AD Agencies
Deepa Jatkar to head WPP’s OpenDoor – the special servicing unit for Amazon
MUMBAI: When you win a premium media planning and buying account such as Amazon, you put your best foot behind it don’t you?
That’s what ad agency WPP’s has done by setting up OpenDoor, WPP’s dedicated global client practice for Amazon, providing custom-built teams around a client’s specific needs and challenges and easy access to the right capabilities.
WPP has chosen WaveMaker’s chief growth officer Deepa Jatkar to head OpenDoor in India.
A hardcore media and tech person, Deepa has had well-rounded 20 years of agency experience. She began her career working at McCann (May 2000-May 2002, media planner); Mindshare (June 2002 to Sep 20024, media planning manager); Omnicom group (Dec 2004 to Nov 2006, media planning manager -Associate director); MediaCom (Apr 2008 -June 2016 -Biz grp head, biz dir, sr biz dir, gen manager); Meta (Jul2016-Aug 2022, manager global biz group -agency vertical) and Wavemaker (Apr 2023-Jan 2025, chief growth officer. She’s got great academic credentials as well – a BA in psychology, a PGDM, and a masters in communication studies.
Deepa will be putting a crack team in place to service Amazon. No surprises there, Amazon’s guesstimated to bill around $20 billion globally; WPP is handling APAC and EMEA; Omnicom, the Americas.
“Here’s to building winning teams and driving meaningful impact.,” said Deepa on linkedin. “With over 20 years of experience leading business strategy, my career has been driven by a focus on delivering meaningful, scalable, and sustainable impact through winning media strategies. Looking forward to continue the streak at OpenDoor.”
AD Agencies
Omnicom to divest $2.5 billion businesses in 12 months: CEO John Wren
Group doubles synergy target to $1.5bn as jobs, brands and markets go
NEW YORK: Omnicom Group is preparing to divest or exit businesses generating about $2.5 billion in annual revenue, stepping up a sweeping portfolio overhaul after its $13.25 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group.
Speaking on the group’s fourth-quarter earnings call, chairman and chief executive officer John Wren said Omnicom had already sold or exited units worth more than $800 million in annual revenue and expects to complete the remaining disposals within 12 months.
The company is also scaling back in smaller markets, shifting from majority to minority ownership in businesses accounting for roughly $700 million in revenue. These markets, Wren said, are no longer central to Omnicom’s long-term strategy.
Following the IPG merger, Omnicom has doubled its targeted annual run-rate synergies to $1.5 billion over the next 30 months, from an earlier estimate of $750 million. Management expects to capture $900 million of those savings in 2026 alone, with around $1 billion coming from labour cost reductions as overlapping corporate, network and operational roles are eliminated.
Further efficiencies will flow from simplified regional and brand structures, consolidated resources, and faster outsourcing and offshoring under a unified operating model. In December 2025, the group said it would cut more than 4,000 jobs and fold several agency brands into larger networks.
Wren also underlined stepped-up investment in automation and artificial intelligence to lift margins and sharpen client servicing amid intensifying competition.
The board has authorised a $5 billion share buyback, including a $2.5 billion accelerated repurchase programme, while committing continued investment in media, commerce, consulting and data capabilities.
Omnicom reported a 27.9 per cent rise in fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue to $5.53 billion, reflecting organic growth and one month’s contribution from IPG, compared with $4.32 billion a year earlier. Wren said the IPG combination strengthened the client roster, citing new or expanded mandates from American Express, Bayer, BBVA, BNY, Mercedes-Benz and NatWest Group.
