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Havas Media Network India appoints Ramsai Panchapakesan as managing partner- investments
Mumbai: In a strategic move to bolster its investment strategies, Havas Media Network India has appointed Ramsai Panchapakesan as managing partner- investments for Havas Media India. Reporting to Havas Media India president – investments and Havas Play MD R Venkatsubramanian, Panchapakesan brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role.
Based out of Gurugram, he will oversee integrated buying in the North and East markets, along with assuming additional responsibilities for trading.
With an illustrious career spanning over two decades, Panchapakesan is well-positioned to drive partnership strategies, leveraging his robust industry experience and relationships with media partners. His deep understanding of emerging trends, consumer behavior, and market dynamics positions him at the forefront of creating innovative investment approaches.
Previously serving as the senior vice president & national head – media buying at Zenith Media, Panchapakesan played a pivotal role in driving the integrated media business operations. His exceptional leadership skills ensured the seamless execution of annual plans and optimized cost efficiencies. Panchapakesan also held the position of agency trading head at GroupM m/SIX previously, further solidifying his industry expertise.
Commenting on Panchapakesan’s appointment, Havas Media Network India CEO Mohit Joshi said, “The current momentum at the media network in India is remarkable, with new client wins, large acquisitions, and widespread expansion. As we strengthen our teams across verticals to deliver best business solutions, Ramsai’s appointment reinforces our vision and commitment to our clients. His extensive industry experience equips him with a valuable wealth of knowledge and expertise. With him on board, we further scale up and strengthen our media investments and optimize trading and partnership initiatives to create meaningful media solutions.”
Venkatsubramanian further added, “These are exciting times to be driving investment and partnership strategies in the media industry, and I am thrilled to have Ramsai join the team. His expertise and deep understanding of industry nuances will unveil remarkable opportunities for us to showcase the agency’s prowess and forge strategic partnerships that drive unparalleled success for Havas Media India. I am confident that, together with our talented team, we will achieve remarkable results and deliver exceptional value to our esteemed clients.”
Talking about his new role, Panchapakesan said “This is an exciting opportunity to work alongside the prolific Havas Media India team and create meaningful impact for its clients. I am looking forward to driving transformative investment and trading strategies and forging strong partnerships to push the boundaries of media innovation.”
As Havas Media Network India consolidates its position in diverse sectors, including automobile, FMCG, eCommerce, finance, edtech, and consumer electricals, it has proudly added several marquee brands such as PUMA, V-Guard, inDrive, Paradise Biryani, Capri Loans among others, to its esteemed clientele this year so far.
Moreover, recent global announcements have reinforced the network’s rapid growth trajectory. Notably, the latest acquisition of PivotRoots – a Mumbai based digital marketing firm, introduction of a new brand identity and the successful global launch of Havas Play, including India, earlier this year, have further validated the group’s commitment to achieving accelerated expansion. The overarching vision is to continually develop meaningful offerings that resonate across all markets.
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
