WPP Media South Asia unveils new leadership council

WPP has formalised the transition of its media operations from GroupM to WPP Media South Asia, and announced the formation of a new leadership body, the WPP Media Leadership Council (WLC). This council is tasked with overseeing the business across India and Sri Lanka and supporting Prasanth Kumar (PK), who continues as the head of WPP Media in the region.

The leadership council is composed of eleven members representing multiple verticals within the media industry, including branded content, client leadership, digital performance, sports, entertainment, legal and privacy, and information technology. The council members are Ajay Mehta, Atique Kazi, Ruchi Mathur, Shekhar Banerjee, Snehi Jha, Vinit Karnik, Manini Chakraborty, Namalie Herath, Murali T, Parveen Sheik, and Rohit Sule.

Ajay Mehta currently oversees the India operations of Kinetic Worldwide, WPP’s out-of-home (OOH) media agency. His focus includes advancing transparency, accountability, and measurement standards in the OOH sector. He is also the founder and Managing Director of Interactive Television, a company he established in his early twenties and grew into one of India’s largest cinema on-screen advertising businesses. The company was later acquired by WPP and integrated into GroupM India. Under his leadership, Interactive contributed to the shift in cinema advertising from perception-based planning to a more data-driven and technology-enabled approach.

Atique Kazi serves as President – eCommerce, Performance and Digital Products at WPP Media South Asia. He has held leadership positions in various global markets including India, Singapore, London, and Dubai. Kazi’s prior experience includes senior roles at GroupM, Xaxis, Yahoo, and The Economist. His expertise spans both supply- and demand-side digital platforms, programmatic media, and eCommerce strategy. At GroupM, he contributed to building the performance and digital product ecosystem. His background in emerging markets and cross-border digital strategies aligns with South Asia’s evolving digital advertising landscape.

Ruchi Mathur is the Client Leadership head at Mindshare with a tenure exceeding 21 years at the agency. She holds an MBA in advertising and mass communication from NMIMS. Mathur manages high-value client accounts and media operations based out of the Gurgaon office. Her long-standing presence in the organisation is noted for providing continuity and operational stability during periods of industry and organisational change.

Shekhar Banerjee is Chief Client Officer and Office Head for the West, North, and East regions at Wavemaker India. Prior to Wavemaker, he spent over 13 years at Madison, handling major accounts such as Mondelez, McDonald’s, and Coca-Cola. Banerjee’s leadership at Wavemaker has coincided with recognition in industry awards including Cannes Titanium and multiple EMVIE Agency of the Year awards. His approach combines strategic media planning with creative execution to meet client business objectives.

Snehi Jha joined Mindshare Fulcrum in 2023 as Agency Managing Director and Senior Vice President. She previously held senior product marketing roles at Meta, where she led teams covering India and the Asia-Pacific region. Her experience spans platforms including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, focusing on monetisation and product adoption strategies. Jha’s background also includes developing delivery models and securing long-term client partnerships, with a cross-functional focus on data-driven brand solutions.

Vinit Karnik was recently appointed Managing Director at WPP Media South Asia. He formerly led the Sports, Esports, and Entertainment division at GroupM South Asia for close to 20 years. Karnik’s earlier career includes positions at Prasad Group, Padmalaya Telefilms, and Mudra Communications. His expertise covers sports marketing from a media planning perspective, influencer marketing, branded content development, and sponsorship platforms. His role at WPP Media will likely focus on experiential and entertainment-led marketing strategies.

Manini Chakraborty serves as Legal Director for Media and Head of Legal & Privacy – South Asia at WPP. She joined WPP in 2024 after nearly nine years at GroupM, where she progressed from Legal Head for India to overseeing legal and privacy operations across South Asia. Her prior experience includes senior legal roles at Publicis Re:Sources, Datamatics, and the law firm Khaitan & Partners. Chakraborty’s legal expertise encompasses corporate law, data privacy, compliance, litigation, and regulatory affairs, which are critical in managing governance risks in media operations, especially with increasing digital and cross-border complexities.

Namalie Herath is Managing Partner at WPP Media Sri Lanka. She has over 30 years of experience in the media and communications sector. Herath’s career trajectory includes leadership roles at Wavemaker Sri Lanka, MEC, and Bates Strategic Alliance. Starting her career as a media planner at J. Walter Thompson, she advanced to CEO of Wavemaker Sri Lanka in 2019. Herath’s focus areas include client leadership, media planning, organisational transformation, and talent development tailored to the Sri Lankan market. Her presence in the council ensures regional representation beyond India-centric perspectives.

Murali T is Senior Vice President at WPP Media and Mindshare India, with nearly two decades of experience in integrated communication planning and digital media. Murali has held various leadership roles within Mindshare, including Director and Principal Partner. His work centres on digital acceleration, data-led media strategies, full-funnel planning, and integrating creative with media thinking. His earlier career includes media sales roles at Zee Telefilms, Asianet, and Star News, providing commercial insight to his media planning expertise.

Parveen Sheik is National Director at GroupM, with over 15 years of experience in media operations, analytics, and systems transformation. Sheik has advanced through senior roles such as Director and Senior Director within GroupM over the past decade. Her earlier experience includes research and planning roles at Maxus, BIG FM, Symrise, and Research International. Sheik specialises in process implementation, stakeholder management across markets, and developing scalable media operations grounded in audience insight and content strategy.

Rohit Sule is the Strategic Business Partner – IT, South Asia at GroupM. He has over 23 years of technology leadership experience encompassing infrastructure, application development, automation, and digital transformation. Sule has progressed from Network Administrator to National Director – IT and now plays a strategic role aligning IT with business priorities. His responsibilities include driving automation roadmaps, improving operational efficiency, and managing IT systems and vendor relationships. His role is critical in integrating technology infrastructure with media operations and supporting business transformation initiatives.