ITV

Tag: Vishal Jacob

  • WPP Media South Asia hits reset with new leadership councils and client-first gameplan

    WPP Media South Asia hits reset with new leadership councils and client-first gameplan

    MUMBAI: WPP Media South Asia has officially turned the page on its GroupM chapter with a sweeping leadership overhaul, as it embraces a sharper, integrated model under WPP’s global media reset.

    The network’s new direction was internally announced this week, marking a bold step toward unified media, measurable outcomes, and future-ready innovation across India and South Asia.

    At the core of the transformation is a newly minted Executive Committee (ExCo), led by four presidents of client solutions — Priti Murthy, Ajay Gupte, Amin Lakhani, and Navin Khemka — who will jointly shape strategy, execution, and client delight across verticals.

    Supporting them is Vishandas Hardasani, continuing as chief finance officer, ensuring compliance and commercial rigour.

    In new, focused roles:

    ●    Upali Nag steps in as president – strategy, tasked with steering high-impact client programmes.

    ●    Vishal Jacob takes charge of Choreograph as president, scaling data and tech capabilities.

    ●    Ashwin Padmanabhan, now chief operating officer, will turbocharge execution across media buying, commerce, content, and sports.

    ●    Praseed Prasad, as president, growth & marketing, will focus on emerging categories, SMBs, startups and lead mOutcome initiatives.

    In tandem with the ExCo, WPP Media South Asia also launched the WPP Media Leadership Council (WLC), featuring a high-powered bench including Ajey Mehta, Atique Kazi, Ruchi Mathur, Shekhar Banerjee, Snehi Jha, Vinit Karnik, Manini Chakraborty, Namrata Mehra, Muralidhar T, Parveen Sheikh, and Rohit Sule.

    This cohort will focus on cohesion, culture, and capability-building to ensure WPP Media’s new architecture translates to real business wins.

    Prasanth Kumar continues to lead operations in India and Sri Lanka, anchoring both ExCo and WLC as they execute WPP’s new-age blueprint. A chief people officer appointment is also said to be in the works, hinting at a stronger push towards people-first transformation, learning, and leadership.

    With this structural shake-up, WPP Media South Asia isn’t just repositioning for the AI era — it’s building a battle-ready blueprint for the future of media.

    (If you are an Anime fan and love Anime like Demon Slayer, Spy X Family, Hunter X Hunter, Tokyo Revengers, Dan Da Dan and Slime, Buy your favourite Anime merchandise on AnimeOriginals.com.)

  • GroupM banks on Vishal Jacob to choreograph its AI future

    GroupM banks on Vishal Jacob to choreograph its AI future

    MUMBAI: Digital marketing heavyweight Vishal Jacob has taken on a new role as president of AI & digital solutions at Choreograph India, part of the GroupM family, after nearly five years at Wavemaker India.

    The veteran, whose career has spanned the rollercoaster ride of India’s digital transformation from the dotcom crash to today’s data-driven marketing landscape, will now lead GroupM India’s artificial intelligence charter while crafting integrated digital solutions for clients.

    “I’ll be working closely with the digital leadership teams to drive smarter outcomes for clients,” said Jacob in his announcement. “I’m excited to be at the intersection of innovation and impact.”

    Jacob brings over two decades of digital marketing experience to the role, having served as chief digital officer and chief transformation officer at Wavemaker. His CV boasts an impressive list of past roles at GroupM, Maxus, The Upper Storey, Mindshare Interaction and Smile Interactive Technologies.

    His previous achievements include transforming an eight-member team into a 100-strong digital powerhouse that garnered recognition at global awards including the Festival of Media, M&M Global and World Media Awards.

    A certified coach from ICF with specialisations in transactional analysis and NLP, Jacob has built his reputation on connecting brands with consumers through integrated ecosystems of paid, owned and earned properties—a talent GroupM will now leverage as it dances into the AI era.

    As traditional agencies scramble to embrace artificial intelligence, Jacob’s appointment signals GroupM’s determination not to miss a step in the industry’s latest transformation jig.

  • Wavemaker India elevates Sairam Ranganathan to chief digital officer

    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.”

