MAM
Regional Roles for Ipsos India Senior Honchos
MUMBAI: Ipsos India has announced regional roles for two senior honchos. Vidya Sen, Executive Director, Innovation, Ipsos India, will now, in addition to her responsibilities as the Country Head for the Innovation Service Line, play an expanded role stretching across the entire Asia Pacific (APAC) Region for Ipsos Innovation. And Arun Agarwala, IT Director, Ipsos India will take up duties of some of the key markets in the APEC (Asia Pacific Excluding China) region, of Philippines, Indonesia & Vietnam.
Ipsos India is one of the largest and fastest growing markets in the region and is defining key benchmarks for specializations.
Vidya Sen’srole will now extend toregionally deploying training and ensuring compliance with the Innovation certification program. In addition, she will support the roll out and adoption of the New Innovation initiatives across the region. Vidya will also work closely with Alison Harvey, Senior Director, Global Service Line, Innovation, to ensure full global alignment with all initiatives.
“Ipsos is the world’s number one Product Testing Company. Ipsos Innovation has been engaging with clients in providing counsel and carrying out product tests for innumerable categories and brands across FMCG, Durables, Automotive, Healthcare, Personal Care, Telecom among others, helping clients innovate and reinvent in today’s changing world,” said Vidya Sen, Executive Director, Ipsos Innovation, Asia Pacific Region.
“In the pipeline are new improved tools for Ipsos Innovation,” Sen added.
Ipsos Innovation partners with clients in the end to end requirements on Innovation, ranging from opportunity identification, evaluation, optimization, and launchof their Innovation initiatives with proprietary products for idea screening, concept testing, product testing, full mix testing, pack testing, line optimization, pricing and sales forecasting.
On the other hand, Arun Agarwala, IT Director Ipsos India has taken up additional responsibilities for the key markets of Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, with the local IT teams for these markets reporting to him.
“Ipsos aims to strengthen IT service support and IT management in APEC. My remit is to help the countries further increase local IT performance and service quality, includingIT services (support and training, knowledge sharing, meet KPIs, resource planning). Support and execute Global IT infrastructure, IT services projects andensuring ITas an enabler and business partner,” said Agarwala.
Agarwala in his new role reports to Mu Na, IT Director for APEC and China. He joined Ipsos in 2006 in the UK for Ipsos MORI, then moved to Ipsos India in 2011 and was elevated to IT Director in 2014.
MAM
Kartik Vishwanathan returns to WPP Media as VP – investments
14-year Mindshare veteran takes special assignment role from February 2026.
MUMBAI: Kartik Vishwanathan has made a sharp return on investment rejoining WPP Media, the very organisation that shaped a big chunk of his professional journey. The seasoned media executive has been appointed vice president for investments (Special Assignment) at WPP Media, effective February 2026. He will contribute to both regional and global priorities in this strategic mandate.
With over 14 years and 7 months at Mindshare, Vishwanathan brings deep expertise across investment strategy, strategic initiatives, and integration. His most recent role was Head of Investment Strategy – Mindshare China (Dec 2019–Oct 2023) in Shanghai, following his stint as Head – Strategic Initiatives and Integration – Mindshare India (Jun 2018–Nov 2019). Earlier, he served as Principal Partner at The Exchange in Mumbai (Jan 2016–Jun 2018).
Before Mindshare, he held short-term roles as Process Manager – Pricing Analytics at eClerx and Project Manager at Fractal Analytics in Mumbai.
Vishwanathan holds an Executive Programme in Business Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (May 2007–Apr 2008) and a Post Graduate Certification in Advertising and Public Relations from MICA (2011–2012).
His return to WPP comes at a time when the media investment landscape is evolving rapidly, with brands demanding sharper, more integrated strategies across platforms. For someone who cut his teeth at the agency group years ago, this homecoming feels less like a new chapter and more like picking up a well-worn, high-return playbook.
