MAM
Yezdi Nagporewalla to lead KPMG India for second term
MUMBAI: : KPMG in India has reappointed Yezdi Nagporewalla as chief executive officer for a second three-year term starting February 2027, signalling the firm’s commitment to strategic continuity and aggressive market focus.
The extension comes on the back of a strong growth run under Nagporewalla’s leadership, marked by robust client engagement, sharper governance, and a culture of integrity-driven performance. His current term, which ends in early 2027, will be followed immediately by the renewed stint.
“It’s been our privilege to have Yezdi lead the India firm over the past three years,” said KPMG India non-executive chairman Ajay Mehra,. “His ability to build trust and strengthen relationships with clients and people has been crucial. His insights will help scale the firm to a brighter future.”
“It is both my honour and privilege to have been re-appointed as the CEO, and I look forward to inspiring confidence and empowering change among our clients and colleagues,” Nagporewalla said. “My focus will be to continue sharpening the firm’s client focus, integrating innovative approaches, deepening expertise and enhancing our culture to unlock value for our clients. Over the past years, we have built trust among our stakeholders with a clear emphasis on ethics and quality which will remain our core. As a firm, we aim to realise the vision of being the ‘clear choice’ and ‘making the difference’ for our clients, people and public at large. We will double down on our focus towards both – nation building and our firm’s growth.”
Under his stewardship, the firm has significantly expanded its partner and director base, attracted top talent from rivals, and clocked strong performance metrics. With the India market evolving at pace, the decision underscores the board’s confidence in Nagporewalla’s vision to make KPMG the “clear choice” for clients and stakeholders.
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
