What’s next for Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom in India?

New Delhi: Amid speculation about the future of agency brands such as Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom following the recent leadership restructuring in South Asia, a WPP Media South Asia source told BestMediaInfo.com, “Nothing has changed operationally; just the titles. The agency brands are not going anywhere.”

This assurance comes in the wake of WPP’s sweeping global restructuring in May, in which the GroupM name was officially retired and WPP Media was unveiled as the unified media face of the holding company.

For now, WPP Media maintains that Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom will continue to be involved in client interactions, pitches, and account wins.

“If XYZ brand signs on with Wavemaker, it’s still a Wavemaker account,” the source clarified.

For instance, when Nilkamal appointed WPP Media earlier this June, the official announcement stated, “WPP Media has secured the media mandate for Nilkamal, with EssenceMediacom leading the charge across both digital and offline channels.”

All three agency CEOs, Ajay Gupte (Wavemaker), Amin Lakhani (Mindshare), and Navin Khemka (EssenceMediacom), have been redesignated as Presidents, Client Services under WPP Media.

While they continue to lead their respective teams, no new CEOs are being appointed for the individual brands.

“WPP Media is now the single point of contact for clients. You’ll still see the same teams, but structurally, it’s one integrated setup,” a senior insider confirmed.

"While the attempts are being made to preserve the legacy agency brands, their future will mostly depend on how the changes in leadership structure pan out," the insider added.

New leadership structure: Two core groups

The South Asia operation, led by Prasanth Kumar, now comprises two leadership layers:

Executive Committee:

Vishandas Hardasani, Chief Financial Officer

Ashwin Padmanabhan, Chief Operating Officer

Upali Nag, President, Strategy

Vishal Jacob, President, Choreograph

Praseed Prasad, President, Growth and Marketing

Ajay Gupte, Amin Lakhani, Navin Khemka, and Priti Murthy, Presidents, Client Services

WPP Media Leadership Council:

Atique Kazi, Shekhar Banerjee, Vinit Karnik, Ajay Mehta, Ruchi Mathur, Snehi Jha, Manini Chakraborty, Parveen Sheik, Namalie Herath, Murali T, and Rohit Sule.

What changes for clients?

One contract: A single master services agreement with WPP Media

One dashboard: Real-time visibility into creative, inventory, and sales

One source: Unified data across media, commerce, and CX

No more silos: Accountability for KPIs, brand safety, and delivery sits squarely with WPP Media

That said, Mindshare, Wavemaker, and EssenceMediacom still exist as ‘storefronts’ to preserve cultural nuances and manage brand conflicts.

Bespoke models like OpenX (for Coca-Cola) and Open Door (for Amazon) will continue to operate based on client needs.