MAM
JWT to acquire stake in Pakistan-based digital agency
MUMBAI: JWT has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Pakistan-based digital agency, Converge Technologies, as part of its strategy to add depth and breadth to its Asian digital offerings.
The global agency has not announced how much stake it will hold and at what price. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals.
Founded in 2007, Converge Technologies is based in Karachi and handles clients like Unilever, PTCL, Mobilink, HP, Bank Alfalah, Nokia and Pakistan State Oil.
JWT Pakistan CEO Mansoor Karim Shaikh said, “This partnership will put both Converge and JWT Pakistan in a position to leverage each other’s strengths and scale up our integrated offering for our clients.”
Converge offers services including digital media strategy, social media planning and management, platform, content, technology enablement, game and app development, mobility campaign planning and execution.
JWT Asia Pacific has moved aggressively into the digital space over the last year, expanding both organically and through acquisitions.
JWT signed an agreement in 2011 to acquire A4A, a digital and social media marketing company in China. On 12 March XM Asia, a JWT company, acquired Indonesia-based digital agency Magnivate.
“As one of the ‘Next 11‘ growth economies, Pakistan is a very strategic market for JWT. This deal adds yet more momentum to our regional digital growth strategy. We will continue to add depth and breadth to our Asian digital offerings over the coming month,” JWT Asia Pacific President Michael Maedel said.
Brands
OpenAI hires Nitin Bawankule as head of enterprise sales, India
Former AWS, Google and Disney+ Hotstar leader to drive AI adoption at scale
MUMBAI: OpenAI has appointed Nitin Bawankule as head of enterprise sales for India, strengthening its leadership bench as it deepens its push into one of the world’s fastest-growing AI markets.
Bawankule, who will join in mid-May, brings more than two decades of experience across cloud, media, and digital ecosystems. Most recently, he served at Amazon Web Services, where he led multiple high-growth verticals and helped accelerate enterprise adoption of cloud and AI solutions in India.
Announcing the move, OpenAI head of enterprise sales, India Nitin Bawankule said he is looking forward to helping organisations transition from “isolated AI pilots to company-wide transformation” and embedding AI into everyday workflows to unlock productivity and better decision-making.
Before AWS, Bawankule held senior leadership roles at The Walt Disney Company, where he led ad sales for Disney+ Hotstar and television networks, driving revenue growth across major sporting and entertainment properties. He also spent over eight years at Google, including a stint as country director for Google Cloud in India.
His appointment comes at a time when Indian enterprises are rapidly scaling AI adoption, moving beyond experimentation to integrating AI into core business functions. OpenAI’s decision to bring in a seasoned enterprise leader signals its intent to capture this opportunity and build deeper partnerships across industries.
With a strong track record in navigating major technology shifts, Bawankule is expected to play a key role in translating AI’s promise into practical, business-ready solutions for Indian companies.
As the race to operationalise AI gathers pace, OpenAI’s latest hire suggests it is gearing up not just to participate, but to lead from the front in India’s enterprise AI story.
