MAM
Wavemaker India elevates Sairam Ranganathan to chief digital officer
Mumbai: Wavemaker India, the most awarded agency of GroupM, today announced the appointment of Sairam Ranganathan as Chief Digital Officer. In his new role, Sairam or Sai as he is fondly called, will strengthen digital capabilities and lead the newly formed team Wavemaker NorthStar. In his new role, Sai will continue to report to Vishal Jacob (chief transformation officer at Wavemaker India).
As the head of Wavemaker NorthStar, Sai will work with clients to drive business outcomes. Team Wavemaker NorthStar will bring in the right experts across platforms, commerce, analytics & tech to orchestrate data-led solutions that yield business results. In addition, he will also be responsible for accelerating growth in digital services, integrating and aligning digital initiatives across business units for clients.
Sai has been an integral part of GroupM India since 2004. He has worked across multiple categories which include Telecom, FMCG, Consumer durables, Ecommerce, Retail, Lifestyle, Jewellery, Tourism, Technology, BFSI, Media & Entertainment. In the last few years, Sai has played a national role working with multiple teams to build and strengthen digital capabilities for Wavemaker.
Commenting on Sai’s elevation, Ajay Gupte, CEO of South Asia said, “At Wavemaker we are constantly evolving and adapting to help our clients grow by enabling better business solutions, build robust data-led experiences and positively provoke growth for them and for us. Sai brings in wealth of expertise and knowledge to deliver innovative customer initiatives across business domains, with a perfect balance of people management skills. I am confident that Sai is best placed to drive the digital-first agenda for us and our partners”.
“At Wavemaker our emphasis has always been to push the boundaries on our capabilities and provide our clients with an unmatched advantage through our services. In his new role, Sai will consolidate and grow capabilities on digital media and lead a team called Wavemaker NorthStar that will help clients deliver business outcomes through data-driven solutions. Given Sai’s passion, resilience, and commitment there could be no better person to lead this team and take our solutions to the next level”, expressed Wavemaker India’s chief transformation officer Vishal Jacob.
A big Star Wars fan, Sai has also co-authored two books on digital marketing in India – The Curious Digital Marketer and The Curious Digital Marketer 2.0.
Talking about his new role, Sairam Ranganathan shared, “My journey at GroupM has been incredibly thrilling and enriching. In these last 20 years, I have grown significantly in my professional as well as personal life. I am grateful to Wavemaker for this exciting opportunity and I look forward to leading Wavemaker NorthStar as I start a new chapter in my growth journey to make Wavemaker an even more desirable partner for our clients.”
Brands
From mega bills to spontaneous dates: Swiggy Dineout Valentine’s report
From mega bills to last-minute plans, India celebrated love with flair
MUMBAI: Valentine’s Day 2026 was a feast for the senses and wallets alike, according to Swiggy Dineout. India’s on-demand dining platform revealed how the nation celebrated romance with big gestures, lively nights out, and plenty of spontaneous bookings.
Metropolitan hubs continued to rule the roost with Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad seeing the most reservations. Emerging cities aren’t far behind, with Ahmedabad, Jaipur, and Chandigarh joining the party. Growth was particularly striking in Surat (up 180 per cent), Vadodara (155 per cent) and Bhubaneswar (145.5 per cent) compared with the previous Saturday.
Mumbai stole the headlines with a single customer splashing out Rs 130,155 – the highest bill in the country. The city also hosted the largest single group booking, with 30 diners coming together to celebrate in style. Most Valentine’s transactions took place between 10pm and 11pm, proving love, and hunger, strike late.
Mumbai stole the spotlight with a mega-spender whose bill made everyone else blush, while savvy diners were cashing in on discounts, including a Pune customer saving 60% and another in Bengaluru saving 50 per cent. Fine dining was on fire, with bookings up 121 per cent year-on-year, though pubs, bars, and lounges remained the crowd favourites, accounting for 30.6 per cent of all reservations. Last-minute romance was the order of the day, with 66 per cent of diners booking within two hours of heading out. Together, India saved over Rs 6 crore, proving that love can be grand, yet thrifty.
Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi led the premium dining rush, showing a growing appetite for curated, high-end experiences. Meanwhile, spontaneous bookings reinforced modern lifestyles, where convenience and instant gratification rule the day.
Whether it was big spends, huge groups, or a last-minute romantic dash, Valentine’s Day 2026 proved love and dining go hand in hand – and sometimes, they go all out.
