Edelman expands APAC creator marketing team with new leads for India, Southeast Asia

Edelman today announced the appointment of two new creator marketing leads in Asia Pacific,  as part of the firm’s global investment in creator-led marketing. The appointments follow the recent naming of Kenny Gold as Edelman’s first-ever global chief creator officer.

Sushant Vithaldas joins as head of creator marketing, India, based in Mumbai, and Vimlarithan (Rithan) Vijaya as creator marketing leader, Southeast Asia, based in Malaysia. 

“At the core of our creator offering is the idea of the ‘Trusted Creator’. In an era where audiences increasingly turn to people and communities they trust, Edelman is uniquely positioned to help brands navigate and deliver in this environment,” said Kenny Gold, global chief creator officer, Edelman. “With Sushant and Rithan, we’re adding deep market expertise that strengthens our ability to promote and protect our clients through engaging, earned-led storytelling—partnering with the most impactful voices across these markets.”

“Creators are now central to how influence is earned and sustained, particularly across Asia Pacific where audiences are highly dynamic and culturally diverse,” said Rakesh Thukral, CEO, Asia Pacific, Edelman. “Today, no organisation – whether B2B or B2C – can effectively connect with its audiences without creator partnerships in the mix. These appointments reflect how we are evolving our business to help clients meet that reality, building programmes for them that are worthy of earning their audience’s attention and, more importantly, trust.”

Driving growth in India

Sushant will lead Edelman’s creator marketing offering in India, working across multidisciplinary teams to expand capabilities and drive growth. Most recently, at Collective Artists Network, he led revenue growth and strategic brand partnerships across creator ecosystems and new media, and earlier at Schbang, played a key role in scaling integrated digital, social, advertising, content and creative offerings. He has also held senior roles at Landmark Group, Dell and Apple in India.

“The creator economy is creating new opportunities for brands to engage audiences through culture, community and storytelling,” said Sushant. “Edelman’s strength at the intersection of earned, integrated communications and trust makes it uniquely positioned to help clients build impactful creator-led programmes, and I’m excited to contribute to this next phase of growth in India.”

Expanding creator strategy in Southeast Asia

“In Southeast Asia, where audiences are incredibly diverse, success depends on understanding what people genuinely value and trust,” said Rithan. “Joining Edelman feels like a natural step, given its strong understanding of what it takes to build trust and cultural relevance. There is a strong opportunity to build creator programmes that are not just visible, but credible, meaningful and enduring.”