  • Wavemaker India names Vishal Jacob as chief transformation officer

    Wavemaker India names Vishal Jacob as chief transformation officer

    Mumbai: GroupM’s media agency Wavemaker India on Tuesday announced Vishal Jacob as the chief transformation officer. Vishal will take on the additional responsibility in addition to his existing role as chief digital officer.

    In this extended role, Vishal will work with office heads and business leaders to structure and create diverse skill sets within business teams to manage current and future business requirements. He will also work along with practice leads to break silos and create more cross-functional teams to deliver unified solutions to clients, one of Wavemaker’s key focus areas. Vishal will also work on strengthening existing capabilities beyond digital and incubating new ones that will make Wavemaker’s future ready for the challenges.

    Wavemaker South Asia CEO Ajay Gupte said, “The environment around us is rapidly changing, and we need to continuously upskill ourselves to lead this change so that we continue to provide unique and innovative solutions for our clients. With Vishal taking over the additional responsibility of transformation, we will be better placed to craft customised strategic initiatives, particularly related to digitalization and driving company culture.”

    Speaking on this new role, Vishal Jacob said, “Consumer behaviour and the media landscape are forever evolving. Embracing these changes through a culture of agility becomes critical for success. Driving this transformation at an organisational level is highly challenging yet very exciting, and I am looking forward to it.”

    Vishal started his digital journey with GroupM in 2005. He has led and assisted clients across industries (auto, FMCG, telco, media, and retail) in their digital transformation journey, hinging it on creating a connected ecosystem of paid, owned, and earned properties. Vishal has also authored a book called “Connecting with Yourself: Why we Think, Feel, and Act the Way We Do.” He is a certified coach from ICF with further specialisation in transactional analysis and NLP, and he continues to nurture and coach talent to prepare them for leadership roles.

  • Wavemaker India announces key leadership changes

    Wavemaker India announces key leadership changes

    NEW DELHI: In a major rejig, Wavemaker India has announced changes in executive leadership roles.

    Kishan Kumar MS

    Kishan Kumar MS is elevated and has taken on a larger role as chief growth officer.  Along with his new mandate, Kumar continues to lead Wavemaker South businesses across Bangalore, Chennai, Kerala and Hyderabad. Kishan has been with Wavemaker for the last 14 years and has played an instrumental role in building Wavemaker as one of the biggest media agencies in South India. Kishan’s vast experience across categories clubbed with his passion and innovation for brand building; make him well-suited to take on the new role.    

    Premjeet Sodhi

    Premjeet Sodhi transitions into chief strategy officer from his earlier profile of chief growth officer. Sodhi had joined Wavemaker in April this year after a 2-year stint with Mindshare Fulcrum as the agency head. He has rich experience of over 25 years spanning across many leading agencies where he has managed clients like Amazon, Reckitt, Kraft Heinz, Infoedge, and many more. His understanding of evolving media and managing core client capabilities will continue to be a great contributor to his new role.

    Vishal Jacob

    Vishal Jacob returns to Wavemaker India as chief digital officer after close to 2 years with GroupM as a principal consultant – change planning & transformation. Jacob has been in the GroupM ecosystem for over 14 years and has played a key role in anchoring the digital initiatives at Wavemaker and GroupM. He is also an author and a certified executive coach with a keen interest in behavioural sciences. His rich experience across brands, industries and markets will further propel Wavemaker’s leadership position in the digital space.

    Sandeep Pandey

    Sandeep Pandey, who leads product and strategy has been elevated as global head of analytics where he will be driving Wavemaker’s global practice on analytics. Sandeep has been with GroupM for the last 15 years in leadership positions across APAC markets. Sandeep came on board with Wavemaker in 2014 as Asia Pacific head of marketing effectiveness. Pandey has served clients in automotive, pharma, banking, consumer goods, food & beverages, technology and other industries across India, Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia, Japan, and other key markets in the Asia Pacific. He will continue to be based out of Gurgaon as he transitions into his global role.

    Wavemaker CEO south Asia Ajay Gupte said, “This has been an extraordinary year that has challenged us in many ways. These changes are designed to enhance our position and enable us to drive continuous growth for our clients, teams and other stakeholders. I am excited about these changes and look forward to creating some positive disruptions in the near future”.

