Anita Kotwani elevated to CEO Media, South Asia, dentsu
Divya Karani will be transitioning off the media business to pursue personal interests

Dentsu India today announces the promotion of Anita Kotwani to CEO Media, South Asia, dentsu. In her expanded role Anita will lead all dentsu’s Media businesses across South Asia including Carat, iProspect, dentsu X, Posterscope and media investment arm Amplifi. Most recently, Anita was CEO, Carat India, a position she has held since 2020.
A passionate media expert with over two decades of experience in the industry, Anita has an extensive background in media management for Consumer Durables, Financial Services, FMCG, and MNC brands. Anita is a regular on the award circuit, chairing juries for various bodies including EMVIEs, Goafest, and Kyoorius. Most recently, Anita won ‘Agency Head of the Year’ at the Campaign Agency of the Year Awards 2022. She was also named ‘Impact Top 50 Influential Women’ of 2022 in the Media, Marketing, and Advertising category, ‘Women to Watch’ in 2018, and ‘Impact Top 50 Influential Women’ in 2019.
Rob Gilby, CEO APAC, dentsu, and Interim CEO, India until newly appointed CEO, Harsha Razdan, starts said: “Anita is a well-loved leader who firmly looks to the future, bringing her people with her on the journey and is fearless in her approach to driving new solutions for clients. The Media opportunity in India is growing exponentially. Anita’s background, coupled with Harsha’s complimentary experience is building a powerful force in our business to drive growth for our clients in this exciting market.”
Divya Karani will be transitioning off the media business to pursue personal interests after building a successful media reputation for dentsu India over the last decade.
Rob added: “Over the past 10 years Divya has successfully scaled our business on a market-beating trajectory, evidenced by dentsu becoming the #1 agency in RECMA 2021. We thank her for her years of dedication and wish her the very best for the future. I am looking forward to the next wave of leadership accelerating the solid foundation Divya has built.”
Divya Karani said: “I am proud of what I have accomplished with dentsu. Having worked closely with Anita – a valuable member of my leadership team, I know there is no better candidate for me to hand the reins to lead the media business to new heights. While it’s always a bittersweet moment to leave your ‘baby’, it is time for me to move on and pursue new opportunities.”
Anita Kotwani, CEO Media, South Asia, dentsu said: “I have learned a tremendous amount from Divya and am honoured to be given this baton to carry on the marathon. You don’t just replace three decades of experience overnight – I intend to take this on with my utmost commitment and will look to continually challenge myself and my wonderful team of media specialists to always stay at the forefront of the industry to deliver the world’s best-integrated media strategies.”
This announcement closely follows last week’s appointment of Harsha Razdan, dentsu South Asia’s new CEO, as the business continues to strengthen its leadership team in the region.
Anita’s appointment is effective immediately.
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Dentsu names Ashish Khanna as Global CEO - Dentsu Global Services
Khanna will be reporting to Michael Komasinski, Chief Executive Officer, CXM
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 30, 2023 8:18 AM | 1 min read
Dentsu has appointed Ashish Khanna as the Global CEO, media networks have reported.
Khanna will be leading the Dentsu Global Services team across the globe. He will report to Michael Komasinski, Chief Executive Officer, CXM.
As per media reports, Khanna will work on operationalising a "globally networked talent capability".
He has in the past worked with companies like Genpact, Accenture and PwC.
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Liqvd Asia’s CCO Anish Varghese quits
Saptarshi Banik appointed National Director - Business & Services and Sunil Gangras promoted
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 29, 2023 4:45 PM | 3 min read
Liqvd Asia, a digital marketing and advertising agency, has announced the restructuring of its leadership team. Anish Varghese will step down from his current position as the CCO, the agency said.
Further, the agency has appointed Saptarshi Banik as the new National Director - Business and Services and Sunil Gangras has been promoted to a higher position from his previous role as Joint National Creative Director.
“With over 15 years of extensive experience, Saptarshi has made instrumental contributions to top companies like Leo Burnett, McCann, JWT, Ogilvy, and Publicis, and played a pivotal role in launching high-profile brands such as Sony Sports, Sony YaY, Skoda 2.0 in India, and CEAT Specialty tires in the US and Europe. In his new role as National Director - Business and Services, Saptarshi will lead the charge in elevating Liqvd Asia's digital offerings across the country. His strategic vision and industry expertise will be invaluable in driving growth and expanding the agency's reach in the dynamic digital landscape,” the company said.
Saptarshi said, "I am thrilled to join Liqvd Asia, a company that is synonymous with innovation and excellence in the digital marketing industry. I’m glad to be a part of a team that is constantly pushing the boundaries and revolutionizing the way we approach digital marketing. With my experience in advertising and Liqvd Asia's cutting-edge strategies, I am confident that together we will deliver exceptional solutions that will make a significant impact.”
