Rohit Ohri's ‘Ohriginal’ take on what really makes agencies tick

After nearly four decades in the ad business—a tenure that has seen him shepherd brands through the corridors of JWT, Dentsu, and FCB—Rohit Ohri has launched Ohriginal, a culture consultancy that promises to do something quite radical: make organisational culture less of a buzzword and more of a business strategy.

"Culture is something that's not openly spoken about and is very loosely bandied," Ohri observes with the shrewd wisdom of someone who has probably seen too many corporate mission statements gathering dust in reception areas.

"What I'm attempting to do is to create a living spirit of culture in organisations."

It's a decidedly unglamorous proposition in an industry that thrives on the glamorous, where creative awards are coveted like Olympic medals. Yet Ohri, who led FCB India to global recognition as Adweek’s International Agency of the Year in 2022, argues that culture is advertising's most overlooked competitive advantage.

The genesis of Ohriginal, a portmanteau that manages to be both memorable and self-explanatory in equal measure, stems from Ohri’s four decades' worth of observations in organisational dynamics across the three major network agencies he helmed.

"The most important thing in an organisation and what defines its success is its culture," he explains. "When you cultivate and nourish a rich and deep culture, it enables every individual to perform their best. And so does the organisation."

It's a philosophy that might seem blindingly obvious, yet remains stubbornly elusive in practice. The advertising industry, after all, is notorious for its cultural contradictions: championing creativity while stifling individual expression or promoting work-life balance whilst operating on deadlines that would make emergency room doctors wince.

A bit about Ohri

Ohri's journey to this revelation began in an unlikely place: the theatre. Before he became advertising royalty, he was treading the boards—quite literally. His father had harboured dreams of his son becoming a doctor, engineer, or chartered accountant, the holy trinity of middle-class Indian aspirations.

Instead, after completing his Bachelor's in Commerce from St Xavier's College and acquiring a degree in Cost Accountancy, Ohri found himself drawn to the dramatic arts.

He even played the lead role in Ganadevata, a television serial based on renowned Bengali novelist Tarasankar Bandopadhyay's work, which ran for eighteen months on Doordarshan. It was an early lesson in the power of narrative, something that would serve him well in an industry built on storytelling.

Twenty-one years at JWT followed, then four years as executive chairman of Dentsu, before his transformative tenure at FCB Group India from 2016 to 2023. Even after stepping down as chairman and CEO, he remained as FCB's global partner until May 2025, when he decided to commit fully to his ‘Ohriginal’ vision.

Why launch Ohriginal now?

The timing is particularly astute. The advertising industry is undergoing seismic shifts, with consolidations creating behemoths that acquire smaller agencies like collectors hoarding rare stamps.

Each acquisition brings its own cultural DNA, creating what Ohri describes as a challenge of harmonisation rather than homogenisation.

"There is one acquiring entity with its culture, and that acquiring entity has acquired many smaller entities which have their own culture," he explains. "It's not about destroying each one's culture but really understanding each one's culture and creating what I call a shared rhythm."

This concept of a "shared rhythm" lies at the heart of Ohriginal's offering. Like a fingerprint, it's unique to each organisation—a distinctive pattern that defines how a company thinks, feels, and behaves.

The consultancy's role isn't to impose a one-size-fits-all solution but to help organisations discover and activate their own cultural identity.

"I haven't created any set format," Ohri emphasises. "It's really about understanding each organisation because every organisation has its distinctive culture. You need to respect that and then see how that can actually become more enabling, more distinctive, and sharper."

What’s next?

As a company of one—Ohri operates solo, believing that culture discussions happen at the top level—Ohriginal represents a deliberately intimate approach to consultancy. Rather than chasing clients, he's positioning himself as a cultural philosopher, waiting to see which organisations are ready for his particular brand of enlightenment.

“I've put my philosophy out there, and I'm waiting to see which clients come in. I've got a lot of interest already. And because it's a company of one, I'll choose what battles I want to fight.”

It's a bold gambit in an industry that often conflates activity with achievement. But then again, calling your consultancy after yourself whilst promising to help others discover their originality requires a certain confidence in your own cultural fingerprint.

Whether Ohriginal will prove to be the industry's cultural salvation or simply another well-intentioned consultancy remains to be seen. But in a business where the next big idea is always just around the corner, Ohri's focus on the foundations–how we work, why we work, and what makes us work well together–feels refreshingly, well, original.