Sir Martin Sorrell joins marketing leaders for an intimate evening in New Delhi

On his visit to India, global advertising and marketing industry leader Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman, S4Capital and Monks, joined a select gathering of senior marketing, business and media leaders in New Delhi on Friday, 21 August, for an evening of conversations around artificial intelligence, the evolving marketing ecosystem and the forces reshaping global business.

The Future Of Marketing

Hosted by Dr Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld Media Group and Founder of exchange4media Group, the intimate, invitation-only evening was held at Tyde, The Park, New Delhi.

The gathering brought together a curated group of CMOs, founders, business executives and media leaders for candid conversations on some of the most consequential shifts facing businesses today. Discussions ranged from the acceleration of AI and its implications for creativity and productivity to changing consumer behaviour, evolving media models and the need for organisations to adapt to a technology-led environment.

The evening began with welcome remarks by Dr Batra, followed by opening observations from Sorrell, who shared his perspectives on artificial intelligence, marketing, global business and the significant shifts he is observing across markets.

One of the advertising industry's most prominent global figures, Sorrell has been a longstanding voice on the intersection of technology, data, creativity, media and consumer behaviour. Through his leadership at S4Capital and Monks, he continues to engage with the transformation underway across the global advertising and marketing industry.

AI, Business And What Comes Next

The opening remarks were followed by a fireside chat between Sorrell and Dr Batra, moderated by Noor Fathima Warsia, Group Editorial Director, BW Businessworld.

The conversation explored the changing role of AI in marketing and business, with a focus on the transition from experimentation to implementation. The discussion touched upon productivity, creative transformation, competitive advantage and how organisations may need to rethink teams, talent and workflows as AI becomes increasingly embedded in business operations.

The conversation also examined broader shifts across the industry, including changing consumer expectations, evolving media and technology ecosystems, and the growing convergence of creativity, data and business strategy.

A Cross-Section Of India's Marketing Ecosystem

The evening saw participation from senior executives across technology, consumer brands, financial services, media and marketing.

Among those present were Utsav Malhotra, Chief Operating Officer, Noise; Nitin Gupta, Managing Director, Fujifilm Sonosite; Himanshu Khanna, Group CMO, CK Birla Group; Ajay Kaul, Global Head, Growth Marketing, DiDi; Rajeev Jain, Senior Vice President, Corporate Marketing, DS Group; Satinder Juneja, CMO, Birlasoft; and Parag Sawhney, General Manager, The Park New Delhi.

The gathering also included Abhinav Iyer, Chief General Manager, Marketing & Strategy, The Muthoot Group; Nikita Malhotra, Head, Digital & Retail Marketing, Woodland; Nidhi Rastogi, Head of Marketing, Uniqlo India; and Ratin Duggal, GM, Marketing, ITC.

Representing Monks were Monisha Chowla, Senior Vice President, Operations, APAC Centre of Excellence; Niranjan Singh, Head of Media, India; and Prabhjot Kaur, Senior Director, Operations, India.

The evening also saw participation from media and industry representatives, including Raktim Das of Zee Media and Gaurav Barjatya of NDTV, along with experienced industry leaders including broadcast media veteran Avinash Pandey and K. Ganapathy Subramaniam, former Chief Marketing Officer at LT Foods.

The diversity of the guest list brought together perspectives from the brand, agency, media, technology and business sides of the ecosystem, allowing the discussion to move beyond individual sectors and functions.

From AI Experimentation To Business Integration

The gathering comes as artificial intelligence moves deeper into marketing functions, influencing creative production, media, personalisation, customer engagement and organisational design.

For marketing leaders, the central question is increasingly shifting from whether to adopt AI to how to integrate it effectively into business operations. This includes determining where AI can deliver measurable productivity gains, how human creativity and machine capabilities can work together, and what new skills and structures marketing organisations will require.

Against this backdrop, the evening offered senior leaders an opportunity to exchange perspectives on the practical and strategic implications of these changes, while placing them within the larger context of global business transformation.

The formal interaction was followed by dinner and informal networking, allowing guests to continue the conversation in a more relaxed setting.

The evening brought together global industry perspective and India's senior marketing leadership at a time when technology, data and AI are redefining how businesses create, communicate and compete.