Atul Agrawal takes charge as ISA CEO as body sharpens transparency agenda

Mumbai: The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) has appointed Atul Agrawal as its Chief Executive Officer, with effect from January 2, 2026, as the apex advertisers’ body sharpens its agenda around media transparency, measurement and industry standards.

Agrawal takes over from Sushil Matey, who was appointed CEO of ISA in October 2020. 

In a statement, Agrawal said the role of ISA as the collective voice of advertisers is becoming more critical as marketing and media go through rapid change. He said his focus will be on “responsible, effective and efficient marketing” through closer collaboration across advertisers, agencies, broadcasters, media owners and other stakeholders.

He added that ISA will work to strengthen its charter around media transparency and measurement, among other priorities.

ISA chairman Sunil Kataria said Agrawal’s appointment comes at an “inflection point” for the industry, and pointed to ISA’s ongoing work on initiatives such as the Media Charter, brand safety, viewability, first-party data frameworks and cross-screen measurement.

Agrawal is a management graduate from IIM Ahmedabad and has spent nearly four decades across FMCG and corporate roles.

ISA said he has worked with Hindustan Unilever and the Tata Group headquarters, with experience spanning corporate brand marketing, youth engagement, media buying and large-scale sponsorship programmes.

He has also served on ISA’s Executive Committee representing Tata Services and has contributed to the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) as a jury member for the Global Marketer of the Year award, ISA said.

With the appointment, ISA said it will continue to work with stakeholders to drive efficiency, accountability and sustainable growth for advertisers.