MAM
Dentsu appoints Sumit Kohli head of investment – APAC
Former Publicis Media executive to drive client-first, data-led media investment strategies across the region
SINGAPORE: Dentsu has bolstered its Asia-Pacific leadership bench, appointing Sumit Kohli as head of investment – APAC, as the network sharpens its focus on disciplined, outcome-driven media spending in a volatile advertising market.
Kohli, a media veteran with nearly two decades of experience, steps into the role after an 11-year stint at Publicis Media, where he most recently served as APAC executive director, investment, accountability and partnerships. His mandate at dentsu is clear: align investment decisions more tightly with client priorities while delivering measurable, high-impact results.
Based in Singapore, Kohli will steer regional investment strategy across both digital and offline channels, with a strong emphasis on accountability, transparency and performance metrics. His appointment comes as agencies face mounting pressure from clients to justify every rupee spent amid shifting consumption patterns and the rapid rise of data-led media buying.
At Publicis Media, Kohli led initiatives around measurement frameworks and ROI-driven planning, working across key markets including Singapore and Thailand. He also handled marquee clients such as Coca-Cola, Samsung, Mars-Wrigley and LVMH, building long-term partnerships and driving efficiencies in media investment.
Earlier stints at MediaCom Singapore, VivaKi and MEC saw him cut his teeth across planning, trading and negotiation, managing 360-degree media mandates and scaling digital spends for key accounts. He began his career as a media planner at Percept, steadily moving up the ranks as the industry pivoted towards integrated, cross-platform strategies.
Kohli’s move underscores dentsu’s push to double down on strategic investment leadership as advertisers demand sharper returns and greater accountability. With media fragmentation accelerating and digital commanding an ever-larger share of budgets, the battle is no longer just about reach—it is about precision, performance and proof.
In that race, dentsu is placing its bets on Kohli to turn every media rupee into a measurable advantage.
Digital
AI set to transform media and entertainment industry
From creation to monetisation, AI is rewriting how stories are made and found
MUMBAI: Artificial intelligence is no longer a backstage tool in media and entertainment. It is fast becoming the main act. Delivering the keynote at the FICCI-EY M&E Industry Report launch, Meta managing director and country head Arun Srinivas, laid out how AI is transforming the entire value chain, from content creation to discovery and monetisation.
At the heart of this shift is access. AI is breaking long-standing barriers of language and reach, allowing content to travel further than ever before. Films, short-form videos and creator-led stories are now being dubbed, subtitled and even lip-synced across multiple languages with ease. The result is a more fluid, borderless entertainment ecosystem where stories find audiences far beyond their original markets.
Discovery, Srinivas noted, is undergoing an equally dramatic shift. On platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, a significant share of content consumption now comes from recommendations rather than followers. AI-driven systems are increasingly acting as matchmakers, connecting viewers with content tailored to their interests. In simple terms, content no longer waits to be found, it finds you.
For advertisers and platforms, this intelligence is translating into sharper targeting and improved efficiency. AI tools can identify the right audiences, optimise campaigns and even assist in crafting narratives for advertisements. What was once manual and intuitive is now data-driven and predictive.
India, Srinivas argued, sits at the centre of this transformation. With millions of creators producing content in dozens of languages, the country is both a testing ground and a growth engine for AI-led innovation. A large and rapidly digitising population, widespread smartphone adoption and expanding 5G access are further accelerating this shift towards a digital-first media economy.
Creators are already tapping into AI tools for editing, translation, dubbing and audience insights, enabling them to refine content in real time. Studios, meanwhile, are using predictive models to gauge consumer sentiment and optimise release strategies. Advertisers are deploying AI across campaigns, while developers continue to build new layers of tools and services on top of these platforms.
Srinivas also pointed to emerging interfaces that could redefine how content is consumed. From AI-powered assistants embedded in everyday apps to wearable devices offering immersive, on-the-go entertainment and real-time translation, the next wave of innovation is set to be more interactive and deeply personalised.
The broader message was clear. AI is not just enhancing the media business, it is restructuring it. As creators evolve into full-fledged studios and content becomes inherently multilingual, the lines between production, distribution and consumption are blurring.
With its scale, diversity and digital momentum, India is uniquely positioned to lead this shift. If storytelling has always been the country’s strength, Srinivas suggested, AI could well be the force that amplifies it to a global stage.
