MAM
Publicis brings Ravi Bhaya home to script client-first transformation
MUMBAI: Talk about a full-circle moment, Ravi Bhaya is back at Publicis, this time to steer the ship as chief client officer at Publicis Media India. Based in Mumbai and reporting to Lalatendu Das, CEO of Publicis Media South Asia, Bhaya’s brief is crystal clear: transform client partnerships with a mix of data, AI and creativity that sets the group apart in what it calls a “Category of One.”
It’s a homecoming for Bhaya, who spent over two decades shaping global media strategies across India, Germany, South Africa, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and North America. His CV reads like a travelogue of transformation leading mandates for marquee brands including P&G, Samsung, Coca-Cola, BMW and Mondelez, expanding agency capabilities in new markets, and driving growth strategies rooted in performance-led marketing.
Bhaya also dabbled in the startup world, co-founding Rsquared Global Ventures (R2GV) to advise Martech, Adtech, data and commerce ventures on scaling strategies, while working closely with VCs to spot high-growth bets in emerging tech. Before that, as managing director for global growth at Munich-based Serviceplan Group, he was instrumental in driving alliances, partnerships and international expansion.
His return to Publicis signals a sharper client-first agenda. With Starcom, Zenith and Performics under his wing, Bhaya is tasked with deepening partnerships and pushing integrated, future-ready solutions in India’s rapidly shifting media landscape. For Publicis Groupe, which has doubled down on data-led and AI-powered offerings, the appointment underscores its ambition to blend global expertise with local impact.
Or as Bhaya himself put it, coming back feels both “familiar and fresh” rooted in trust, fuelled by renewed ambition, and very much tuned to what’s next for clients in an industry where data, creativity and AI are increasingly inseparable.
MUMBAI: In India’s fast-moving payments race, Visa has just swiped in a new leader. The company has named Suresh Sethi as its India country head, marking a key leadership shift as it sharpens its focus on digital payments growth in the market. Sethi steps into the role following his recent exit from Protean eGov Technologies, where he served as chief executive officer. He succeeds Sandeep Ghosh, who has moved on after more than four years at Visa to pursue an external opportunity.
The appointment comes at a time when Visa is doubling down on its expansion strategy across India and the wider region, deepening partnerships and accelerating adoption in an increasingly competitive digital payments ecosystem.
Sethi brings with him a broad, cross-market perspective shaped by decades of experience across corporate banking, retail financial services, mobile money and large-scale government technology initiatives. He began his career at Citigroup, where he spent 14 years working across India, Africa, South America and the United States, focusing on transaction banking services within the corporate bank.
His appointment signals a blend of institutional experience and market familiarity qualities that could prove critical as Visa navigates a landscape where fintech innovation, regulatory evolution and consumer adoption are all accelerating at once.
As digital payments in India continue to scale rapidly, the leadership change underscores a simple reality, in a market where every tap, scan and swipe counts, who leads the charge can matter just as much as the technology itself.
