What makes a seasoned strategist leave a legacy role to lead a new age agency? That’s what we asked Jitender Dabas, the new CEO of Cheil X and the Group Strategy Officer of Cheil SWA. With years of experience shaping brand narratives, he’s taken on the challenge of driving Cheil X forward at a time when the industry is evolving fast. In a conversation with IMPACT, he talks about the move, the momentum, and the mindset shaping what’s next
Q] What really motivated this shift? Of course, it’s a bigger designation from CSO to CEO, but by perception, McCann is a much bigger agency than Cheil in India. So, what really led you to make this move?
I spent 14 years at McCann, but now we’re in the middle of a flux. Technology’s hitting the core of our industry. And whenever that happens whether in entertainment or automobiles—there’s a power shift. Studios gave way to Netflix. General Motors and Ford gave way to Tesla and BYD. New leaders emerge. We’re at a similar turning point in advertising. And I wanted to be on the side that carries the momentum.
That’s why I started looking at agencies that are at the intersection of creativity and technology. Cheil stood out. Globally, it’s already positioned that way. When you walk into the office, ‘Creative + Technology’ is the first thing you see, which says a lot about their commitment and direction. Also personally, I’ve been a CSO and COO and after years of advising companies on how to run their ships better, you naturally begin evaluating your own organization the same way. At that point, you feel you are ready to lead. During times of change, there’s a desire to take control and help navigate that transition. With the momentum, the capabilities, and the opportunity to shape what’s next, Cheil felt like the right place.
Q] Talking specifically at the agency level—can we say you believe it’s time for a new-age agency like Cheil to possibly upstage a traditional giant like McCann?
Those are big words. But what I can say is that there is a clear power shift happening across the industry and everyone could see it already. And who will emerge as the leader on the other side of that shift is still open—it’s anyone’s game. But if there was ever a right time for certain types of agencies to rise, this is it. Cheil is one of them.
Q] Cheil is known as the Samsung agency, and you will be leading the non-Samsung vertical, how big is that revenue wise? What is the revenue break up between Samsung and non-Samsung clients?
You’re right. Cheil has been known for its Samsung expertise. We’ve now restructured ourselves as the Cheil SWA Group. Within this, there’s the organization that runs the Samsung business, but there are also other capabilities—content production, media buying, influencer practice, and more. We’ve developed and improved these, over time. While I won’t get into specific numbers, the majority of revenue still comes from Samsung. But the non-Samsung business is growing very fast, and the mandate is to grow it further in India.
Q] Can you take us through some of the big non-Samsung clients?
As I mentioned, we have multiple capabilities across the group. Some of them include MG Motor, Samsonite, ICICI, and we’ve also worked with Parle through one of its divisions. The list is fairly long and we have served specific parts of businesses. But now, it’s time to up the game and go out there to offer our full range of services to more clients.
Q] There’s this new terminology—Cheil SWA Group. All the agencies under it have existed for a long time, so why announce this now?
It’s that pivotal time where we’re saying- we’ve done some things well, and now it’s time to do other things better. Some capabilities existed before, some developed over the last four or five years, and some improved in the past few months. There’s a constant effort. We’ve even added new capabilities in the last one year, like the influencer and digital practices.
Q] Are you planning to also acquire some businesses?
Currently, what we see around us is that you always have to look at increasing the capabilities. I won’t use the word ‘acquiring’. It has been over a month since I joined. I feel we already have all the capabilities. Right now, I can’t say anything, but it does seem like a full package already.
Q] Cheil has been a top contender at Cannes for years but its momentum has slowed lately. With you back, are you going to revive its mojo—for Samsung and non-Samsung clients?
So look, on the Cannes bit—on the Samsung side, we really do some groundbreaking work, especially when it comes to integration and taking it across the world. Often, it’s about the work you do and what you choose to take to Cannes. So, I won’t say I’ll get the mojo back—I think it’s already there. But yes, when I come there next year, we’d definitely want to see a lot of non-Samsung clients as well.
Q] You were on the Creative Effectiveness jury in 2021. India has taken strong strides at Cannes in the last few years—what do you see as our biggest strength and weakness?
India’s strength is in solving complex problems through creativity. It’s like a laboratory—if creativity can solve it, we offer the canvas. Creativity that transforms lives will always be India’s strength. But that can also become a weakness. We sometimes get over-dependent on it. A lot of the work starts to look similar, solving the same kinds of problems—it becomes formulaic. We should feel confident to break that pattern and push further. India’s a tech hub, but our creative work rarely shows that. A few pieces stood out, we won a Grand Prix too. But most work sticks to one kind of narrative. We should confidently explore beyond that.
Q] What would be the best example of this other kind of work?
What Talented did two or three years ago- ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ is a great example. It wasn’t about solving typical Indian problems. It showed how creativity and technology can come together and put us ahead of other people.
Q] What would be the categories that Cheil specifically would want to look at when it comes to big awards?
I don’t look at awards and categories. I’d rather look at the brands, the solutions. And once that’s in place, we look at what work we want to send for awards. I wouldn’t reverse-engineer it from the perspective of, ‘We have to go to these awards.’ There’s enough work to take to clients and through that, whatever work we feel proud of, we showcase it to the world. But of course, if you’re talking creativity and technology together—that’s the playground.
