GroupM's Atique Kazi named Performics India CEO; Gautam Surath moved to Publicis Media

Mumbai: Publicis Groupe India on Monday announced the appointment of Atique Kazi as Chief Executive Officer of Performics India and the elevation of Gautam Surath as Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer for Publicis Media India.

Kazi will lead Performics India, the Groupe’s performance-led digital marketing agency, and report to Lalatendu Das, CEO, Publicis Media South Asia.

Surath, who has been closely associated with Performics India’s growth over the years, will head a newly created Strategy and Transformation Office for the media division, with a mandate to scale capabilities across influence, data and analytics, search, commerce, programmatic and martech. He will also work with Kazi over the next few months to ensure a smooth transition at Performics.

Announcing the changes, Das said Kazi’s appointment marked an important evolution for Performics India and added that his experience in scaling complex digital ecosystems would strengthen the media network’s leadership bench. 

He said Surath’s new role allows Publicis Media to double down on integrating media, data, AI and commerce to drive future growth.

Kazi joins Performics India with over 20 years of experience across digital media, technology, data-driven marketing and transformation. He has worked with brands to advance programmatic maturity, build platform-led solutions and unlock scaled digital growth across categories.

His mandate at Performics India is to build on the agency’s recent momentum and sharpen its role within Publicis Groupe’s broader media and digital offering.

Surath’s expanded remit formalises his role in stitching together strategy, data, AI, performance marketing and ecommerce solutions across the media network. The group said his work so far has been central to shaping Performics India’s growth and raising the standard of delivery for clients.

Surath said he would focus on further strengthening the Groupe’s capabilities in data, influence, technology and performance, areas he described as increasingly central to client growth. He added that he would work closely with Kazi during the transition and with the wider media leadership to drive the next phase of momentum for Publicis Media in India.

Kazi said Performics India was at a point where data, technology and creativity were coming together to create new possibilities for brands. He said he was keen to work with the existing talent to build solutions that are both innovative and transformational for clients and to help shape the next chapter of the agency’s growth within Publicis Groupe.