KINNECT APPOINTS SHIPRA CHINCHANKAR AS NATIONAL PLANNING DIRECTOR

Kinnect, part of Omnicom Advertising India, has strengthened its planning leadership with the appointment of Shipra Chinchankar as National Planning Director. The move underscores the agency’s ambition to build more connected, multi-platform brand solutions, with Chinchankar tasked with leading the planning function nationally and embedding a sharper strategic lens across Kinnect’s work. She will report directly to Chandni Shah, Chief Executive Officer, Kinnect & 22feet.

Chinchankar brings nearly two decades of experience in strategy and planning, having worked with leading agencies including erstwhile FCB Ulka, JWT and Lowe Lintas. Her career spans brand architecture, market launches and growth initiatives across diverse categories, with a portfolio that includes Amul, Tata Teleservices, TCS, Good Knight and Parag Milk Foods. At Lowe Lintas, where she spent 13 years, she worked extensively across the Unilever portfolio, contributing to campaigns for Surf Excel, Vim, Glow & Lovely and Knorr. Among her career highlights are acclaimed Surf Excel campaigns around Ramzan and Holi, the launch of Hershey’s chocolate portfolio in India, the revitalisation of Complan and the introduction of Prudential Health in India.  

Announcing the appointment, Chandni Shah said, “At Kinnect, strategy is central to how we think about building brands and driving growth. As brand, commerce, content and technology converge, organisations that turn complexity into decisive strategic action will have the advantage. Shipra brings enduring brand-building principles together with the new-age thinking that is critical to where Kinnect is headed. Her leadership will deepen our strategic ambition, sharpen our point of view and strengthen our ability to solve real business problems and build brands for what comes next. I’m delighted to welcome her to Kinnect and look forward to the clarity and leadership she will bring to our next chapter of growth.”  

Reflecting on her new role, Chinchankar said, “Kinnect felt like a natural next step in my journey. After almost two decades in strategy, I see this as an opportunity to bring my experience in understanding people, brands and business into the world of new-age media and multi-platform brand building. My endeavour is to bring strategic rigour and new-age creativity together to help teams create work that is not just engaging in the moment, but also creates lasting value for brands. I’ve always believed that every creative idea needs a bit of logic, and every piece of logic needs a bit of creativity.”  

Her appointment comes at a time when Kinnect is sharpening its integrated operating model, aligning creative excellence with business outcomes. By embedding strategic depth into its planning function, the agency aims to deliver solutions that are collaborative by design and impactful by default, ensuring brands resonate meaningfully with audiences in an increasingly complex media landscape.