AAAI announces Media Council; Kartik Sharma named Chair

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced the creation of a Media Council, to be chaired by Kartik Sharma, CEO of Omnicom Media India.

The initiative forms part of AAAI’s agenda for 2026–27 to strengthen specialist participation and give member agencies a greater voice in shaping the industry’s future.

The Media Council will provide a forum for agencies to engage on issues affecting the media business. Its proposed priorities include audience research and measurement, transparency and accountability, evolving media trading practices, talent development and the impact of technology on media planning and buying.

The Council will seek to encourage constructive engagement with advertisers, media owners, research bodies and other industry stakeholders. It will also facilitate knowledge sharing to help agencies respond to changing audience behaviour, emerging platforms and clients’ evolving expectations.

Kartik Sharma, AAAI Media Council, said: “Congratulations to the new Board. It’s encouraging to see a mix of experience, entrepreneurial ambition and diverse perspectives come together. I’m grateful to AAAI for the opportunity to lead its Media Council and look forward to working with the next generation of leaders, whose fresh perspectives and ambition will be critical to advancing the Council’s mandate and building a stronger, more future-ready media ecosystem for Indian advertising. We will focus on bringing world-class learning systems to India through local and global knowledge partnerships, creating a flagship annual platform for industry-wide collaboration and the exchange of ideas - bringing together some of the best minds across the ecosystem, and developing thought leadership and practical playbooks on emerging areas such as CTV and cross-screen measurement.”

Kartik Sharma serves on the AAAI Board and BARC’s Disciplinary Committee and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Media Research Users Council India (MRUCI). 

He has previously held key positions at TAM Media Research and the Indian Readership Survey. His accolades include the IAA Media Influencer of the Year 2026 and e4m Influencer of the Year 2025.

Dr Sandeep Goyal, President, AAAI, for 2026–27, said: “Let this media council be the industry's adda and its university: where advertising's best minds in media debate bold ideas, challenge old rules, and pass on hard-won wisdom to the next generation of storytellers and brand-shapers.”