MUMBAI: India’s advertising industry loves a comeback story—and Srinivasan K Swamy is giving it one. The executive group chairman of R K Swamy has been elected president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India for 2025-26, marking his fourth term in the role after an 18-year hiatus.
Swamy, also known as Sundar Swamy, previously ran the 80-year-old trade body from 2004 to 2007, when India’s advertising market was a fraction of its current size. His return suggests the industry wants experienced hands to navigate an increasingly complex landscape of digital disruption, regulatory scrutiny and changing consumer behaviour.
“I am deeply humbled that this marks my fourth term in this role,” said Swamy, whose lengthy CV reads like a who’s who of industry bodies. He has chaired everything from the International Advertising Association to the Audit Bureau of Circulation, earning a lifetime achievement award from AAAI along the way.
Jaideep Gandhi was elected vice-president, while the 15-member board includes heavyweights from agencies spanning Leo Burnett to Grey Worldwide. The roster reflects the fragmented nature of India’s advertising market, where global networks jostle with homegrown shops for a slice of the action.
Outgoing president Prasanth Kumar, who served three years during the turbulent post-pandemic period, handed over the reins with typical corporate grace. “I am confident that, with his vast experience and vision, he will steer AAAI to even greater achievements,” he said.
Whether Swamy can repeat his earlier success remains to be seen. The advertising world he inherits is vastly different from the one he left in 2007—social media has upended traditional media planning, privacy regulations are reshaping data collection, and artificial intelligence threatens to automate creative work.
Still, at an age when most executives are eyeing retirement, Swamy clearly believes there’s more work to be done. For an industry built on selling dreams, that kind of optimism is probably just what the doctor ordered.
Other elected members of the Board in alphabetical order and the companies they represent on AAAI are:
* Anupriya Acharya, Leo Burnett (TLG India Pvt Ltd)
* Sam Balsara, Madison Communications Pvt Ltd
* Tanya Goyal, Everest Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd
* Tapas Gupta, BEI Confluence Communication Ltd.
* Vishandas Hardasani, Matrix Publicities and Media India Pvt Ltd
* Mohit Joshi, Havas Media India Pvt Ltd
* Santosh Kumar, Innocean Worldwide Communication Pvt Ltd
* Kunal Lalani, Crayons Advertising Ltd
* Chandramouli Muthu, Maitri Advertising Works Pvt Ltd
* Vikram Sakhuja, Platinum Advertising Pvt Ltd
* Kartik Sharma, Omnicom Media Group India Pvt Ltd
* Anusha ShettY, Grey Worldwide (India) Pvt Ltd
* Shashi Sinha, Initiative Media (India) Pvt Ltd
* K Srinivas, Sloka Advertising Pvt Ltd
* Paritosh Srivastava, Law & Kenneth Saatchi & Saatchi Pvt Ltd
Leave a Reply