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Movers & shakers of media agencies in 2022
Mumbai: The first year after covid, 2022 has been that of exoduses and incomings, alike, for the media agency business. Not only the creative side, but the media side of the advertising industry, too, faced the backlash of the economic recession, which has directly or indirectly led to a toss-and-stir in the media agency biz. From appointments made at GroupM’s Wavemaker to the group making elevations at the newly formed EssenceMediacom, and restructuring at the helm of Lodestar, the media agency biz has been busy as a bee the whole year round.
GroupM India:
GroupM India promoted Ashwin Padmanabhan to the post of president of investments, trading, and partnerships. There were important APAC restructurings at the agency – Arshan Saha was pronounced CEO of GroupM Nexus APAC, Jon Thurlow was given an additional role of chief operating officer of GroupM Nexus APAC along with his corporate remit as chief operating officer of GroupM APAC, Deepika Nikhilender was elevated to CEO of Xaxis APAC, and Brett Poole was designated CEO of Finecast APAC and AUNZ.
GroupM’s mSix&Partners elevated Subhamay Mukhopadhyay to managing partner. mSix&Partners national digital head Sahil Sachdeva quit; he went on to join GSK as the senior manager of digital marketing.
Mirum got in Sooraj Keswani as brand management and strategy director.
MediaCom appointed Rupert McPetrioe as the CEO of APAC.
Sudip Sanyal moved on from GroupM.
Essence/EssenceMediacom
Following GroupM’s announcement of a global merger of Essence and MediaCom to form EssenceMediacom earlier this year, GroupM India elevated Navin Khemka as CEO and Sonali Malaviya as chief strategy and transformation officer for EssenceMediacom South Asia.
Essence announced key leadership appointments – Bharati Joshi was roped in as vice president of product, India; Vinish Matthews would be vice president of client services for India and Southeast Asia; and Kunal Danda was brought in to head the agency’s Mumbai office as vice president of client services for India.
Wavemaker
Wavemaker India, one of the media agencies under the GroupM umbrella, announced Vishal Jacob as its chief transformation officer. The agency also appointed Deveshi Chugh as managing partner, Asia-Pacific; Radhika Radhakrishnan was roped in as the global chief financial officer.
Wavemaker’s Suruchi Makhija moved to Essence as head of content. MediaCom’s Srinivas Rao moved to Wavemaker.
Mindshare
One of GroupM’s media agencies, Mindshare, elevated Amin Lakhani to CEO of South Asia; Parthasarathy Mandayam was appointed as chief strategy officer at GroupM South Asia.
Mindshare appointed Sam Thomas as head of performance and product for India, Rehan Ali as partner of performance (North & East), Atishay Agrawal as senior director of performance (South), and Pratishtha Dehariya as partner of performance (West).
Mindshare India also elevated Ruchi Mathur as its chief growth officer.
IPG Mediabrands:
Lodestar
Nandini Dias quit as Lodestar UM CEO – Aditi Mishra stepped into her shoes; Hema Malik was pronounced chief investment officer of Mediabrands India.
Interactive Avenues
Pranali Sarkar joined Interactive Avenues as an associate vice president of media planning. The agency also appointed Juin Chakraborty as associate vice president of client servicing – West.
Omnicom Media Group
Omnicom Media Group (OMG) India welcomed Anand Chakravarthy as its chief growth officer. OMD India roped in Charul Tomar as its head of strategy; the agency also appointed Iti Kaul as head of digital practice.
Carat India
Carat India appointed Megha Jain as vice president of planning – South. The agency appointed Sayami Podder as associate vice president of strategy. Aruni Panda joined Carat India as digital vice president.
Madison Media
In a homecoming, Shobit Gaur returned to Madison Digital as vice president. Madison Media appointed Vinit Kumar as vice president.
Madison Media chief operating officer Anita Bose put in her papers and joined Design Indya as president.
Publicis Groupe’s Zenith India appointed Trishul Bhumkar as its managing partner.
The new year is sure to bring in a fresh wave and high hopes for who will step in and out of the media advertising business, which is something we all need to look out for!
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
