Omnicom announces leadership for India as legacy giants fold into global networks

MUMBAI: Omnicom has thrown the dice on India, installing Prasoon Joshi as chairman and Aditya Kanthy as president and managing director of Omnicom Advertising in the country. The pair will steer operations from 1 January 2026, reporting to Sean Donovan, president of Omnicom Advertising Asia. S Subramanyeswar—Subbu to most—completes the power trio as chief strategy officer for India and chief knowledge officer for Asia.

The shake-up follows Omnicom’s absorption of IPG last week and the subsequent cremation of three legendary agency nameplates: DDB, FCB and MullenLowe. All three are being folded into Omnicom’s global triumvirate of BBDO, McCann and TBWA. FCB slides into BBDO’s embrace, while DDB and MullenLowe join TBWA’s ranks.
In India, the new structure leans heavily on home-grown equity. TBWALintas, BBDO Group and McCann will fly the flag, bolstered by the brand muscle of Lintas, Ulka and Mudra—names that still carry weight in Indian advertising’s collective memory.

The leadership shuffle reads like a game of musical chairs with purpose. Dheeraj Sinha takes charge of McCann in India, with Rahul Mathew overseeing creative. Josy Paul stays put at BBDO, though a refreshed team is promised soon. Govind Pandey and Prateek Bhardwaj will run the merged TBWALintas operation, while Chandni Shah becomes chief executive of the combined Kinnect and 22feet Tribal outfit. Rohan Mehta gets the brief for digital integration across the group.

Donovan insists the transition will keep clients steady whilst creating room for talent to flourish. The bet, essentially, is that scale and opportunity will trump nostalgia for the old marques.

The new guard takes the reins on New Year’s Day. Whether they can shuffle India’s advertising deck into a winning hand remains to be seen—but Omnicom is betting big that fresh faces and familiar brands make for a killer combination.