Rishad Tobaccowala

Rishad Tobaccowala is an author, speaker, and advisor with over four decades of experience specializing in helping individuals, organizations, and teams reinvent themselves to stay relevant in changing times. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Publicis Groupe, demonstrating a commitment to guidance and strategic insight rooted in a career spanning nearly four decades with the company.

Rishad's book "Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data" was published globally by Harper Collins in January 2020. The Economist Magazine described it as perhaps the best recent book on stakeholder capitalism, and Strategy Magazine named it among the five best business books and the marketing book of the year. This work focuses on balancing human intuition and data-driven insights to foster business transformation, helping readers think, feel, and see differently about how to grow their companies, teams, and themselves.

Rishad speaks on change management, future trends, and transforming workforces to a diverse range of industries from technology platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, to blue-chip firms such as Walmart and Procter & Gamble, and various industry associations. His advisory clients include global firms such as Publicis Groupe, private equity and venture capital like Growth Catalyst Partners, and technology platforms such as Crisp Thinking. He also frequently guest lectures at prestigious institutions like The University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and NYU.

Before transitioning to a Senior Advisor role in 2019, Tobaccowala served as Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Publicis Groupe and was a member of its Management Committee. He has also been the Chairman of Digitas and Razorfish, leading marketing transformation agencies with over 11,000 employees globally.

Tobaccowala has been recognized by BusinessWeek as one of the top business leaders for his innovative work in the field and dubbed one of five “Marketing Innovators” by TIME magazine. He is also in the Ad Age Interactive Hall of Fame and has received a lifetime achievement silver medal award from the Chicago Ad Federation.

Rishad is the chairman of The Tobaccowala Foundation, which aids over 10,000 people in India in improving their access to healthcare and education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Bombay and an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, maintaining a close relationship with the institution.