Dentsu launches business transformation practice in India

Continuing its evolution to fuse marketing, technology, and consultancy, Dentsu has announced the launch of its business transformation practice, Dentsu BX, in India. Working with a group of client transformation specialists internally and specialised strategic alliances externally, the company stated that Dentsu BX will create innovative strategies for businesses to explore new categories, revolutionise their operations, and stay ahead of the times, “true to Dentsu’s promise of 'innovating to impact'.”

 

Narayan Devanathan will lead the new practice, adding to his existing role as the agency’s president and chief strategy officer for South Asia. He will continue to report to Harsha Razdan, CEO—South Asia for Dentsu, while also reporting to Chris Bower, managing director, business transformation consulting, APAC, Dentsu, and Yuichi Toyoda, global practice president—business transformation (BX).

 

 

In his expanded mandate, Devanathan will collaborate with businesses to co-create transformation strategies that accelerate sustainable business growth. He will aim to deliver transformative solutions that drive substantial value for clients, businesses, and society.

 

Commenting on the expansion, Razdan said, “Dentsu’s relentless commitment is to delivering exceptional client outcomes. As we have evolved to become more client-centric across all practices, the expansion of Dentsu BX into India represents a natural progression. Devanathan’s extensive expertise and proven track record make him ideally suited to lead this strategic and industry-leading offering.”

 

He added that in addition to his existing remit, Devanathan will harness the agency’s expertise to craft transformative solutions that drive significant business impact for brands. “With his elite ‘special ops’ team for Dentsu BX, he will leverage the full strength of Dentsu to deliver innovative, outcome-driven solutions for our clients,” he stated.

 

Devanathan added, “We have already launched the practice in stealth mode and engaged with multiple businesses on various projects. Clients already get ‘efficiencies and best practices’ with your garden-variety consulting firms, and that’s not what Dentsu BX is about. Our goal is to create next practices for them via distinctive solutions built on three cornerstones: Creativity, our ability to move people, and activate and execute outcomes that benefit customers, society, and business.”

 

Dentsu BX’s solutions span growth hacking, sustainability acceleration, innovation, and incubation, which the company said are the ingredients businesses need to create a better, more sustainable future for themselves, their customers, and society. “That’s the essence not just of Dentsu BX but of Dentsu itself, and we will harness all the extraordinary talent and expertise of Dentsu South Asia to deliver it,” Devanathan summed up.

 

The Japan-based agency’s focus on tech-driven solutions is unsurprising. Dentsu Group reported a slight uptick in H1 2024, with organic revenue rising by 0.2% year-on-year.

 

During this period, Japan saw a 2.1% organic revenue growth, driven largely by double-digit growth in internet media and BX, alongside high single-digit growth in digital transformation (DX). Keeping this in perspective, launching Dentsu BX in India will help the agency bolster its performance in the country and secure augmented business from existing and new clients.

 

Global economic challenges notwithstanding, Dentsu is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming business performance. It reaffirmed its full-year forecast of around 1% organic growth and a 15% operating margin while announcing its latest financial reports.

 

In June, the agency announced plans to introduce Dentsu Lab globally. Originally established in Tokyo in 2014, these hubs will soon be opened in Mumbai, Bengaluru, London, Amsterdam, and Warsaw, with further international Labs coming up next year. Each Lab will be managed by local leadership and staffed with a team of specialists, focusing on delivering services in gaming, data visualisation, and rapid prototyping.