MAM
Naomi Michael joins Publicis Groupe as chief communications officer Apac
Former IPG Mediabrands communications leader to shape the agency’s voice across Asia Pacific
SINGAPORE: Naomi Michael is set to join Publicis Groupe as chief communications officer for Asia Pacific, marking a new chapter for the veteran marketing and communications leader after nearly a decade with IPG Mediabrands.
Michael shared the news on social media, saying the upcoming Lunar New Year symbolises a fresh beginning in her career. She will step into the new role next week and work closely with Apac leadership, including regional CEO Jane Lin-Baden, as the group celebrates its centenary year.
“This Lunar New Year marks the start of a new chapter for me,” Michael said. “Really happy to share that I’ll be stepping into the role of chief communications officer Apac at Publicis Groupe next week. Looking forward to working with Jane Lin-Baden and the Publicis Groupe Apac leadership team in the Lion’s 100th year.”
Michael brings more than two decades of global experience across media, marketing and corporate communications. Most recently, she served as chief marketing and communications officer for IPG Mediabrands Apac, a role she held for nearly nine years. During her tenure, she led integrated communications strategies across the region, strengthening the network’s brand presence and stakeholder engagement.
Before rising to the regional C-suite role, she served as head of marketing and communications for IPG Mediabrands Apac, where she helped develop integrated communication plans designed to elevate the group’s visibility across the Asia-Pacific market.
Earlier in her career, Michael held senior marketing and communications roles within Omnicom Media Group and OMD Australia, where she oversaw national communications strategy, new business initiatives and corporate brand positioning. Her career also includes early roles with organisations such as the Financial Times, K-Cloud and The Walt Disney Company in London.
Beyond her corporate responsibilities, Michael is also active in social impact initiatives. She currently serves as a board member for the Myanmar chapter of Pencils for Kids, a non-profit organisation that supports access to education for children in developing countries by providing school supplies and uniforms.
With her move to Publicis Groupe, Michael is expected to steer the agency’s communications strategy across the diverse and fast-evolving Asia-Pacific market, helping shape its narrative at a time when the global advertising giant enters its 100th year.
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.
