Throughout his career, Ashwin Kutty (MBA’04) has worked in a number of fields, from health care to technology to academia. So it was only natural that he’d end up in an industry that spans almost every sector imaginable.

Kutty is the president and CEO of WeUsThem, an advertising agency and global consulting think tank based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that has collaborated with an array of clients, including the government of Canada, Telus, and Nestlé. Kutty cofounded the agency 11 years ago as a consulting firm, but after providing some advertising insight to a client, he and his cofounder, Faten Alshazly, decided to branch out.

During his time at Purdue, Kutty appreciated the curriculum’s focus on experiential learning. “Our professors were advisers to heads of state, and my fellow learners were corporate executives who worked for large multinational corporations,” he says. “We weren’t just studying out of a textbook. We learned how to apply what we were studying with a diverse view and perspective informed by years of experience from global applications at all levels.”

There is no job that is too little, and every day is different — as it should be.

Working in the advertising industry allows Kutty to wear many different hats. “I get to think about strategy and technology and also be creative,” he says. “We might be brainstorming with a hospitality chain or food-industry startup one week, then championing a cause-based campaign for a nonprofit the next.”

In May, Kutty was named a Top 50 CEO by Atlantic Business Magazine for the second time. “Ashwin is a true leader to be reckoned with, and it is his steadfast approach that has seen us grow so rapidly over the years,” says Alshazly. “He is incredibly deserving of this honor and is truly a tireless strategic thinker and leader for us and our partners.”

Previously, Kutty was named Business Person of the Year by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce, and he received the Peter Brojde Award for Canada’s Next Generation Executive Leadership. WeUsThem has also received multiple Gold Davey Awards, W3s, and Clios.

Kutty enjoys playing a role in every facet of the business. “I may travel out of the country to meet with a client one day, speak at a conference soon after, and then return to the office to meet with our client management department to ensure everyone is being taken care of,” he says. “There is no job that is too little, and every day is different — as it should be.”