Rishad Tobaccowala

Rishad Tobaccowala is Chief Strategist and member of the Directoire+ of Publicis Groupe, the world’s third largest communication firm. He was most recently the Chairman of DigitasLBi and of Razorfish, two global firms owned by the Publicis Groupe focused on marketing and business transformation. Rishad was also the Chief Strategy and Innovation officer of VivaKi, a global leader in digital advertising solutions. He has 33 years of experience in marketing and has worked, helped grow, founded/co-founded or incubated for a variety of companies including Leo Burnett, Starcom, SMG Next, Starcom IP, Giant Step, Play, and Denuo. Rishad runs a foundation in India dedicated to providing medical and educational support to the poor via a school, an eye clinic, a vocational teaching center and a center for children with learning disabilities. Additional endeavors include underwriting a hospital on a train, the Lifeline Express, which moves from village to village equipped with doctors and operating facilities. A home for widows and elderly who have served India but have no pension is under development. Rishad has won many accolades over the year including being named a leading innovator by Time and Business Week and being elected to halls of fame by publications such as Advertising Age and institutions such as Ad Color. Rishad earned his BS in Mathematics from the University of Bombay (Mumbai) and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. When not on a plane, Rishad lives in Chicago where his wife shows him his place or his two grown daughters provide advice on not being so uncool.

Future, Innovation, Re-Invention.

The Future does not Fit in the Containers of the Past. A critical point in pursuing innovation is organizational re-design including incentive systems.

Future, Change, Innnovation

Writing