One of India’s celebrated creative leaders with exemplary design skills, Viral Pandya, has stepped down from his role as Chief Culture Officer and Creative Consultant at Cog Culture– one of India’s leading digital marketing specialists in Branding, SEO, Design and more to ‘pursue opportunities beyond the advertising industry’.
According to industry insiders, his stepping down at Cog Culture is a result of him eyeing new creative horizons in design and innovation and an ardent desire to pursue design thinking beyond the advertising industry.
During his tenure, Cog Culture attracted marquee clients including DLF Offices, Devans Modern Breweries, Emaar, Central Park, Trehan Iris, Cashfree, Reach Group, LVR (makers of O’Darling whisky), and the luxury fashion startup Coyu.
Under his leadership, Cog Culture, over the last five-and-a-half years, evolved into a creative powerhouse and firmly established itself on the advertising map by earning accolades like- ‘Design Agency of the Year’ at the Indian adland’s prestigious awards gala- ABBY Awards powered by One Show in both 2019 and 2023. In fact, the agency was also recognised as Still Craft Agency of the Year at the coveted gala in 2019.
That being said, Cog Culture today boasts a team of over 120 professionals spanning multiple disciplines.
Before joining Cog Culture in January 2019, Pandya had Co-founded Out of the Box and served the additional role of Chief Creative Officer at the agency since January 2006. In a little over a decade’s time, Out of the Box became instrumental in building brands like Mother’s Pride Pre-Schools- from a mere 3 branches to over 160 in a span of 12 years. Not only this, he also amassed recognition for creating a brand named Presidium K-12 Schools in a record time, with more than 10 branches with a vision of ‘Be what you want to be.’
From May 2007 to March 2009, he also worked with Cheil Worldwide as Executive Creative Director and played a key role in reviving the success of Samsung mobiles with the famous ‘Next is what?’ campaign with Samir Khan.
Prior to that, he was also responsible for leading creative departments at Saatchi and Saatchi and Grey Worldwide between 1997 and 2005.
A thought leader with over 800 awards—including a Cannes Gold Lion Design and numerous Merits and Print and Design, several One Show Pencils—Pandya’s work has been recognised by One Show for ten consecutive years.
Additionally, he has also served on prestigious juries such as Cannes Lions, One Show Design, Kyoorious Design Yatra, the New York Fest Executive Jury, and as Jury Chair across multiple categories at Goafest’s ABBYs.
During his tenure at several agencies, he has worked for a range of clients- from global giants to local businesses including the likes of Hyundai, Panasonic, Tata Tea, Taj Group of Hotels, Maruti Suzuki, Bridgestone, Pedigree, Samsung Mobile, Samsung Appliances, Haier, Ariel, SOTC, Rolex, Ranbaxy, Veen Waters, Tigre Blanc Vodka, Mother’s Pride Preschools, Presidium Schools, and Haldiram’s. In fact, he is the only Indian creative to have developed work for Rolex, reportedly.
Upon being approached on his decision to part ways from Cog Culture, Pandya confirmed the news and remarked, “India is at an exciting juncture, and with AI rapidly advancing, the possibilities are endless. However, the current state of creativity is disappointing. Ideas, skill, and craftsmanship seem to have taken a backseat. My forte is sound strategy weaved by great design thinking, and the digital realm lacks these. Rather than lament this, I want to take action—apply my experience directly with clients, embracing technology and innovation. It’s also a perfect moment for me to take it slow and reflect.”
Furthermore, when asked to elaborate on his criticism of the industry, he added, “Today, more than ever, you need to earn attention, not buy it—thanks to the digital explosion. But look at the work coming out of many digital agencies. Barring very few ideas, it’s abysmal. Some agencies, along with clients, seem to think that boring carousel posts or elementary motion graphics qualify as digital work. All they manage to do is contribute to global warming by overloading servers. I’m hopeful that I can make a meaningful difference.”
