AD Agencies
Goafest 2017: Ramesh Narayan re-elected council chairman
MUMBAI: The Advertising Club and Advertising Agencies Association of India have announced the Awards Governing Council for the Abby’s at Goafest 2017. Ad veteran and industry leader Ramesh Narayan, founder of Canco Advertising has been once again appointed the Chairman of the AGC.
“The Abby’s are the Oscars of Indian advertising. The Awards Governing Council has a wealth of experience and expertise and I feel privileged to lead such an august panel. It will be our endeavor to engage actively with all constituents and ensure that creativity is properly judged and celebrated,” Narayan shared.
The other members elected to the Council are:
The other members elected to the Council are:
· Nakul Chopra, CEO – South Asia, Publicis Communications India & President, Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAA’s of I)
· Ajay Chandwani, Director, Percept Ltd
· Ajay Kakkar, Chief Marketing Officer- Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group.
· Ashish Bhasin, Chairman Goafest 2017 and Chairman & CEO South Asia Dentsu Aegis Network
· CVL Srinivas, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, GroupM
· M G Parameswaran, Founder at Brand-Building.com
· Nagesh Alai, Founder, Independent Business Advisory and Chairman of C4A
· Partha Sinha, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, McCann Worldgroup
· Pradeep Dwivedi, CEO Sakal Group
· Shashi Sinha, Chief Executive Officer, IPG Mediabrands
The Advertising Club’s Raj Nayak said, “Under Ramesh Narayan’s leadership Goafest 2016 emerged as a huge success with increase in participation and highest standards of ethics and governance. We are sure that with once again taking on the reigns of the awards, he will take this key industry event that is the gold standard in advertising awards, to greater heights.”
“It is great to once again have Ramesh in the driver’s seat of the governing council. His experience of leading multiple industry bodies and awards gives him great perspective and foresight to be able to drive excellence, in the judging and execution of this year’s awards,” added Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAA’s of I) president Nakul Chopra.
AD Agencies
WPP to cut jobs in £500m restructuring drive as revenue drops 8.1 per cent
CEO outlines reset after 30.1 percent profit decline
LONDON: WPP has signalled further job cuts as it embarks on a multi-year restructuring aimed at simplifying its sprawl, hardwiring artificial intelligence into its services and hauling profitability back on course.
The UK-listed advertising group will fold itself into a single integrated company structured around four divisions: WPP Creative, WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, under a plan to deliver £500 million in gross annual cost savings by 2028.
On the fourth-quarter earnings call, chief financial officer Joanne Wilson said the arithmetic was unavoidable. “In a business where most of our cost savings are people, that will mean a reduction of certain heads,” she said, adding that the group would reinvest in newer capabilities such as commerce, influencer marketing and advanced analytics.
The shift reflects a deeper rewiring. As AI becomes embedded in client workflows, the skills mix across the company is changing. Some roles will go; others will be created. “We will be reallocating talent around the business,” Wilson said, noting fresh hiring in data, technology and performance marketing.
Chief executive officer Cindy Rose said WPP was expanding internal training, including AI coaching and creative-technology apprenticeships, and embedding engineers from technology partners into client teams. Continuous reskilling, she argued, is central to staying competitive.
The urgency is financial. Revenue fell 8.1 per cent to £13.55 billion in 2025, while profit after tax dropped 30.1 per cent to £738 million. Staff costs, including severance and incentives, declined by £576 million as permanent headcount shrank 8.7 per cent and freelance spending fell 14 per cent.
Wilson warned that net new business headwinds would likely persist into the first half of 2026, citing cautious client spending and volatile marketing budgets.
On Thursday, WPP formally launched ‘Elevate 28’ a strategic programme to integrate media, creative, production and enterprise services, lower the cost base and improve cash generation.
Rose said 2026 would be about stabilising net new business performance. By 2027, a revamped go-to-market model should be fully embedded, paving the way for a return to growth. From 2028 onwards, WPP hopes to operate as a leaner, AI-enabled outfit with fatter margins: smaller, sharper and more machine-driven.
