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Colvyn Harris is named JWT South Asia CEO
MUMBAI: JWT India CEO Colvyn Harris has been elevated to South Asia (India, Sri Lanka and Nepal) chief executive officer.
He will report to JWT Worldwide chairman and CEO Bob Jeffrey.
Harris will take on added responsibilities of JWT‘s India operations, including Contract Advertising, Hungama Digital Services, JWT Mindset and Encompass.
The agency has also promoted JWT director – North Asia Area and CEO- Greater China Tom Doctoroff to take the role of JWT Asia Pacific (APAC) CEO at the end of this year. In his new role, he will oversee Northeast and Southeast Asia, as well as Pakistan, Australia and New Zealand.
According to the statement, the leadership restructure reflects Asia‘s growing global importance, and underscore JWT‘s commitment to the region‘s diverse and vibrant markets.
Doctoroff and Harris will succeed Michael Maedel in the restructured region. Maedel will move into the role of non-executive chairman for Asia.
Jeffrey says, “Tom and Colvyn are both dynamic leaders with strong connections to the markets, the consumers and the clients. By leveraging the strengths and strategic insights of these two very talented people, JWT is uniquely positioned to maximise growth in this critical and dynamic region.”
These changes come at a time when JWT APAC continues to gather “greater” momentum. The company has also deepened the scope and scale of the services it offers in the market, from digital to shopper marketing, through organic growth and acquisitions.
Doctoroff says, “I am very excited to build on JWT‘s past accomplishments across Asia Pacific. We are in the midst of a revolution of consumer empowerment. I look forward to working with client partners in this fast-changing region to find new synergies between classic brand building and next-stage consumer engagement in the digital era.”
The restructuring also reflects a renewed focus on India by JWT Worldwide. JWT employs over 1,500 people in India, more than any other single market worldwide, and earns a significant amount of revenue from this critical, high-growth country, the company statement read.
“We will continue to build and acquire the most diversified platforms to deliver on the market ambitions of the clients we service, thereby further consolidating our leadership position. Brands are the center of our focus, and with our skills and capabilities we deliver marketing solutions across the most diverse of offerings to meet the challenges of the dynamic markets we operate in. This new development ensures that our clients continue to have greater access to the best of our services and talent, not only in the country, but across South Asia,” Harris added.
Maedel, who will remain in Singapore, will work with Doctoroff and Harris in an advisory role until he retires 2014.
Harris, who has 33 years at JWT, continues to lead the advertising agency as CEO South Asia. He has held various industry leadership roles, including president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India.
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Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in $81 billion deal
Shareholders back merger, combined entity could reshape streaming and studios.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… consolidation, Hollywood’s latest blockbuster might be happening off-screen. Shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery have voted in favour of selling the company to Paramount in a deal valued at $81 billion rising to nearly $111 billion including debt setting the stage for one of the biggest shake-ups in modern media. The proposed merger, still subject to regulatory approvals, would bring together a vast portfolio spanning HBO Max, CNN, and franchises such as Harry Potter under the same umbrella as Paramount’s own heavyweights, including Top Gun and CBS.
At the heart of the deal is streaming scale. Executives have indicated plans to combine HBO Max and Paramount+ into a single platform, potentially creating a stronger challenger to giants like Netflix and Amazon’s Prime Video. Current market data suggests HBO Max holds around 12 per cent of US on-demand subscriptions, compared to Paramount+’s 3 per cent, together still trailing Netflix’s 19 per cent and Disney’s combined 27 per cent via Disney+ and Hulu.
Paramount CEO David Ellison has signalled that while platforms may merge, HBO’s creative identity will remain intact, stating the brand should “stay HBO” even within a broader ecosystem.
Beyond streaming, the deal would redraw the map for film production. Combining two of Hollywood’s oldest studios Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., the new entity aims to scale output to over 30 films annually, while maintaining a 45-day theatrical window. Warner Bros. currently commands around 21 per cent of the US box office, compared to Paramount’s 6 per cent, underscoring the strategic weight of the acquisition.
But scale comes with scrutiny. Critics warn that fewer players could mean reduced consumer choice, rising subscription costs, and potential job cuts as the combined company looks to streamline overlapping operations while managing billions in debt.
The news business, too, faces a reset. CNN would join forces at least structurally with Paramount-owned CBS, raising questions about editorial independence and positioning. The merger has already drawn political attention in the United States, particularly given perceived ties between the Ellison family and Donald Trump, though the company maintains that newsroom autonomy will be preserved.
If approved, the deal would mark another milestone in Hollywood’s consolidation wave shrinking the industry’s traditional “big six” studios to a “big four”, with Paramount joining Disney, Universal, and Sony at the top table.
In an industry built on storytelling, this merger may well become its most consequential plot twist yet.
