MAM
BharatPe appoints Suhail Sameer as group president
NEW DELHI: BharatPe has further fortified its leadership team by appointing Suhail Sameer as group president. Suhail along with CEO & co-founder Ashneer Grover will have overall responsibility for building the organisation, merchant network, business, and revenue.
An IIM Lucknow and DCE alumnus, Sameer is the first Group President at BharatPe and will have all the CXOs report into him. Winner of Economic Times Most Promising Leader of Asia Award, Sameer has extensive experience of working with companies from the Consumer (FMCG, retail) and consumer technology sectors, and with Institutional investors. He has built businesses from scratch, as well as helped turn around and grow existing companies.
Featured as Business World 40 under 40 in the year 2019, Sameer at RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, launched and scaled the multi-brand FMCG business for the Group. He also set-up and led their consumer VC fund, RPSG Ventures. Additionally, he drove growth and portfolio decisions across many group companies. Sameer is also the managing partner at OTP Venture Partners, which invests in early-stage companies across consumer, consumer tech, and SaaS spaces.
In his early career, Suhail led McKinsey’s clean-tech practice for south Asia and the Power practice for India.
BharatPe co-founder & CEO Ashneer Grover said, “I am super excited to welcome Suhail Sameer in his new role as the Group President. Suhail is a top-class professional operator and has remarkable track record of delivering – whether it is building businesses ground up or managing conglomerates. The Founders and the Board are extremely excited to entrust Suhail with building the business and revenue on back of BharatPe’s brand and network, that has been created over the last 2 years. Look forward to him leading us to 10X growth from here on.”
BharatPe group president Suhail Sameer said, “There is hardly another startup better positioned to solve merchant’s capital and payment requirements in the country than BharatPe. I have been in touch with Ashneer and the team for over a year now, and I have immense conviction in the mission of the company. BharatPe has emerged even stronger from the current COVID scenario, doubling its market share, which is truly remarkable."
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Omnicom posts $6.2 bn Q1 revenue, EBITDA margin rises to 14.8 per cent
AI push and cost synergies lift margins in first full quarter post-merger
NEW YORK: Omnicom has reported a robust first quarter following its acquisition of Interpublic Group, signalling early gains from integration, cost efficiencies and a sharper focus on AI-led services.
The results mark the first full quarter with Interpublic’s operations included, offering a clearer view of how the combined entity is shaping up. Revenue from core operations stood at $5.6 billion, up $345 million year on year on a combined basis, while organic growth came in at 3.9 per cent. Adjusted EBITDA margin rose sharply by 240 basis points to 14.8 per cent, reflecting early synergy benefits.
“We’ve seen momentum and cohesive growth across the organisation,” said Omnicom chief executive officer John Wren. “Our results demonstrate the benefits of realigning our portfolio and moving decisively on integration.”
A key part of that realignment involves shedding underperforming assets. Omnicom has identified businesses worth roughly $3.2 billion in annual revenue for disposal, with about $1 billion already exited in the first quarter. The company expects to complete most of the remaining divestments over the coming quarters, sharpening its focus on higher-growth, higher-margin operations.
On the bottom line, adjusted earnings per share rose 11.8 per cent to $1.90, underlining the financial impact of cost discipline and integration. The company is targeting $900 million in cost synergies by 2026, rising to $1.5 billion by mid-2028.
“We are realising significant cost reduction synergies while continuing to invest for growth,” said Omnicom chief financial officer Philip Angelastro.
Beyond the numbers, the strategic pivot is becoming clearer. Omnicom has restructured its business around “core operations”, stripping out assets earmarked for sale to highlight the segments driving future growth. More than half of its revenue now comes from integrated media, which includes data, commerce, CRM and content automation, areas that are growing faster than traditional advertising.
Indeed, integrated media led growth in the quarter with high single-digit gains, while PR and experiential businesses delivered mid-single-digit growth. Healthcare posted modest gains, while traditional advertising lagged, reflecting a broader industry shift towards performance-driven and tech-enabled marketing.
Central to this transformation is Omni, the company’s AI-powered marketing and sales platform. Rolled out across the organisation during the quarter, the system connects data, talent and services while enabling AI-driven workflows.
The platform is already delivering tangible results, improving media performance, speeding up campaign execution and enhancing measurement capabilities. Integration with partners such as Adobe and Amazon is further expanding its reach.
“We’ve put the latest agentic AI tools in the hands of all our employees,” said Wren, highlighting the company’s push towards automation and data-led decision-making.
The shift is also reshaping client relationships. Omnicom reported new business wins with major brands including IBM, GSK and John Deere, while expanding engagements with existing clients such as Unilever and Exxon. Increasingly, clients are opting for consolidated partnerships, relying on a single provider for end-to-end marketing and sales services.
“There’s a clear trend of clients choosing one partner to manage most of their needs,” said John Wren. “Our integrated model makes that easier.”
Geographically, the US remains the largest market, contributing 61 per cent of revenue, followed by Europe and the UK at 21 per cent. Growth was strongest in the US, with other regions posting modest gains.
The balance sheet remains solid despite increased debt following the acquisition. Long-term debt stood at $10.2 billion at the end of the quarter, while liquidity was supported by $4.3 billion in cash and a $3.5 billion revolving credit facility. The company is also returning capital to shareholders, repurchasing $2.8 billion worth of shares in Q1 as part of a planned $5 billion buyback programme.
Looking ahead, Omnicom remains optimistic but cautious. While the company expects double-digit EPS growth for the year, it acknowledged ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, particularly in the Middle East, though the region accounts for less than 2.5 per cent of revenue.
The integration of Interpublic is still in its early stages, but the initial signs point to a business that is not just bigger, but structurally different. With AI at its core, a streamlined portfolio and a growing tilt towards integrated services, Omnicom is betting that scale, simplicity and smart technology will keep it ahead in an increasingly complex marketing landscape.
If the first quarter is anything to go by, that bet is already starting to pay off.
