MAM
Madison Media reshuffles leadership to accelerate Madison 3.0 growth plans
Agency taps new leaders across South, content and sports to drive future-ready scale
MUMBAI: Madison Media has unveiled a fresh round of leadership appointments as it sharpens its “Madison 3.0” strategy, betting on stronger regional operations, creator-led marketing and sports partnerships to fuel its next phase of growth.
The restructuring sees the agency bring in senior talent across key verticals while expanding the responsibilities of existing leaders in a move aimed at building what it calls a more future-ready organisation.
As part of the rejig, Mayank Bhatnagar has joined the company as chief client officer. He will lead the agency’s South operations and focus on strengthening client growth in the region.
Bhatnagar returns to Madison Media with more than 25 years of experience across India, Malaysia and Singapore. Over the years, he has worked with global agency networks including OMD, Carat and Mindshare, handling brands such as Apple, McDonald’s, Nestlé and P&G.
The agency has also appointed Karan Rao as vice president, content and influencer marketing. Based in Mumbai, Rao will head Madison Loop and steer the next phase of the unit’s expansion. He will report to Madison Media chief digital officer, Vivek Das.
Before joining Madison, Rao co-founded LeapX, an AI-led marketing and content platform. He also previously led StudioX for The Coca-Cola Company across India and South-West Asia, alongside earlier stints within the WPP network.
Meanwhile, Dinesh Rathod, who earlier oversaw Madison Media’s South business, will now concentrate on scaling the agency’s sports vertical. His mandate includes cricket, emerging sports, live events and brand partnerships, an area increasingly becoming a high-stakes playground for marketers chasing fan loyalty and cultural relevance.
Commenting on the appointments, Madison Media partner and group CEO, Ajit Varghese, said the restructuring reflects changing client expectations across platforms, creators and commerce.
He added that the agency is combining established experience with newer digital-first thinking to create integrated solutions at scale.
Speaking on his appointment, Mayank Bhatnagar said the focus would be on building deeper client relationships, stronger teams and measurable business outcomes as the South market continues to evolve rapidly.
Meanwhile, Karan Rao said the creator economy has fundamentally changed how brands connect with audiences and that Madison Loop’s next chapter would focus on culturally relevant storytelling and meaningful engagement.
On leading the sports vertical, Madison Media Omega CEO, Dinesh Rathod, said sports now offers brands one of the strongest opportunities for passion-driven consumer engagement across both mainstream and emerging formats.
Part of Madison World, Madison Media handles media planning and buying for major brands including Asian Paints, Titan, TVS and Pidilite. With the latest reshuffle, the agency is signalling that its next growth sprint will be built as much around creators, culture and communities as traditional media buying.
