MAM
Havas India elevates Jaibeer Ahmad as chief transformation & growth officer
Mumbai: Havas India, part of Paris-headquartered advertising network Havas, has elevated Jaibeer Ahmad, formerly managing partner – North at Havas Worldwide India to the role of chief transformation & growth officer. In this newly created role in India, Jaibeer will set transformative strategies, driving business growth through integration and collaboration across all 18 Havas India agencies.
Based in Gurgaon, Jaibeer brings a wealth of experience and an impeccable track record, and will report to Havas India, Group CEO, South East Asia & North Asia (Japan & South Korea) Rana Barua.
Havas’ unique village model and unmatched integration offerings has been an industry differentiator around the globe and has seen sweeping success in markets including Paris, London, North America, Spain, Portugal, and the UAE. The network is deeply invested in building the same expertise in India which will be led by Jaibeer.
Jaibeer, a well-respected and seasoned industry professional, joined Havas Worldwide India in December 2022, leaving an indelible mark as Managing Partner – North. Under his leadership, the agency secured key accounts and welcomed renowned clients, reinforcing Havas India’s position in the market. Known for his business growth acumen, Jaibeer has been a driving force behind Havas Worldwide India’s new business growth in the North India market. He managed some of the biggest accounts of the agency including Reckitt, Suzuki 2 Wheelers, Dabur and IFB, and won some marquee clients including Mamaearth, IFB, Badshah, Blinkit, IQOO, amongst others, contributing significantly to brand strategy, creative development, and overall revenue expansion.
Havas India, Group CEO, South East Asia & North Asia (Japan & South Korea) Rana Barua said, “The last 5 years have been a period of exponential growth for Havas India, having grown steadily from 3 to 18 agencies, both organically and inorganically delivering nine differentiated services to our clients. While this momentum will continue, and we will be adding a few more expertise, it is now critical that we consolidate and leverage the strength of our offering to enlarge the services and accelerate business growth. Jaibeer has the nuanced understanding of the One Havas ethos, the strategic knowhow to turn opportunities into tangible outcomes, and strong, people-focused leadership, and I am confident that he will make Havas India one of the top growth markets within the Havas ecosystem through integration.”
Commenting on his elevation, Jaibeer Ahmad said, “At Havas India, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to collaborate across an array of functions, including, Media, CX, Experiential, PR, UI/UX, E-commerce, Programmatic, Brand Design, Health, and many more. The beauty and the strength of this model is that all these expertise are under one roof. This experience crystallized the vital need for an integrated ecosystem like our Havas Village, navigating today’s complex marketing landscape. In this new role, my mission is clear: foster convergence and collaboration among our 18 agencies and the growing ecosystem, and craft customised, integrated solutions for our clients.”
With over 23 years of experience in advertising and marketing brand-building, Jaibeer has held leadership positions for the past 12 years, during which time, he has significantly contributed to brand strategy, creative development, new business acquisition, overall revenue growth, and team mentoring. Jaibeer has extensive experience spearheading integrated marketing campaigns for prominent international, start-up, and domestic brands. His primary strength lies in driving business growth which also reflected in the growth of Havas Worldwide India in the north market.
Digital
Content India 2026 opens with a copro pitch, a spice evangelist and a £10,000 prize for Indian storytelling
Dish TV and C21Media’s three-day summit puts seven ambitious projects before an international jury, and two walk away with serious development money
MUMBAI: India’s content industry gathered in Mumbai this March for Content India 2026, a three-day summit organised by Dish TV in partnership with C21Media, and it wasted no time making a statement. The event opened with a Copro Pitch that put seven scripted and unscripted television concepts before an international panel of judges, and by the end of it, two projects had walked away with £10,000 each in marketing prize money from C21Media to support development and international promotion.
The jury, comprising Frank Spotnitz, Fiona Campbell, Rashmi Bajpai, Bal Samra and Rachel Glaister, evaluated a shortlist that ranged from a dark Mumbai comedy-drama about mental health (Dirty Minds, created by Sundar Aaron) to a Delhi coming-of-age mystery (Djinn Patrol, by Neha Sharma and Kilian Irwin), a techno-thriller about a teenage gaming prodigy (Kanpur X Satori, by Suchita Bhatia), an investigative crime drama blending mythology and modern thriller (The Age of Kali, by Shivani Bhatija), a documentary on India’s spice heritage (The Masala Quest, hosted by Sarina Kamini), a documentary on competitive gaming (Respawn: India’s Esports Revolution, by George Mangala Thomas and Sangram Mawari), and a reality-horror competition merging gaming and immersive fear (Scary Goose, by Samar Iqbal).
The session was hosted by Mayank Shekhar.
The two winners were Djinn Patrol, backed by Miura Kite, formerly of Participant Media and known for Chinatown and Keep Sweet: Pray & Obey, with Jaya Entertainment, producers of Real Kashmir Football Club, also attached; and The Masala Quest, created and hosted by Sarina Kamini, an Indian-Australian cook, author and self-described “spice evangelist.”
The summit also unveiled the Content India Trends Report, whose findings made for bracing reading. Daoud Jackson, senior analyst at OMDIA, set the tone: “By 2030, online video in India will nearly double the revenue of traditional TV, becoming the main driver of growth.” He noted that in 2025, India produced a quarter of all YouTube videos globally, overtaking the United States, while Indians collectively spend 117 years daily on YouTube and 72 years on Instagram. Traditional subscription TV is declining as free TV and connected TV gain ground, forcing broadcasters to innovate. “AI-generated content is just 2 per cent of engagement,” Jackson added, “highlighting the dominance of high-quality human content. The key for Indian media companies is scaling while monetising effectively from day one.”
Hannah Walsh, principal analyst at Ampere Analysis, added hard numbers to the picture. India produced over 24,000 titles in January 2026 alone, with 19,000 available internationally. The country now accounts for 12 per cent of Asia-Pacific content spend, up from 8 per cent in 2021, outpacing both Japan and China. Key exporters include JioStar, Zee Entertainment, Sony India, Amazon and Netflix, delivering over 7,500 Indian-produced titles abroad each year. The top importing markets are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, the United States and the Philippines. Scripted content dominates globally at 88 per cent, with crime dramas and children’s and family titles performing particularly strongly.
Manoj Dobhal, chief executive and executive director of Dish TV India, framed the summit’s ambition squarely. “Stories don’t need translation. They need a platform, discovery, and reach, local or global,” he said. “India produces more movies than any country, our streaming platforms compete globally, and our tech and creators win international awards. Yet fragmentation slows growth. Producers, platforms, and tech move in different lanes. We need shared spaces, collaboration, and an ecosystem where ideas, technology, and people meet. That is why we built Content India.”
The data, the pitches and the prize money all pointed to the same conclusion: India is not waiting for the world to discover its stories. It is building the infrastructure to sell them.
