gulf and Publicis Gulf across the UAE and KSA. It marks a homecoming for Patankar, who previously led Leo Burnett UAE to back-to-back Agency and Network of the Year titles at Dubai Lynx, and returns this time from VML India, where he served as Group Chief Creative Officer. In his expanded role, he’ll lead the creative agenda for both Leo and Publicis Gulf, working directly with clients and leadership to put creativity at the center of business growth.
“This is a homecoming, and a good one. Our commitment to creative excellence is a commitment we make to our talents & clients, and Kalpesh has spent his career delivering on it. He builds an environment where talents thrive, and ambitious ideas survive, and that is where we keep investing,” said Bassel Kakish, CEO of Publicis Groupe Middle East and Turkey. Patankar, whose two-decade career spans Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Land Rover and Nestlé, and includes jury presidencies at Cannes Lions and D&AD, said the pull back to the region was easy: “This is a business with big ambitions, great talent, and clients who want to do meaningful work. That’s always been a combination I find hard to resist.”
