Cheil South West Asia (SWA) has announced the appointment of Jitender Dabas (fondly known as Jeetu) as the CEO of Cheil X.
Cheil X operates as an independent, full-service agency under the Cheil India SWA group managing accounts beyond Samsung.
In this role, Jitender will lead Cheil X offices across Delhi & Mumbai as well as overseeing the agencies that Cheil SWA has under its umbrella to deliver creative, strategy, digital marketing, digital media, Influencer marketing, tech, content production, retail design and performance solutions. He will also provide strategic oversight to all the agencies of the Cheil SWA group.
Jitender joins from McCann Worldgroup, where he was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Strategy Officer for India, as well as the Head of Effectiveness for APAC.
An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Jitender Dabas is widely recognized as one of the top strategic leaders in global advertising.
With a distinguished career across WPP and IPG, he has earned accolades for both thought leadership and creative effectiveness. A recipient of the WPP Atticus Award, he has also served on the juries of Cannes Lions, 4A’s Jay Chiat Strategy Awards, WARC Awards, and national and regional Effies. His work has been honored with more than 100 advertising awards across India and international platforms.
Carlos Limseob Chung, Managing Director of Cheil India and President of Cheil South West Asia, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Jitender Dabas to the Cheil SWA Group and family. His reputation as a professional and leader precedes him, and his appointment marks a significant milestone as Cheil X enters its next phase of growth and transformation. With our scaling up of our capabilities in digital marketing through Experience Commerce, content production through CYLNDR, retail design & branding through newRx, and digital media and influencer marketing, there couldn’t have been anyone better than Jeetu to drive this intersection of creativity, strategy, and technology into a new future-focused agency.”
Jitender Dabas shared his perspective on the move: “I am really excited about leading Cheil X at the pivotal moment in its journey in India. As an industry, we are all acutely aware of the change that is upon us. The old models are giving way, and newer models haven’t yet crystallized. And the truth is that disruptive creativity and big brand strategy, only when deployed across the persuasion funnel, will lead to truly impactful outcomes. Cheil is a global leader when it comes to solutions at the intersection of creativity and technology, and I am excited about partnering businesses and brands in India with all the new-age capabilities that Cheil is building in India. I’m looking forward to creating something future-facing: an agency that doesn’t just keep up with change but leads it.”
