AAAI sets up Media Council with WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, Havas and Madison executives

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has constituted a Media Council bringing together senior executives from some of the country's largest advertising and media agency networks, including WPP Media, Omnicom Media, Publicis Media, Havas and Madison World, in an effort to strengthen industry collaboration and address emerging challenges in India's media and advertising ecosystem.

The council, which held its inaugural meeting on November 2 in Mumbai, will serve as a common platform for media agencies to deliberate on industry-wide priorities, facilitate dialogue with advertisers and media owners, and develop collective initiatives around talent development, knowledge sharing and thought leadership.

The initiative comes at a time when the media and advertising business is undergoing significant changes, driven by the expansion of digital platforms, evolving media consumption patterns, growing demand for specialised talent and increasing complexity in media planning and buying. By bringing competing agency networks onto a common platform, AAAI aims to encourage greater industry participation in discussions that affect the broader media ecosystem.

The inaugural meeting was chaired by Kartik Sharma of Omnicom Media, who will head the AAAI Media Council. Senior representatives from Omnicom Media, WPP Media, Publicis Media, Havas, Madison World, R K Swamy and Network Advertising participated in the meeting.

The council's membership includes Monaz Todywalla and Anisha Iyer from Omnicom Media; Amin Lakhani and Navin Khemka from WPP Media; Niti Kumar and Jai Lala from Publicis Media; Uday Mohan and Shibu Shivanandan from Havas; Mayank Bhatnagar from Madison World; Navin Kathuria from R K Swamy; and Rohan Nair from Network Advertising.

As part of AAAI's 2026-27 agenda to deepen industry engagement, the Media Council is expected to provide a structured forum for agencies to discuss shared priorities and address opportunities and challenges facing the media business. The association said the council would also facilitate constructive engagement with advertisers, media owners, research bodies and other stakeholders.

Three broad priorities emerged from the inaugural meeting: talent and capability development, industry collaboration and thought leadership.

Under talent and capability development, the council intends to explore ways of bringing global learning systems and expertise to India through local and international knowledge partnerships. The focus will be on addressing the growing demand for skilled media professionals and strengthening the capabilities required by agencies as the industry becomes increasingly specialised.

The second priority is industry collaboration. The council plans to establish a flagship annual platform for knowledge exchange and engagement across the media ecosystem. The proposed initiative is expected to bring together agencies and other industry stakeholders to discuss developments, share perspectives and identify areas where collective action could benefit the sector.

The third area of focus is thought leadership. The council will work towards developing industry insights and practical playbooks on emerging areas of advertising and media. These are expected to provide agencies with a common knowledge base and help the industry respond to changes in media consumption, technology and advertising practices.

Speaking at the meeting, Kartik Sharma, chair of the AAAI Media Council, said the growing intersection of challenges and opportunities across individual agencies made collaboration increasingly important.

"Bringing India's leading media agencies together on a common platform is an important step towards advancing the industry as a whole. The challenges and opportunities before our business increasingly cut across individual agencies, making collaboration essential. Our ambition is to translate shared industry priorities into practical initiatives that prepare the media ecosystem for the future," Sharma said.

As an immediate step towards translating the priorities into action, the council has decided to meet regularly and has constituted three working groups focused on knowledge sharing, events and thought leadership. These groups will take forward the respective initiatives and develop actionable programmes for the industry.

The formation of the working groups signals the council's intention to move beyond periodic industry discussions and establish a mechanism for sustained engagement and execution.

Dr Sandeep Goyal, president of AAAI, also emphasised the need to ensure that the interests and concerns of smaller and medium-sized agencies receive adequate consideration alongside those of larger agency networks.

He said the council would play an important role in helping agencies navigate industry developments and ensuring that clients are appropriately guided. The emphasis on smaller agencies is significant given the differences in scale, resources and access to specialised capabilities across the agency ecosystem.

The deliberations at the meeting were also guided by Jaydeep Gandhi, vice-president of AAAI and founder of Another Idea; Babita Baruah, honorary secretary of AAAI and senior regional lead at VML India; and Punit Batra, honorary treasurer of AAAI and managing director of Ratan Batra Advertising.

The council's formation is part of AAAI's broader effort to strengthen the role of its member agencies in shaping the direction of India's advertising industry. By creating a dedicated forum for media agencies, the association is seeking to build greater alignment on issues that increasingly extend beyond the boundaries of individual networks.