Saurabh Saksena launches Next Wave Worldwide after departing VML India

After departing from VML India in 2024, Saurabh Saksena established his new agency, Next Wave Worldwide.

Announcing the news on LinkedIn, he stated, “Next Wave Worldwide represents 'Human Expertise amplified by Artificial Intelligence.' We're not an AI company. While our proprietary AI engines power our backend, it is human expertise that truly unlocks value for marketers and advertisers.” Saksena left VML India in May 2024.

At VML India, he was promoted to President after WPP merged VMLY&R with Wunderman Thompson to form VML, appointing long-time associate Babita Baruah as India CEO.

Prior to the merger, he served as the CEO of VMLY&R.

Saksena previously held the position of President at Red Fuse Communications, India, a WPP agency handling Colgate Palmolive.

He also served as Managing Director of JWT Malaysia. Before relocating to Kuala Lumpur, he was Chief Growth Officer at J Walter Thompson New Delhi, spending nearly a decade at JWT after joining as Executive Business Director.

Saksena began his career at Clarion Communications and later worked at Ogilvy and DDB Mudra. He also served as the publisher of the Mid-Day afternoon newspaper for two years.