MAM
Umesh Shrikhande joins Taproot India as CEO
MUMBAI: Umesh Shrikhande has joined Taproot India as the new chief executive officer. The announcement was made by Dentsu India Group. Shrikhande, an advertising veteran with more than 20 years of rich experience, prior to this was the CEO of Contract India.
The advertising veteran has worked closely with various divisions at Contract in the areas of design, direct and digital to enhance traditional advertising. Having worked with a variety of clients and brands such as HSBC, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Shopper‘s Stop, Philips, VIP, Bajaj Auto, BBC World, Aegon-Religare, Tata Indicom, Disney, Zoom, DNA and Grasim, Shrikhande is poised to take one of the most exciting creative boutiques in India – Taproot India, to the next level of growth and expansion. Taproot India, which now has a solid team of talented and capable professionals, will ensure that the company‘s creative quality creates new industry benchmarks.
“I‘m delighted that Umesh has chosen to join us. Aggi, Paddy and I look forward to his partnership in this exciting new phase of growth at Taproot. Umesh is an industry professional I‘ve always had the highest regard for and now, I‘m happy to have this opportunity to work with him,” said Dentsu India Group executive chairman Rohit Ohri.
Taproot will tap on Shrikhande‘s vast experience. “I am glad to have Umesh‘s vast experience on our side, which will be a guiding light for us as we scramble around doing what we think is the right thing. He is sharp, insightful and most important possesses great clarity on the way mass communication in the contemporary world works,” reiterated Taproot India co-founder and chief creative officer Agnello Dias.
Speaking on his appointment as the new CEO of Taproot India, Shrikhande said, “Aggi and Paddy are not just immensely talented, they also happen to be wonderful people who have managed to build an attractive reputation for Taproot, despite of the huge competitive environment. I consider it a delightful privilege to get this opportunity to work with them and with their wonderful and energetic team.”
Shrikhande along with the team will collectively endeavour to build on Taproot‘s innate strengths and culture to create a stronger organisation. “I hope that my understanding of strategy, people and relationships, helps me to make a difference,” he added.
“With the kind of experience Umesh has and the number of youngsters Taproot has, it will be a wonderful blend,” said Taproot India co-founder and chief creative officer Santosh Padhi.
Shrikhande, a management graduate from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies had started his career with Lintas (now Lowe Lintas & Partners), where he spent six years. Thereafter he was a core member of Team Contract that led the agency to great success, after which in 2008 he took over as the CEO of Contract India. After a successful spell of nine years at Contract India, he then joined Euro RSCG.
MAM
Taboola names Krishan Bhatia as chief business officer
Digital ad veteran takes the reins to steer taboola’s global sales and AI growth
NEW YORK: Taboola has added Krishan Bhatia to its leadership team as chief business officer, signalling a bold push in global sales and partnerships.
Bhatia will spearhead revenue growth across Taboola’s full product suite, including its Realize performance advertising platform, publisher network, CTV performance, and generative AI offerings. He brings a proven record of driving growth at leading tech and media giants, including Amazon and NBCUniversal.
At Amazon, Bhatia launched and led the global video advertising business spanning Prime Video, Live Sports, Twitch, and third-party programmers as VP, global video advertising and partnerships. Prior to that, he served as president and chief business officer at NBCUniversal’s global advertising and partnerships division, overseeing digital, streaming TV, and advanced advertising.
“Krishan is joining Taboola at a pivotal moment in our journey,” said Taboola CEO Adam Singolda. “We are redefining performance advertising on the open web. Realize is gaining real momentum as advertisers look for scalable growth beyond search and social. DeeperDive is putting generative AI directly into publishers’ hands, helping them innovate and thrive. The opportunity ahead is massive.”
Singolda added that Bhatia’s experience in building global advertising businesses and executing at scale will complement Taboola’s growth. “We’ve built a strong foundation for long-term success, surpassing $2 billion in revenue under Eldad Maniv, our president and COO. With that momentum, I’m thrilled to welcome Krishan to the team to take our go-to-market execution to the next level.”
“Taboola has a bold vision, combining global scale and innovative technology to empower advertisers and publishers,” said Bhatia. “The launch of Realize has strengthened Taboola’s position as a leader outside search and social. With DeeperDive, generative AI, and a clear focus on partner success, there is a huge runway ahead. I’m excited to join the team at such a transformative time.”
With Krishan Bhatia on board, Taboola is all set to turn up the heat in performance advertising, blending global scale, AI innovation, and next-level partnerships to shape the future of the open web.
