MAM
GroupM India appoints Karthik Shankar as head of digital trading
Mumbai: GroupM India, WPP’s media investment group, has announced the appointment of Karthik Shankar as head of digital trading. He will be responsible for digital trading and partnerships for the company and will report to GroupM India’s investments & pricing president Sidharth Parashar, the company said.
Karthik comes with vast experience in building businesses using digital advertising technologies. He has worked with video technology start-ups and set up business units for programmatic & connected TV platforms.
Sidharth Parashar said, “Karthik has a proven track record of managing tech & media partnerships, digital trading, e-commerce, and leading brand safety initiatives. We believe that Karthik would play a pivotal role, as we partner with our esteemed clients in their digital transformation journey,”
On his new role, Karthik Shankar said, “These are exciting times for digital advertising which is witnessing hyper-growth in all spectrums including video, commerce, and data. Clients and partners seek guidance and support in navigating this complex ecosystem. This role has the right mix of understanding, access, and ability to collaborate with the ecosystem to streamline media investments. I am excited to join and be part of the GroupM family.”
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
