Grapes Worldwide appoints Sanjay Kumar to lead AI growth strategy

MUMBAI: Looks like Grapes Worldwide is adding a little more AI to its bunch. Integrated communications agency Grapes Worldwide has appointed Sanjay Kumar as Director – AI & Growth, signalling a sharper push towards automation, data-driven decision-making and next-generation marketing capabilities.

In his new role, Kumar will spearhead the agency’s AI-led growth agenda, focusing on improving operational efficiency, streamlining digital workflows and strengthening performance marketing across business functions.

The appointment comes at a time when agencies are increasingly looking beyond traditional digital marketing and exploring how artificial intelligence can transform everything from campaign execution to audience discovery and search visibility.

At Grapes Worldwide, Kumar will be tasked with building scalable AI-powered systems designed to reduce repetitive manual processes and accelerate execution across teams. His mandate spans automation, workflow optimisation, SEO, SEM, website audits and emerging search disciplines such as Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), areas gaining importance as AI-driven search platforms reshape online discovery.

Despite the technology focus, the agency said human expertise and strategic thinking will continue to remain central to creative development and content-led functions.

Kumar brings more than 14 years of experience in digital growth, enterprise SEO, automation and performance marketing. Before joining Grapes Worldwide, he held leadership positions at Techmagnate, Intelegencia and Unyscape, working with brands including Jio Finance, Tata Capital, Bajaj Broking and Bajaj General Insurance.

Over the course of his career, he has built expertise in AI-powered automation, technical SEO, data-first growth strategies and no-code or low-code workflow solutions capabilities that are becoming increasingly valuable as organisations seek to scale efficiently in an AI-first environment.

Commenting on the appointment, Kumar said the digital ecosystem is undergoing a significant transformation as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in how businesses operate and grow.

His focus, he noted, will be on creating intelligent workflows that minimise operational redundancies while improving speed, efficiency and business outcomes. The objective is to combine AI-powered automation with data-led strategies to deliver stronger performance for brands without losing the human judgement that drives effective marketing.

The move underscores a wider trend across the advertising and communications industry, where agencies are racing to integrate AI not just into campaigns, but into the very systems that power planning, optimisation and execution.

For Grapes Worldwide, the message is clear, in the age of algorithms, growth may increasingly depend on how smartly agencies blend technology with human creativity.