VIRTUE ASIA BETS ON INDIA GROWTH WITH AMBALIKA SEN APPOINTMENT

Virtue Asia has appointed Ambalika Sen as managing director for India, marking a significant step in the agency’s expansion strategy. The new role reflects Virtue’s growing focus on entertainment, content and culture-driven marketing, as it seeks to deepen its presence in India and broaden its client and partnership portfolio.

Virtue Asia has appointed Ambalika Sen as managing director, India, in a newly created position designed to accelerate the agency’s growth ambitions in one of its most important markets.

The appointment signals a strategic commitment to India as Virtue broadens its offering beyond traditional campaign-led advertising and invests further in entertainment, content and culture-focused brand building. Sen joins from Colloquial, where she served as co-founder, bringing entrepreneurial experience and business-building expertise to the role.

The agency already works with a roster of clients in India, including Diageo, Bacardi, Fastrack and Snabbit, spanning sectors such as spirits, consumer lifestyle and digital businesses. Virtue’s proposition centres on combining culture, creativity and entertainment to create campaigns and experiences that help brands connect with audiences in more meaningful ways.

The expansion comes at a time when the marketing and communications industry is increasingly looking beyond conventional advertising formats. Brands are exploring new ways of engaging consumers through entertainment properties, creator ecosystems and content-driven experiences, areas that have become a growing focus for Virtue.

The agency has been building its capabilities in this space through V47 Entertainment, its joint venture with Goldfinch International. The venture focuses on developing brand-funded entertainment and intellectual property, reflecting a wider industry shift towards content that sits at the intersection of marketing and entertainment.

Virtue has also expanded its partnerships internationally as it seeks to strengthen its position in emerging content formats. Most recently, the agency partnered with COL Group, a global microdrama and short-form entertainment company, to explore opportunities for brands across these rapidly growing formats in Asia. The move highlights the agency’s interest in helping marketers tap into evolving consumer viewing habits and the increasing popularity of short-form storytelling.

Alongside its Asia growth strategy, Virtue has widened its geographic footprint through the launch of Virtue Arabia, extending its presence into the Middle East and underlining its broader international ambitions.

Commenting on the appointment, Lesley John, chief executive of Virtue Asia, said Sen’s combination of commercial acumen and entrepreneurial spirit made her well suited to lead the agency’s next phase of growth in India.

“Ambalika brings a brilliant mix of entrepreneurial energy, commercial instinct and a solid appetite to build a different kind of creative business. We see a huge opportunity in India to bring entertainment, collaboration, and cultural foresight together to help brands build from inside culture, in ways that go beyond traditional advertising,” John said.

She added that Sen possesses both the experience and ambition needed to help the agency create a distinctive proposition in the market.

“Just as importantly, she’s a genuinely wonderful human being, and I know she’ll make a meaningful contribution to our culture. I’m excited to have her leading this next chapter and looking forward to what we’ll build together,” John said.

With India playing an increasingly important role in the evolution of culture-led marketing and entertainment-driven brand engagement, Sen’s appointment positions Virtue Asia to deepen its presence in the market while pursuing new opportunities at the convergence of advertising, content and entertainment.