  • Vivek Ballabh is Maxus Digital general manager

    Vivek Ballabh is Maxus Digital general manager

    MUMBAI: Global marketing communications consultancy Maxus announced today the appointment of Vivek Ballabh as Maxus Digital general manager for North India.

    Ballabh joins Maxus from Cheil India, where he managed the media operations for multiple clients . He brings with him extensive experience in digital marketing and branding which enables a significant understanding in planning/executing various integrated digital campaigns. In a career spanning 14+ years, Ballabh has worked with leading agencies/companies – these being Cheil India, Monster.com, Webchutney, Digitas & Razorfish etc. His body of work also includes working with several fortune 500 brands like HP, Samsung, AMD, Fritolays, 7Up, Microsoft, Makemytrip.com, Maruti Suzuki, Axis Bank, Nestle, Dabur and Airtel among others.

    Ballabh started his career with the online marketing domain with Careercommunity.com which launched India’s first online job portal- Winjobs.com. He has spent 2 years at Monster.com as a Brand Manager where he handled marketing operations for South East Asian markets. With over 5 years spent at Digitas & Razorfish, he launched the digital media practice and also setup a SEM centric off-shore centre of 120 people, catering to the group’s business needs worldwide.

    Commenting on the new appointment Maxus national director Vishal Jacob said, “Vivek brings invaluable experience in digital marketing. He brings the right mix of talent, experience and enthusiasm we seek to inject into our talent pool and will help the Maxus team in Delhi take a leap forward. The mandate for Vivek is to consolidate and grow the North operations which I’m sure he will do a fabulous job of and successfully achieve all milestones”

    Elaborating on his new role Ballabh said, “I believe the digital revolution has just taken off in this market and the times ahead will be more exciting than ever. Brands have evolved in their digital thinking and Maxus is strongly poised to deliver cutting edge digital innovations, leading to more meaningful brand and consumer connections. I look forward to working closely with the super talented and energetic team that exists within the agency.”

  • Vivek Ballabh is Maxus Digital general manager

    Vivek Ballabh is Maxus Digital general manager

    MUMBAI: Global marketing communications consultancy Maxus announced today the appointment of Vivek Ballabh as Maxus Digital general manager for North India.

    Ballabh joins Maxus from Cheil India, where he managed the media operations for multiple clients . He brings with him extensive experience in digital marketing and branding which enables a significant understanding in planning/executing various integrated digital campaigns. In a career spanning 14+ years, Ballabh has worked with leading agencies/companies – these being Cheil India, Monster.com, Webchutney, Digitas & Razorfish etc. His body of work also includes working with several fortune 500 brands like HP, Samsung, AMD, Fritolays, 7Up, Microsoft, Makemytrip.com, Maruti Suzuki, Axis Bank, Nestle, Dabur and Airtel among others.

    Ballabh started his career with the online marketing domain with Careercommunity.com which launched India’s first online job portal- Winjobs.com. He has spent 2 years at Monster.com as a Brand Manager where he handled marketing operations for South East Asian markets. With over 5 years spent at Digitas & Razorfish, he launched the digital media practice and also setup a SEM centric off-shore centre of 120 people, catering to the group’s business needs worldwide.

    Commenting on the new appointment Maxus national director Vishal Jacob said, “Vivek brings invaluable experience in digital marketing. He brings the right mix of talent, experience and enthusiasm we seek to inject into our talent pool and will help the Maxus team in Delhi take a leap forward. The mandate for Vivek is to consolidate and grow the North operations which I’m sure he will do a fabulous job of and successfully achieve all milestones”

    Elaborating on his new role Ballabh said, “I believe the digital revolution has just taken off in this market and the times ahead will be more exciting than ever. Brands have evolved in their digital thinking and Maxus is strongly poised to deliver cutting edge digital innovations, leading to more meaningful brand and consumer connections. I look forward to working closely with the super talented and energetic team that exists within the agency.”

