Talent Tracker: Key leadership moves across advertising, media, tech and consumer sectors

New Delhi: This week’s talent tracker captures a wide range of senior leadership movements across industries. Advertising agencies saw the return of familiar leaders and new elevations, while global networks announced retirements and fresh mandates. Consumer businesses and digital-first companies continued to strengthen their top teams with appointments in marketing, technology, and strategy. 

Lowe Lintas appoints Shantanu Sapre as Chief Business Officer

Lowe Lintas has named Shantanu Sapre its Chief Business Officer, marking his return to the agency after over 15 years. Sapre, who earlier helped expand Lowe Lintas’ West operations and led mandates for FMCG, retail, and technology brands, brings nearly three decades of experience in advertising, brand stewardship, and business management.

WPP COO Andrew Scott retires

WPP has announced that Andrew Scott will retire as Chief Operating Officer and from the Board at the end of 2025. He will work with incoming CEO Cindy Rose during the transition and continue as Senior Advisor, handing over responsibilities and supporting strategy execution.

Scott, who joined WPP in 1999, was appointed global COO in 2018 and to the Board in 2023. Over his tenure, he played a key role in M&A activity and strategic disposals, including acquisitions such as Satalia and InfoSum, and the sale of 60% of Kantar to Bain Capital.

Mayoori Kango Rejoins Publicis Groupe as CEO of India Delivery Centre

Mayoori Kango has rejoined Publicis Groupe as Chief Executive Officer of its India Delivery Centre and as part of the global executive leadership team for Publicis Global Delivery (PGD). In her new role, she will oversee India operations while collaborating with the global team on media, technology, digital solutions, and AI initiatives.

Kango, who announced the move on LinkedIn, previously worked at Google as Industry Head for AI, Martech and Media Solutions, and has held senior roles at Performics, Zenith, Digitas North America, Resolution Media, and 360i.

EaseMyTrip names Nishant Pitti CMD after Prashant Pitti exit

EaseMyTrip has announced that Prashant Pitti has stepped down as Managing Director with immediate effect. Founder Nishant Pitti will take over as Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), subject to shareholder approval.

Nishant Pitti, who had resigned as CEO earlier this year citing personal reasons, will now focus on driving the company’s long-term vision with greater emphasis on innovation, expansion, and stakeholder value creation. His brother and co-founder Rikant Pittie continues as CEO.

Sajith Sivanandan to take charge as CEO of Tata Digital

Tata Digital is set to appoint Sajith Sivanandan, currently president of Jio Mobile Digital Services, as its new chief executive officer, according to an ET report. The move comes after Naveen Tahilyani’s exit earlier this year and follows a wider leadership restructuring within the Tata Sons-owned unit.

A former Google executive, Sivanandan has led payments and Next Billion Users initiatives across India and Asia-Pacific. At Tata Digital, he is expected to focus on strengthening the group’s presence in ecommerce, quick commerce and digital services, competing with players such as Amazon, Flipkart and Reliance.

Ashish Sehgal quits Zee; Laxmi Shetty appointed Ad Revenue Head

ZEE Entertainment has elevated Laxmi Shetty as Head of Advertisement Revenue for broadcast and digital following the exit of Ashish Sehgal, who was serving as Chief Growth Officer. Shetty will oversee monetisation across linear and digital businesses and report directly to CEO Punit Goenka.

Agilitas Sports appoints Gourishanker Jha as Chief Digital and Technology Officer

Agilitas Sports has named Gourishanker Jha as Chief Digital and Technology Officer to drive its technology and digital strategy across integrated platforms, services and partnerships. With over 25 years of experience in AI-led transformation and digital engineering, Jha previously served as Chief Transformation Officer at Movate and has held senior roles at Hexaware Technologies, Publicis Sapient, DXC Technology and Infosys.

