Mumbai - Saatchi & Saatchi India has announced the inclusion of 2 new members in its creative team - Anant Medepalli and Vihar Patkar as Creative Director and Associate Creative Director respectively. Additionally Mithun Mirji, Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi Mumbai, has been elevated to a new role for which he will be based out of Singapore.

Anant and Vihar have both spent over 10 years in the business and have been associated with Saatchi & Saatchi in the past.

Talking about their reunion with Saatchi & Saatchi, Anant Medepalli, Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Mumbai said, "I was with Saatchi & Saatchi from 2004 to 2009. After spending a couple of years at Leo Burnett, Nairobi, I am back home - Saatchi & Saatchi. I have always been a big fan of Lovemarks - Saatchi & Saatchi's philosophy of developing a loyalty to brands that goes beyond reason. Many of the social media initiatives and activations we see around these days are actually the Lovemarks philosophy in action.

"Currently Saatchi & Saatchi is a brand new place that's buzzing with opportunities. It is where hot, contemporary ideas can be brought to life. With a clear focus on unconventional media this place has already embraced the future. And of course, Ashutosh and Ramanuj are brilliant creative leaders. When it comes to raising standards, they mean business."

"I wanted to become a scientist but the artist within me made me join J. J Institute of Applied Arts. Having been in advertising for 10 years now, I realised I do what a scientist does - I innovate! That's what I love," commented Vihar Patkar, Associate Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Mumbai.

"I was with Saatchi & Saatchi Mumbai from 2005 to 2008. In 2008, I joined Rediffusion Y&R. After spending 3.5 years there I joined Salt Brand Solution in 2011. But when I got an offer from Saatchi & Saatchi Mumbai once again I was really excited. I have worked with Ramanuj and Ashutosh before and they are my mentors. I would love to do work in the non-conventional and digital media,"

Talking about his new team members, Ashutosh Karkhanis, Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi said, "I have known Vihar since last four years. He is a fantastic creative mind. He may come across as a quiet person, but there is a mad creative person inside him, who is always looking for an opportunity to create something out of the box. He is very versatile in his thinking. Though Anant is a new addition to our creative team, this is his second innings at Saatchi and he is already feeling at home. He is very methodical in his thinking and a strong believer of Lovemarks. I'm very excited with the fact that we are adding people like Vihar and Anant to the Saatchi & Saatchi family."

In addition, Mithun Mirji has been elevated to the position of a Regional Creative Director who will be based out of Singapore for Ariel and partnering clients in Singapore. Currently, he works with Ramanuj and Ashutosh on P&G brands - Head & Shoulders and Ariel, etc.

Commenting on his new role, Mithun Mirji, Regional Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi said, "Saatchi & Saatchi India has been a great family where I also found out that working on a category like laundry could be really exciting and challenging. I didn't just have to live up to the work done by my predecessors, but also take the idea on the brand to the next level. I was lucky to have a great team to work with and an inspiring leader like Ramanuj to interact with.

"During my time here, we at Saatchi & Saatchi India forged a great partnership with our clients at P&G, which ultimately helped us get more responsibilities for work across the region. All this helped when Saatchi & Saatchi decided to set up a Regional Hub in Singapore to partner with our P&G clients. And the work we had done as a team in India helped me get nominated for a regional role based out of Singapore.

"If it were possible, I would have loved to move there with the entire team. However, I will take with me all their support, all their encouragement, all their efforts and all their wishes. And hope that one day, I am able to give them much more than what I have received."

"When I got Mithun to Saatchi & Saatchi a few years ago, I was sure that he would become a key resource for P&G, one of our most valued clients," added Ramanuj Shastry, Chief Creative Officer, Saatchi & Saatchi India. "And Mithun has proved me right. With his creative passion anchored in deep consumer understanding, he has delivered great work on Ariel and Head & Shoulders. The trust and rapport he has built with the clients, both in India and the region, is indeed praise-worthy.

"As Mithun moves on to his new role, I'm sure he will flourish and create work that will transform the client's business. He will be missed here."