MAM
Group M elevates Ajit Varghese to Maxus Asia Pacific CEO
MUMBAI: Media vet Ajit Varghese has more than one reason to celebrate. He has been going max at Maxus South Asia and his efforts are being recognised in his promotion to CEO Maxus Asia Pacifiic. The elevation, which comes into effect come new year 2014, will see Varghese shifting to Singapore, replacing Neil Stewart who has been sent upstairs as chief client officer Maxus Global.
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Tha announcement was made by GroupM on Sunday 23 September.
Varghese will work closely with Stewart in the transition period of six months, and will report into Group M CEO Asia Pacific Mark Patterson and Maxus Global CEO Vikram Sakhuja
Over the last seven years, Varghese has been responsible for scaling up Maxus in India and South Asia, says the release issued by Group M. Under his leadership Maxus has achieved several distinctions. Maxus now has the best record in the industry in terms of new business wins and client retentions. It is the only media agency in India to be ranked ‘dominant‘ for three years in a row by RECMA for its outstanding overall performance.
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Ajit Varghese: Singapore is going to be his base come 1 Jan 2014
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Led by Varghese, Maxus has also dominated the industry award scene in India and South Asia, winning at Cannes, FOMA, Emvies, Goafest and recently retaining the Mobile Marketing Agency for the second year running at MMA.
GroupM CEO South Asia CVL Srinivas said: “Ajit has been an outstanding leader for Maxus and a great ambassador for GroupM. He combines intellect with a passion for delivering the best value for his clients. He has helped create a very unique culture at Maxus and truly embodies the Maxus spirit. All of us at GroupM are very proud of his achievements and wish him the very best in his new role”.
Maxus Global CEO Vikram Sakhuja said: : “Ajit has displayed exceptional leadership to make Maxus one of India‘s best and biggest agencies. With this promotion, I am very excited that Ajit will now lead Maxus APAC. I have no doubt that with his brand of entrepreneurial leadership, Maxus APAC will scale new heights. “
Ajit Varghese said: “The last seven years at Maxus has been an exciting journey; we have built a strong portfolio of clients, secured their trust, delivered them a world-class product and picked up many accolades along the way. We have worked hard to develop our value proposition, building a Maxus spirit and culture that will help sustain and propel our business in the coming years. I’m now looking forward to learning and contributing more to Maxus and GroupM across the region and am sure the journey will be as exciting and fruitful in the coming years. India obviously continues to be part of my scope and will remain close to my heart”
MAM
Kartik Vishwanathan returns to WPP Media as VP – investments
14-year Mindshare veteran takes special assignment role from February 2026.
MUMBAI: Kartik Vishwanathan has made a sharp return on investment rejoining WPP Media, the very organisation that shaped a big chunk of his professional journey. The seasoned media executive has been appointed vice president for investments (Special Assignment) at WPP Media, effective February 2026. He will contribute to both regional and global priorities in this strategic mandate.
With over 14 years and 7 months at Mindshare, Vishwanathan brings deep expertise across investment strategy, strategic initiatives, and integration. His most recent role was Head of Investment Strategy – Mindshare China (Dec 2019–Oct 2023) in Shanghai, following his stint as Head – Strategic Initiatives and Integration – Mindshare India (Jun 2018–Nov 2019). Earlier, he served as Principal Partner at The Exchange in Mumbai (Jan 2016–Jun 2018).
Before Mindshare, he held short-term roles as Process Manager – Pricing Analytics at eClerx and Project Manager at Fractal Analytics in Mumbai.
Vishwanathan holds an Executive Programme in Business Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (May 2007–Apr 2008) and a Post Graduate Certification in Advertising and Public Relations from MICA (2011–2012).
His return to WPP comes at a time when the media investment landscape is evolving rapidly, with brands demanding sharper, more integrated strategies across platforms. For someone who cut his teeth at the agency group years ago, this homecoming feels less like a new chapter and more like picking up a well-worn, high-return playbook.
