Ogilvy Group Creative Director Azazul Haque steps down

Advertising agency Mullen Lintas, announced the new creative leadership at the agency. The agency appointed Azazul Haque (previously chief creative officer, Ogilvy South) and elevated Garima Khandelwal (previously executive creative director, Mullen Lintas) to chief creative officers.

Amer Jaleel

Azazul Haque

Garima Khandelwal

Speaking about the development, Amer Jaleel, Group CCO and chairman, MullenLowe Lintas Group, says "Mullen Lintas is a very special agency to the group. We took our time figuring out the leadership and I have to laud our clients for the exemplary conviction they gave us for this space and time. Garima Khandelwal and Azazul Haque are not just the best bets for the agency, they are the best bets for each other too. Gari is supremely artistically inclined and intuitive as a mind and Azaz is a fantastic articulator and craftsperson both of lofty truths and consumer language."

Azazul Haque started his career with Lowe Lintas (then Lowe Lintas + Partners) in 2001. Over the years, he has worked with Bates, Publicis, Mudra, McCann, Contract, and Ogilvy on brands like Nescafe, Coca Cola, Nestle Maggi, Domino's Pizza, Dabur, Maruti Suzuki, Havells and others.

Commenting on his appointment, Haque says, "Leaving Ogilvy after 5-6 dream years was my life's toughest career decision. And if it wasn't Mullen Lintas then perhaps such a thought wouldn't have crossed my mind. Mullen Lintas is a rare breed of agency. It has the solidity and experience of being one of India's oldest agencies (Lintas) and the enthusiasm, passion and fearlessness of one of the youngest (Mullen Lintas). And most of its work reflects that."

Garima Khandelwal kicked-off her career in advertising with Ogilvy Delhi around 18 years ago. She moved to Mullen Lintas in 2015 and her former role as executive creative director gave her an opportunity to influence the creative direction for some of India's most celebrated brands. As the founding member of Team Mullen Lintas, she is responsible for the agency's marquee work like - Motilal Oswal (Equity experts), Tata Tea (Alarm bajne se pehle Jaago Re), MTV Beats, Bajaj Avenger (Feel Like God + Independence Day), and Too Yumm (National launch). Before moving to Mullen Lintas, she has also worked with Lowe Lintas where she lent her creative expertise to a diverse set of clients across categories.

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Talking about her elevation, Khandelwal says, "I am very proud to be part of the journey Mullen Lintas has had so far. It has been a roller coaster ride; these 3 years have been the most exciting of my career with no two weeks being the same. The icing is the trust that Amer has handed me with the baton of its creative leadership. I am looking forward to the next phase of the ride with Azaz as we gear up to having a larger place under the sun. 2019 is going to be exciting!"

Both Khandelwal and Haque will be based out of the agency's Mumbai office.