MAM
Who is Shekhar Banerjee, WPP Media’s new president for client solutions?
MUMBAI: Recently elevated to president, client solutions, South Asia at WPP Media, Banerjee steps into the role with more than two decades of experience across media strategy, digital transformation and large-scale agency leadership. His appointment follows the departure of Ajay Gupte and signals WPP Media’s intent to double down on effectiveness, integration and client-centric growth.
At the time of his promotion, Banerjee was serving as chief client officer and office head for west, north and east India at Wavemaker, where he has spent the last seven years building one of the most decorated media operations in the world.
A career built on effectiveness
Banerjee joined Wavemaker in 2018 and quickly became central to its rise as a global benchmark for media effectiveness. Under his leadership, Wavemaker India became the only media agency worldwide to win a Cannes Titanium Lion in 2022 and topped WARC’s global effectiveness rankings in 2023 and 2025, while placing second in 2024.
Domestically, the agency has been repeatedly named agency of the year at the EMVIES and MMG awards, reflecting a consistent ability to translate creativity into measurable business outcomes.
His client portfolio has spanned some of the country’s most competitive categories, working closely with brands such as Mondelez, L’Oréal, Colgate, Reckitt, Netflix, Vodafone Idea, Dream11, Red Bull, FirstCry and others. Known for his hands-on approach, Banerjee has been deeply involved in client development, often partnering leadership teams through moments of market disruption and transformation.
From Madison to Wavemaker
Before Wavemaker, Banerjee spent over 13 years at Madison Media, rising to the role of chief operating officer. There, he led multiple agency units and spearheaded business transformation projects that reshaped Madison’s operating model.
He was instrumental in building a hybrid creative-media offering at a time when digital integration was still nascent in India, developing cross-media toolkits and helping scale revenue across traditional and digital platforms. During this period, Madison Media consistently ranked among India’s top agencies, with marquee clients including Marico, Asian Paints, Godrej, Mondelez and McDonald’s.
A digital-first mindset, early on
Banerjee’s reputation as a digital-native leader was forged early. He was among the first to set up an integrated digital unit within a media agency, delivering end-to-end solutions spanning creative strategy, development and media deployment.
Even earlier, at UTV, he worked in strategic planning for new businesses and played a role in the launch of Hungama TV, India’s first indigenous kids’ entertainment channel—a formative experience that placed him at the intersection of content, commerce and audiences.
A leadership style rooted in scale and systems
Across roles, Banerjee has been known less for grandstanding and more for building systems that last—scalable structures, empowered teams and frameworks that allow creativity to deliver business impact. Over the years, work delivered under his leadership has been associated with more than 1,000 Indian and global awards, making him one of the most awarded media professionals in the country.
In his new role at WPP Media, Banerjee will oversee client solutions across South Asia, with a mandate to strengthen partnerships, integrate capabilities across platforms, and prepare clients for an increasingly fragmented and data-driven media environment.
The bigger picture
Banerjee’s elevation reflects a broader shift within the media industry—away from siloed thinking and towards integrated, outcome-led solutions. As platforms multiply and consumer attention fragments, his career offers a blueprint for navigating complexity without losing focus on what matters most.
In an industry often driven by noise, Shekhar Banerjee’s rise has been built on something far more durable: effectiveness, consistency and trust.
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.
