Mitali Srivastava Hough

 From journalism & politics to the gnarled galleries of Advertising, Mitali’s career is a journey that few in their right minds dare to take. An MBA, TV Reporter for Zee News, Senior Correspondent & Deputy Editor for a magazine, - it was a good seven years of thriving as a Journalist after which Mitali took the plunge into advertising.

 Under her leadership, old-school brands became disruptive, large brands saw quick-turnarounds & entrepreneurial brands have joined the big league. She has been instrumental in transforming brands, impacting clients, directing businesses and leading effectiveness. Over the last 4 years, Utopeia has grown from scratch to a bustling mid-sized agency with 52 people across two offices & 46 Crores of billing revenues. Some of her clients in Utopeia include Reliance Fresh, Radius Developers, K Raheja Corp, Axis Bank, Times of India, Recron, Ambuja Cement Foundation, etc.

Today, as one of the only women planners who is a co-founder of an ad agency, Mitali is shaping a new environment for women, one that breaks age-old locker-room culture and cultivates a new one that is conducive for women to grow without compromises. Based in Mumbai and married to a British national, she rescued a cat, calls her Xena. She loves to wear boots throughout the year, regularly experiments with her hair, passionately loves global non vegetarian cuisines and repeatedly provides testimony to the fact that women can have it all.

 Prior to steering the ship at Utopeia, she worked in DDB Mudra as Associate Vice President, across verticals of DDB India, DDB Health & Lifestyle, Rapp India & Tribal DDB. She has been instrumental in establishing brands like Volkswagon & Neutrogena in India. She has also worked at Ogilvy & Mather and TBWA India. An accomplished strategic planner, digital expert, trainer and researcher, she has undertaken in-depth thought leadership on various consumer groups and is ready to launch her first book. She also led the New Knowledge & Insights cell for Ogilvy. Her career spans over brands like, J&J, Reliance, Cadbury, Big Bazaar, Asian Paints, etc. Her awards include golds at Effies, AME, James Burke & Indian Marketing Awards. She is also a guest faculty member at Xavier’s Institute of Communication & St.Pauls Institute of Communication.