Kunal Sharma takes over as Vice President at KRBL

Kunal Sharma has been elevated to Vice President at KRBL, where he will lead marketing along with modern trade and e-commerce for the India business. Sharma, who joined the company in 2022 as Head of Marketing, previously spent nearly nine years at Dabur India across roles in honey, glucose and wellness categories. He began his career with ITC Limited and also serves as Board Advisor at the India Influencer Governing Council.

PMG India names Dhruv Jugran as Managing Director

PMG India, part of Hakuhodo, has appointed Dhruv Jugran as Managing Director as the agency completes 18 years in India. Jugran, who has over two decades of experience across strategic marketing, experiential campaigns and brand development, has been with PMG for more than a decade. He has led its evolution from an activation-focused outfit to a digital and technology-driven agency.

Divyanshu Singh becomes CEO of JSW Sports, succeeds Mustafa Ghouse

JSW Sports has appointed Divyanshu Singh as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Mustafa Ghouse. Ghouse has launched Centre Court Capital, a venture capital fund focused on sports technology and gaming, and will continue with JSW Sports as Director.

Singh, who joined the organisation in 2017, built its Sales and Marketing division and drove commercial growth across athletes, programmes and franchises such as Bengaluru FC, Haryana Steelers, Soorma Hockey Club, Pretoria Capitals and Delhi Capitals. He also spearheaded the expansion of the Inspire Institute of Sport into one of India’s largest CSR-backed Olympic programmes and established an agency vertical that has since doubled in revenue.

IDFC FIRST Bank CMO T V Naarayan resigns, to move to aviation sector

IDFC FIRST Bank said its Chief Marketing Officer, T V Naarayan, has stepped down, with his last day on August 22. In a note to colleagues, he thanked MD and CEO V. Vaidyanathan for fostering a culture of belonging and said he leaves with “a whole lot of friends and well-wishers”.

Naarayan, who helped shape the bank’s brand identity, has over 20 years of experience across Kotak Securities, TimesOfMoney, Motilal Oswal and PayPal, spanning marketing, NRI services and global digital operations.

Efficacy Worldwide appoints Somnath Sarkarr as Investment Director, Prajesh Dutta as Strategy and Innovation Director

Efficacy Worldwide has strengthened its leadership with three senior appointments. Somnath Sarkarr takes over as National Investment Director, overseeing digital and traditional media investments and cross-channel partnerships. Prajesh Dutta steps in as National Director, Strategy and Innovation, bringing over 20 years of experience in media and brand planning, while Raj Choudhary has been named Business Head for South.

Deepali Saini expands role at Havas CX as Global Chief Experience Design Officer

Deepali Saini, CEO of Think Design, has been appointed Global Chief Experience Design Officer at Havas CX. She will join the network’s Global CX Leadership Board, tasked with unifying and scaling its Experience Design practice worldwide while continuing to head Think Design.

Based in Bengaluru, Saini will report to Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, South East Asia and North Asia, and David Shulman, Global CEO, Havas CX. Her mandate includes strengthening design capabilities, driving ethical AI adoption, and expanding the practice in Southeast Asia, with Singapore as a hub.

Opus Technologies appoints Nischala Murthy Kaushik as Chief Marketing Officer

Opus Technologies has named Nischala Murthy Kaushik as its Chief Marketing Officer. With close to 25 years of global experience across strategy, technology and marketing, she has previously held senior roles at Fresh Gravity and HFS Research.

Kaushik began her career as a technologist, working on solutions for clients including HSBC, MasterCard, Charles Schwab and Credit Suisse, before moving into brand transformation, demand generation, corporate storytelling and strategic marketing.

Prajith VM joins Malabar Gold and Diamonds as Head of Marketing

Malabar Gold and Diamonds has appointed Prajith VM as Head of Marketing. He brings more than 15 years of experience in the luxury and lifestyle sector, having led marketing, digital, e-commerce, CRM and performance initiatives across India, GCC and APAC markets.

Prajith has previously held leadership roles at Landmark Group, Fossil, De Beers and Diageo, where he was responsible for brand building, customer engagement and multi-channel marketing operations.