Reaffirming its commitment to Asia-Pacific, Landor announced two key leadership appointments in March: Geet Nazir as Managing Director for India and Joël Cére as Managing Director for Southeast Asia.
“I am thrilled to welcome Joël and Geet to Landor. Their diverse backgrounds and impressive track records will be instrumental in driving our growth and innovation in APAC,” said Lulu Raghavan, President, APAC at Landor, in March
Based in Mumbai, Nazir joined Landor after leading Conran Design Mumbai, part of the Havas network, since February 2021. She has worked with clients such as Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and Tata CLiQ, focusing on progressive, design-led solutions for brands navigating the complexities of a diverse Indian market.
Her new role will see her overseeing a fast-growing market home to more than 1.4 billion people, shaped by a rich diversity of histories, languages, and consumer behaviors.
In our interview, Nazir discusses her vision for Landor India, her plans to build on the company’s creative legacy, and the role of AI in Landor’s approach. She also talks about fostering bold ideas, the importance of purpose and sustainability in design, and where she sees the greatest opportunities for Landor India.
After recently stepping into the new role, what’s your vision for Landor India, and where do you see the biggest opportunities to shape its next chapter?
My vision for Landor India is to continue to build on its legacy of design excellence and client centricity and become a future-focused brand partner — where bold strategy meets culturally attuned creativity. With India’s dynamic market, global ambition, and an incredibly talented team, we have a unique opportunity to shape brands that truly resonate.
There’s an undeniable energy and ambition in India right now. Brands here are no longer content to follow global trends — they’re ready to lead them. From legacy businesses undergoing rapid digital transformation to new-age startups scaling across borders, the opportunity lies in helping them tell their stories with clarity, consistency, and heart.
Landor is known for bold, creative thinking. How do you plan to build on that legacy and evolve the work even further?
Boldness is in our DNA, but bold doesn’t always mean loud — it means being brave enough to go deeper, to challenge convention, and to build solutions with a view on the future. I see our role as provocateurs, collaborators, and brand architects.
Boldness is in our DNA, but bold doesn’t always mean loud — it means being brave enough to go deeper, to challenge convention, and to build solutions with a view on the future.
We’ll continue pushing the boundaries of what branding can do — with deeper insight and a stronger focus on relevant emotional connection. Evolution is in the craft: combining intelligence and intuition to deliver work that is not only distinctive, but also transformative.
How is Landor India leveraging AI across creative and operational functions to expand its capabilities and deliver stronger outcomes for clients?
AI is an enabler — not a replacement. At Landor, we’re integrating AI across multiple touchpoints, it allows us to be faster and more focused — freeing our teams to spend more time on the kind of thinking that truly moves the needle for our clients.
The key is staying human at the core, and using AI to elevate our creativity, not dilute it.
One of the most significant advances is WPP Open, our proprietary AI-powered platform that enables real-time access to shared knowledge, best-in-class tools, and data-driven insights across the entire WPP network. It helps us collaborate more effectively and accelerate everything from creative development to implementation.
The key is staying human at the core, and using AI to elevate our creativity, not dilute it. By combining intelligence and intuition (enhanced by smart tools), we’re able to deliver sharper, faster, and more relevant outcomes for the brands we serve.
Have you seen clients become more open to bold creative ideas over the years, and how do you encourage them to take those leaps when it matters?
Absolutely. We’re seeing a clear shift — clients today understand that safe ideas often go unnoticed. The challenge is not the willingness, but the confidence to leap. Our job is to earn that trust — by backing bold thinking with insight, rigour, and clarity.
We’re seeing a clear shift — clients today understand that safe ideas often go unnoticed. The challenge is not the willingness, but the confidence to leap.
When clients see that a bold idea is rooted in real consumer behaviour, cultural relevance, and business logic, they’re far more likely to champion it. I often remind teams: we’re not selling ideas, we’re building belief.
Can you talk about the importance of purpose in design and how your experience with past clients and brands has shown its role in building consumer trust and driving business results?
Purpose without action is just noise. At Landor, design is the most tangible way a brand’s purpose comes to life — it’s how brands behave, communicate, and create value for people.
Whether it’s helping a legacy brand find renewed relevance or guiding a challenger brand to scale with integrity, the impact is exponential when purpose is embedded in every design decision.
At Landor, we work with our clients to define and solve business problems through the lens of brand, by leveraging our design, experience, governance and measurement capabilities, always connecting business to brand outcomes.
Design, for us, goes beyond visual identity. It’s about building smart, scalable systems — creating, refining, and governing design frameworks that drive brand effectiveness and business efficiency.
Our consulting capabilities are focused on unlocking strategic insights and data-driven analytics that help us position brand value not just as a storytelling tool, but as a measurable business asset.
What sets us apart is our ability to view brands through the lens of business performance — understanding their impact both as intangible equity and tangible growth drivers.
Design, for us, goes beyond visual identity. It’s about building smart, scalable systems — creating, refining, and governing design frameworks that drive brand effectiveness and business efficiency. We look at how design can fuel growth, bring coherence across touchpoints, and consistently deliver against a brand’s purpose.
Finally, experience brings it all to life — turning strategy and design into real-world interactions that build emotional connections and long-term value. Together, these pillars allow us to help our clients not only express who they are but realise what they can truly become.
How is Landor India approaching sustainability and social impact through design, and how does that align with consumer expectations in India?
We see sustainability and social impact not as add-ons, but as design challenges. In India, consumers are holding brands accountable for the choices they make.
Our business here operates on two fronts: brand transformation for iconic local and global clients, and a fast-growing global delivery hub focused on adaptive design and implementation.
We work with clients to embed circular thinking into brand systems — from packaging innovation to sustainable experiences. We’re also championing inclusive design that better reflects the diversity of India. Our belief is simple: design can and should drive change.
As you look ahead, what excites you most about Landor India’s future, and where do you see the greatest potential to lead the industry forward?
What excites me most is the intersection of creativity, culture, and technology — and the opportunity for Landor India to lead from that space. We’re not just helping brands keep pace; we’re building the ones that will define what’s next.
India is an extraordinary growth market, and we’re only just beginning to tap into its potential. Our business here operates on two fronts: brand transformation for iconic local and global clients, and a fast-growing global delivery hub focused on adaptive design and implementation.
Our focus now is on deepening strategic and technical expertise — scaling what we do, how we do it, and where we can take it. With the right talent and ambition already in place, I believe Landor India is poised to lead the next chapter of brand leadership — not just in India, but from India to the world.
Quick Hits
Most useful app or tool you’ve started using recently:
WPP Open – it’s a significant step forward to improve collaboration and streamline access to shared knowledge and data.
Book, podcast, or resource you recommend:
The Alignment Problem – a compelling dive into the challenges of aligning AI systems with human values and intentions.
