MAM
E&M CEOs optimistic about global economy: PwC study
MUMBAI: Continuing its trend of surveying top CEOs across the globe, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) surveyed 1344 business leaders across 68 countries out of which 72 were media and entertainment CEOs in 33 countries to find out what exactly is their business sentiment for the coming years. In depth interviews were conducted with Interpublic Group’s Michael Roth, II Sole 24 Ore SpA’s Donatella Treu and SKYCITY’s Nigel Morrison. Some of the salient points of the study on entertainment and media (E&M) CEOs are:
• CEOs are confident of the company as well as global economy. 93 per cent (compared to 80 per cent in 2013) are somewhat or very confident in their company prospects for revenue growth in the next three years. They are also more optimistic about the global economy despite some concerns. 39 per cent of E&M CEOs believe that the global economy will improve in the next 12 months, compared to 20 per cent last year.
• CEOs have to be hybrid- run today’s business and create tomorrow’s business.
• Product and service innovation will provide the greatest opportunity for revenue growth and is likely to play a pivotal role in addressing their greatest concerns. Over half of E&M CEOs surveyed (56 per cent) see product/service innovation as the main opportunity to grow their business in the next 12 months, more than any other industry surveyed
• 71 per cent of E&M CEOs are somewhat or extremely concerned about shifts in consumer spending and behaviours, more than any other industry surveyed (and compared to a global total response of 52 per cent)
• 65 per cent of E&M CEOs are somewhat or extremely concerned about the speed of technological change (compared to a total global response of 47 per cent)
• 26 per cent E&M CEOs, more than any other industry surveyed, are extremely concerned about new market entrants.
• 11 per cent of E&M CEOs believe that strategic alliances and joint ventures will be the main opportunity to grow their business in the next 12 months
• 94 per cent of E&M CEOs rank technological advances as one of the top three global trends that will have the most transformative effect on their businesses over the next five years. This is more than any other industry.
• 68 per cent of E&M CEOs rank demographic shifts as one of the top three global trends that will have the most transformative effect on their business over the next five years
• 43 per cent percent of CEOs believe that as a result of regulation they haven’t been able to innovate effectively
• Pwc says in 2014 it forecasts that consumer spend on mobile Internet will overtake that from fixed broadband.
AD Agencies
WPP Media elevates Dipti Gulati to vp, client growth for APMEA
Singapore-based executive to commercialise AI-powered solutions business across the region
SINGAPORE: WPP Media has promoted Dipti Gulati to vice president, client growth, handing her the mandate to lead the commercialisation of its solutions business across APMEA.
Based in Singapore, Gulati steps up after serving as senior director, client growth, where she drove expansion across APAC spanning programmatic, search, social, CTV, DOOH and cross-channel offerings. Now, she is tasked with translating advanced AI, data and technology ecosystems into scalable growth strategies for global brands across FMCG, luxury, F&B and financial services.
“I commercialise the future of media — at scale, across APMEA,” Gulati said, announcing her appointment. She added that she turns advanced data, AI and technology ecosystems into real commercial outcomes, shifting the conversation “from a pure media play to owning business outcomes”.
Her brief is unapologetically future-facing: addressable, accountable and AI-powered media. She will work with cross-market teams across APMEA, bringing together diverse perspectives and cultures to accelerate growth and build what she calls the “future of media”.
Gulati’s rise caps nearly two years at WPP Media and follows a six-month stint as regional director of growth, APAC, at Mindshare, where she led new business development and expanded capabilities for existing clients. Earlier, as global account director for integrated marketing communications on the Unilever business, she drove communications strategy for multi-million dollar beauty and wellbeing brands across Southeast Asia.
Before that, Gulati spent close to two years as associate director at Warner Bros. Discovery in Singapore. She also served as director, strategic partnerships and market development at TrustSphere, leading go-to-market and growth initiatives across Asia and evangelising relationship analytics to C-level executives. TrustSphere, credited by industry and Harvard Business School case studies as a pioneer in relationship analytics, became a springboard for her deeper engagement with data-driven growth.
Her board and evangelist roles at the Asia Cloud Computing Association and its Asia Analytics Alliance further sharpened her regional policy and analytics credentials. Earlier chapters include marketing consultancy at Blockchain Foundry and a seven-year run at Warner Bros. Discovery in India, where she led ad-sales and business development for HBO and WB across north and east India, delivering record billings. She began her career at Diligent Media Corporation Ltd and Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd..
From ad-sales floors in Delhi and Mumbai to boardrooms in Singapore, Gulati’s arc mirrors the industry’s own shift — from selling spots and slots to engineering outcomes through data and AI. At WPP Media, the brief is clear: scale smarter, move faster and turn algorithms into advantage.
