Kunal Sinha
Chief Knowledge Officer
Ampersand Advisory
Malaysia
Kunal Sinha’s influence transcends time, markets, disciplines, and institutions. Over three decades, he has shaped how brands, agencies, media organisations, and policymakers understand consumers in the world's most populous and fast-changing societies.
He’s created health education strategies for a life-saving HIV/AIDS programme. In Myanmar, he rode motocross bikes with health workers following trafficking routes. He guided American businessmen through China's commodities markets and helped a global chipmaker's China operations convince global leadership why next-gen voice-recognition chips had to be designed in Dalian, not Palo Alto.
Beginning his career at JWT India in 1989, Sinha's leadership roles across Ogilvy, Kantar, M&C Saatchi, and Ampersand Advisory coincided with pivotal moments in China's urbanisation, Indonesia's digital leap, and Malaysia's maturing consumer economy. Few strategists can credibly claim deep, lived professional experience across India, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
His books — China's Creative Imperative (2008) and Marconomics (2017) — bridged academia, industry, and public discourse. Before 30-under-30 awards existed, his work on communication effects won the Grand Prix at WPP’s Atticus Awards at age 29. He received the Grand Prix three times, winning trophies and commendations a record 14 times.
Sinha's leadership emphasises capability-building over personal aggrandisement. At Ogilvy India, he laid the foundation of the agency's effectiveness culture, training strategists on impact and attribution. His mentorship has shaped strategy teams that continue to influence the industry today.
To Quote: “He brings a level of sophistication that is so unique to the communication sector. His ability to see beyond the obvious and then distill them in insights and human understanding is something that…shaped the way communication was seen in furthering human development and behaviour.” - Professor Diwakar Shukla, former Dean, School of Media and Journalism, Jagran Lakecity University
