Crash Test Pony Hired New Creative Lead
The AI production firm has appointed a former Monks executive to spearhead brand strategy across its international operations.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Advertising
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Singapore-based AI content production company Crash Test Pony has appointed Mihir Dhairyawan as its new Executive Creative Director and Executive Producer. Dhairyawan is tasked with directing creative strategy and brand storytelling across the firm's global markets.
Why it matters
The hire signals an attempt by the AI production firm to bridge high-level creative leadership with its technical capabilities to compete for mandates from global consumer goods brands. This move highlights how creative agencies are restructuring to integrate AI-driven production into traditional brand-building workflows.
The firm operates across the Asia-Pacific and MENAT regions with established teams in India and New Zealand. Crash Test Pony currently services major consumer goods clients, including Procter & Gamble and Unilever.
The players
Mihir Dhairyawan
An experienced creative leader who previously served as Executive Creative Director for Southeast Asia at Monks and Regional Creative Director at Leo Burnett Singapore.
Crash Test Pony
A Singapore-based artificial intelligence content production firm that manages creative campaigns for global consumer brands across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
The details
Dhairyawan will integrate his background in regional creative direction with the company's AI-led production processes. He is expected to lead a collaborative team of AI artists and directors to refine the company's brand storytelling output. This operational shift aims to scale creative execution through the company's specific AI-based production model.
Timeline
October 12, 2026: The appointment was confirmed.
Market Landscape
This appointment follows the industry-wide trend of agencies recruiting veteran creative directors to oversee and legitimize the output of AI-first production models. It marks a departure from purely technical AI startups toward agencies that prioritize traditional brand storytelling.
Operators in the agency space should monitor whether this model of pairing traditional creative veterans with AI artists effectively retains high-tier client accounts. The results of this leadership transition serve as a proxy for the scalability of AI-led production in global brand strategy.
The takeaway
The move underscores the growing need to pair human creative expertise with technical AI tools to maintain brand quality at scale. Agencies should track how this blend of talent impacts speed-to-market and client satisfaction metrics in the coming year.
Further reading
For more on shifts in creative agency models, see Advertising.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MediaNews4U.
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