MAM
Essence appoints Monica Bhatia as MD for Singapore
NEW DELHI- Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency that is part of GroupM, has appointed Monica Bhatia as the company’s managing director for Singapore. Bhatia will be responsible for driving continued client-centric innovation in data, analytics, and technology, as well as business growth and company culture for Essence in Singapore. As part of Essence’s APAC leadership team, Bhatia will report to APAC CEO T. Gangadhar (Gangs).
Alongside her new position, Bhatia will continue in her current role as Essence’s senior vice president client partner, APAC, leading the agency’s Google business across the region and reporting to Dave Marsey, Essence’s president, global client partner. Prior to joining Essence in 2017, she headed the digital practice for GroupM’s Maxus in APAC, building its product proposition across 14 markets. With over 17 years of experience in the industry, Bhatia has worked on the brand side at L’Oréal and Godrej Group in India, and Dabur in Nepal. She has also held client services and strategic planning roles at creative and media agencies in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and India.
“Monica’s impressive experience in marketing, advertising, and media, and her deep understanding of Essence’s business, clients and culture, make her the best person to lead our Singapore office. A believer in true partnerships as well as diversity and inclusion in the workplace, she constantly strives to nurture strong collaborative relationships with both clients and employees. I am really excited about our next stage of growth with Monica’s steady strategic leadership and direction, as she continues to champion our clients, work, and people in Singapore,” said Gangs.
“It is a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the highly talented, entrepreneurial, and dedicated team at Essence in Singapore. Having worked closely with the team over the past three years, I am truly proud of the industry-leading capabilities we have built-in data, analytics, and technology. Brands today are increasingly looking to achieve transformational data-driven growth, and I am looking forward to leveraging our unified approach to media and creativity to deliver breakthrough work for our local, regional, and global clients in Singapore,” said Bhatia.
Since Essence’s entry into APAC with its first office in Singapore in 2013, the agency has rapidly expanded to seven countries and 11 offices across the region. Essence’s portfolio of clients in Singapore includes the Financial Times, Google, NBCUniversal, and Scoot.
Brands
UltraTech Cement appoints Jayant Dua as managing director
Dua will succeed K. C. Jhanwar after his term ends in December 2026
MUMBAI: UltraTech Cement, the flagship cement arm of the Aditya Birla Group, has elevated Jayant Dua as managing director, effective 1 April, 2026.
The company’s board also approved his appointment as additional director, managing director and key managerial personnel, effective 1 January, 2027, following the completion of the current managing director K C Jhanwar’s term on 31 December, 2026, according to a regulatory filing.
Dua will serve as managing director for a four-year term from 1 January, 2027 to 31 December, 2030.
A veteran executive with more than 37 years of professional experience, Dua joined the Aditya Birla Group’s cement business in 1996 and spent nearly a decade in various functional and leadership roles.
Over the past two decades, he has held several profit-and-loss and chief executive responsibilities across multiple group businesses, including insulators, insurance, Century Cement and the chlor-alkali segment. In 2023, he was elevated to lead the group’s renewables and textiles businesses.
Within the group, Dua has received several internal honours, including the chairman’s individual award for exceptional contribution in 2002, the outstanding leader award in 2009 and the leader of leaders recognition in 2022.
He holds an engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, an MBA from International Management Institute and has completed the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School.
