VJ Anand has announced his departure as Executive Creative Director for VaynerMedia EMEA, concluding a successful five-year tenure with the agency. Anand, who joined VaynerMedia in 2019 as Head of Creative for APAC, was instrumental in expanding the agency’s footprint in the region. He collaborated closely with Avery Akkineni, now CMO of VaynerX, to establish the agency’s presence in APAC, working on high-profile global campaigns for brands such as SK-II, Subway, and Prudential Singapore.

Anand’s career at VaynerMedia saw rapid progression, from managing partner of VaynerMedia APAC (2021-2022) to Executive Creative Director for EMEA and global creative operations, after relocating to London. In this role, he led cross-functional teams across marketing, social, and advertising, tailoring campaigns to reach diverse audiences across Europe and beyond. Notable achievements include collaborating with global influencers, directing a music video for SK-II featuring John Legend, and overseeing a seven-market Olympics campaign for Visa.

Before joining VaynerMedia, Anand held senior creative leadership roles at Gojek in Indonesia, where he headed the Creative Labs division, and at leading agencies including BBDO Worldwide, TBWA\Worldwide, Cheil Worldwide, Ogilvy Malaysia, and Havas Riverorchid.

Reflecting on his time at VaynerMedia in a LinkedIn post, Anand expressed gratitude for his experiences, describing his journey as “mad,” from his early days as the fourth hire in APAC to working with Charli XCX and John Legend.

While his next move remains undecided, Anand shared that he plans to take some time off to focus on family, with a possibility of crowdsourcing his next career steps. “Every good thing must come to an end. I still haven’t really figured out what’s next for me, but… why the hell not?” he wrote.