  • Maxus Digital South names Suraj Nambiar as general manager

    Maxus Digital South names Suraj Nambiar as general manager

    MUMBAI: Maxus has strengthened its top management by appointing Suraj Nambiar as general manager of Maxus Digital South.

    Nambiar will play the dual role of leading the digital business for south and improving the product for all our non-paid digital media services.

    He will report in to Maxus digital national director Vishal Jacob. With Nambiar coming on board, Maxus has consolidated the senior management strength in the South.

    Commenting on the new appointment,  Jacob said, “We have been looking to strengthen our digital presence in the south market and we seem to have found the right person to do so. Suraj moreover, has an impressive track record of working on some of India’s most loved brands. We are very excited to have Suraj join us and take our digital services to the next level”

    Elaborating on his new role Maxus, Nambiar said, “I am very excited by the role given to me at Maxus. The agency is well known for being integrated, nimble and fearless! Looking forward to some great times ahead.”

    Nambiar has worked with brands across industries like Toyota, Amazon, Puma, Tanishq, 3M, Titan Industries, Mercedes Benz, DHL, Colgate, Nivea, Accenture, Kingfisher, MCI, Samsung, Make My Trip, Yahoo, Sony and Canon.

  • Maxus Digital South names Suraj Nambiar as general manager

    Maxus Digital South names Suraj Nambiar as general manager

    MUMBAI: Maxus has strengthened its top management by appointing Suraj Nambiar as general manager of Maxus Digital South.

    Nambiar will play the dual role of leading the digital business for south and improving the product for all our non-paid digital media services.

    He will report in to Maxus digital national director Vishal Jacob. With Nambiar coming on board, Maxus has consolidated the senior management strength in the South.

    Commenting on the new appointment,  Jacob said, “We have been looking to strengthen our digital presence in the south market and we seem to have found the right person to do so. Suraj moreover, has an impressive track record of working on some of India’s most loved brands. We are very excited to have Suraj join us and take our digital services to the next level”

    Elaborating on his new role Maxus, Nambiar said, “I am very excited by the role given to me at Maxus. The agency is well known for being integrated, nimble and fearless! Looking forward to some great times ahead.”

    Nambiar has worked with brands across industries like Toyota, Amazon, Puma, Tanishq, 3M, Titan Industries, Mercedes Benz, DHL, Colgate, Nivea, Accenture, Kingfisher, MCI, Samsung, Make My Trip, Yahoo, Sony and Canon.

  • Maxus spreads ‘everlasting love’ via Platinum Guild India campaign

    Maxus spreads ‘everlasting love’ via Platinum Guild India campaign

    MUMBAI: Maxus has created an exclusive microsite (www.oureverlastinglove.in) as part Platinum Guild India’s new ad campaign.

     

    The site allows couples to feature personalized videos of special moments of togetherness that make their journey extraordinary.

     

    Across the world, couples have been known for sharing their cherished moments over social networks. On the basis of this understanding, Maxus has launched a platform for couples where they can curate their most rejoiced memories and bring to life their special moments.

     

    “We found an innovative way of allowing people to use the content on their timeline to express their feelings to their partner and loved ones. Our Everlasting Love, is a way for everyone to look back on their special memories and celebrate their Platinum Day of Love, through a heartfelt visual representation of their unique love story,” said Maxus India national director – digital Vishal Jacob.

     

    Once a user logs in to the website and signs in via Facebook or email, all the images of the couple are collaged together to create a video montage. A feature to upload additional images is also available. Each of these videos can be shared on Facebook and Twitter and can be viewed by their friends.

     

    In addition to the unique video-making feature, the most romantic stories will receive special gifts and one lucky couple stands the chance to win Platinum Love Band. This unique initiative was part of Maxus’ campaign for the Platinum Guild, emphasizing on the Platinum Day of Love.

     

    Platinum Guild India managing director Vaishali Banerjee added, “Platinum Day of Love is about discovering true love and celebrating it with precious platinum. Building on the back of this campaign we wanted to give young couples the opportunity to celebrate not just their Platinum Day of Love but their entire journey of togetherness through a video. We feel social media is a perfect platform to interact with couples and their friends and encourage them to share their stories of everlasting love.”