MUMBAI — Edelman has made another high-profile hire from the advertising industry, bringing in former McCann Erickson ECD Sachin Talwalkar to oversee creative across South Asia, Middle East and Africa (SAMEA).

As regional ECD, Talwalkar will be based in Mumbai, reporting to Edelman Digital APACMEA MD Gavin Coombes and Edelman India MD Rakesh Thukral.

Talwalkar brings more than 16 years of advertising experience, most recently at Commonwealth/McCann in Mumbai where he served as regional ECD since May 2012. He began his career as art director in 2000 with BBDO Dusseldorf in Germany and has since worked with Saatchi & Saatchi (Milan), onesingleline.co.uk (his own agency in London) and Contract/JWT (New Delhi).

"With the communications and marketing landscape changing dramatically over the last several years, we are firmly committed to expanding our creative offering, both in scope and in ambition," said Rob Holdheim, CEO of Edelman SAMEA. "Sachin will oversee creative teams across SAMEA. With his tremendous global experience, we expect him to have an immediate impact on behalf of our clients across the region."

Edelman has made a number of hires from the advertising industry in recent years, particularly in Asia-Pacific, as the firm aims to overhaul its offering in line with the integration of earned and paid media. In India, the firm's creative team features strategic planners, ethnographers and researchers, working alongside content specialists, art directors, designers, illustrators and copywriters.

"Today’s media landscape is evolving rapidly and, in the process, the roles played by PR and marketing firms have begun to blur," said Talwalkar. "By collaborating across Edelman, the creative team can play a critical role in elevating the overall creative offerings and solutions for clients."

Talwalkar took a break from the ad industry at the start of this year, to write and direct a Marathi short film, along with two other scripts.