New York City-based advertising, marketing communications and PR company Ogilvy have announced the appointment of Jag Dhanji as their new Global Chief People Officer. Dhanji joined Ogilvy in 2017 as Chief Talent Officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Prior to her time at Ogilvy, Dhanji held a variety of roles across the global talent and marketing teams, including Global & Innovation team at Diageo, HR Director EMEA & Support Functions at Costa Coffee and Head of Talent, L&D and Employee Engagement at Vodafone India. As part of these previous assignments, Dhanji has lived and worked in Mumbai and South Africa and is currently based in London. 

Dhanji takes over for Brian Fetherstonhaugh, who is reportedly retiring but will be working with WPP Group in an advisory role. In a statement on their website, Ogilvy described Dhanji as “a seasoned leader,” with extensive international, commercial experience. “Jag has a passion for building enduring and sustainable organizations - throughout her career she has helped organizations to evolve and grow, building strong diverse talent pipelines and developed the key asset of any organization, their people,” they wrote. 

Commenting on the news, Dhanji said “we are living through a unique moment where we are completely rethinking the way we live and work, which makes this opportunity so invigorating.” Dhanji added that “Ogilvy has some of the best creative and strategic talent in the world and I’m excited to work with my colleagues across the globe to ensure that Ogilvy remains a ‘company of giants’ with a culture that is innovative, inclusive, and fun.”

Dhanji’s appointment comes at a time when Ogilvy is assembling a robust new global leadership suite. Along with this news comes word that Stacey Ryan Cornelius will be returning to the company, coming aboard as Ogilvy’s Global Chief Financial Officer. Ryan Cornelius originally joined the company in 1999 and moved through various roles, ultimately serving as the Worldwide Controller from 2008-2018. Most recently, Ryan Cornelius was Global Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of WPP's end-to-end Creative Commerce Agency, Geometry Global. Under the new structure, Stacey and Jag will both report to Andy Main, Global CEO of Ogilvy. 

“As we think about the future of the industry, Andy’s vision coupled with Ogilvy’s world-class creativity and range of capabilities is a compelling proposition for our clients. I’m really excited to be coming back to Ogilvy as it embarks on the next stage of its evolution,” Ryan Cornelius said of the news. “I’m also looking forward to partnering with Andy, Jag, and other leaders to drive meaningful, and lasting progress when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

Along with these two appointments, Ogilvy also announced that Julianna Richter will be the company’s new Global Chief Executive Officer of Public Relations & Influence, a role she will take up from January 2021. Last month, in another big appointment, Ogilvy announced that former McCann President of North America, Devika Bulchandani, had been brought in as Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy North America and Global Chairwoman of Advertising. 

Heading into 2021 after months of transition, disruption and change, Ogilvy will undoubtedly be starting the year off on an optimistic note with this new assembly of diverse, global leaders poised to bring value and positive change at speed and scale. 

Image credits: Officelovin