Campaign’s Digital Faces to Watch 2020 – Ankush Ahuja, Senior manager, Performics MENA
Age: 30
Stacy Fisher, head of digital transformation & innovation, Publicis Groupe MENA: Even though Ankush has been in Dubai less than a year, he made immediate impact upon joining the team. He brings rich experience from our San Francisco office working across global accounts and a strong eagerness to drive clients towards excellence within digital. Aside from his ability to sell our proprietary products and approach, Ankush demonstrates an extreme passion to continue learning and evolving. His courteous and energetic attitude encourages those around him to create a dynamic environment. I believe Ankush will excel in the coming years and influence many clients in this region based on his mature market expertise.
Career highlights
With a decade of strong marketing-innovation experience and his training in Neuromarketing from Stanford University, Ankush has served on elite performance marketing teams that develop and scale proprietary solutions, especially for companies where the effectiveness of traditional online marketing has been historically challenged. Ankush started his career in public relations and pivoted toward digital marketing in the process of helping Fortune 100 clients to enter and compete in some of the most challenging emerging markets. He has served in vastly diverse global roles at WPP, Edelman and Publicis Groupe (where he currently works), but Ankush’s primary focus is on business development and brand consulting.
Guiding principles
Human behaviour is not binary; it is complex and requires an appreciation for irrationality while looking for rational patterns. Therefore, as we work with our clients, it is critical to stay in a test-and-learn mode at all times.
Dream job
A big career goal of mine is to support the Ellen MacArthur Foundation with their mission to accelerate the adoption of practices that boost the circular economy. There’s a significant amount of work to be done to help consumer brands develop a sustainability infrastructure. I see this as a unique opportunity, perhaps even a duty, to design behavioural incentives that could empower consumers to collectively act toward protecting our natural resources. As someone with a deep understanding of consumer behaviour, I am uniquely positioned to help the Foundation guide brands to make the said shift.
Side hustle
For the past decade, I’ve been associated with several global not-for-profit organisations as a programming counsellor for marginalised communities. I support children that have behavioural disorders by developing unique performing arts programmes based on anecdotal feedback from parents, specific issues highlighted in medical reports and escalations experienced at home.
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