Sunil Gangras, who has been with Liqvd Asia for more than four years as Joint National Creative Director, has been promoted to the higher position of “Head of Creative Services” in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the company's creative services division. In his new role, he will be the head of the agency’s creative prowess across locations even beyond India
He said, "Joining Liqvd Asia was a turning point in my career. Creative strategy is key to achieving victory on the battlefield of communication. We constantly challenge the status quo and believe in disrupting categories to drive impact. I am humbled and grateful for the trust placed in me by Liqvd Asia with this new opportunity. Excited to continue working alongside the team to drive greater success and elevate our reputation as a leading digital marketing agency."
Commenting on the structural changes in the agency, Arnab Mitra, Managing Director, Liqvd Asia, said, "We are thrilled to restructure our leadership team at Liqvd Asia, adding a new National Director for Business and Services and promoting Sunil Gangras to a higher position. These changes signify our dedication to delivering high-quality services to our clients and consolidating our position as a leading digital marketing agency of the future where we are not limited by archaic agency structures but by a forward-looking approach in creating service-specific cohorts that deliver results. We are confident that these structural changes will enable us to better serve our clients and achieve even greater success in the future."
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Priyanka Sethi joins Haier India Appliances as Head of Marketing
She has over 15 years of experience in marketing and brand management across B2C and B2B brands
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 29, 2023 11:54 AM | 1 min read
Priyanka Sethi joins Haier India Appliances as Head of Marketing.
With over 15 years of experience in marketing and brand management across B2C and B2B brands, she will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies that will drive growth and increase market share for Haier India Appliances. She will also be responsible for strengthening the brand's positioning and enhancing its customer engagement.
In the past, Priyanka has held several leadership positions with Panasonic, Discovery, and NEC Corporation India. She has conceptualized, led, and worked on numerous award-winning campaigns across the board, that have resulted in creating a mark for the respective brands.
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Swiggy’s Saurabh Nath moves on
Nath, Swiggy’s Head of Brand Marketing, is exiting after a stint of a year
By Anupama Sajeet | Mar 29, 2023 9:03 AM | 1 min read
Saurabh Nath, Head of Brand Marketing at Swiggy, has moved on from the organisation after a stint of one year. He confirmed the news of his exit to e4m.
Nath joined the food aggregator platform in March 2021 and led brand marketing across Swiggy masterbrand and delivery business. He holds an experience of over a decade in the field of marketing and has worked with several brands including Ola, OZiva, Kellogg Company.
Prior to Swiggy, he was with OZiva, a D2C nutrition & wellness start-up, as Head of Marketing since August 2021. Here, he led the marketing function and P&L with responsibilities across brand marketing, performance marketing, category management and e-commerce.
Nath began his career with Kimberly-Clark Lever as Assistant Manager-Consumer & Marketing Insights. After this, he moved to Kellogg Company, where he spent over seven years. As Associate Director, Marketing, Motherbrand Portfolio at Kellogg, he headed the category of Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Kellogg's Muesli and Kellogg's Granola.
In February 2021, Nath joined Ola as the Director of brand marketing, where he headed supply marketing for the India and international businesses, before joining OZiva.
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Mihir Palan joins EssenceMediacom as Senior Director, Planning- APAC
Prior to this, Palan was with Kinnect for 7 years
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 28, 2023 6:01 PM | 1 min read
Mihir Palan has been appointed as Senior Director of Planning, APAC for Google SMB business at EssenceMediacom, GroupM’s newest and largest agency. Palan made the announcement on LinkedIn. In his new role, he will manage strategic media planning initiatives for Google SMB business across the APAC region.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Sr. Director Planning - APAC for Google SMB business at EssenceMediacom! Excited to learn about regional challenges and drive success for clients business”, his LinkedIn post said.
Prior to this, Palan was with Kinnect for 7 years where he held several key positions. His last held designation at the digital marketing company was Vice President- Media.
Palan is a media professional having an experience of more than 13 years. Previously, he has worked with adMixt, MSL Group, WATConsult, and The Glitch. As per his LinkedIn profile, he is also a visiting faculty in several top educational institutions.
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Axis Securities appoints Pranav Haridasan as MD and CEO
Haridasan is currently Managing Director and Co-Head of Equities at Axis Capital
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 28, 2023 5:57 PM | 1 min read
Axis Securities announced the appointment of Pranav Haridasan as its new Managing Director & CEO for a tenure of 3 years. This move follows the internal succession plan of Axis Group, with the current MD & CEO, B Gopkumar, transitioning to Axis Asset Management Company as MD & CEO.
Haridasan is currently Managing Director and Co-Head of Equities at Axis Capital. He comes with a rich experience of over 20 years in financial markets across different asset classes. Pranav has a proven track record in upscaling the equities business, focusing on technology, compliance, and operations to create a robust, top-rated research, sales, trading, and derivatives platform. Before Axis Capital, Pranav worked at Citigroup Global Markets as Director & Head of India/ ASEAN Execution Services.
Haridasan is an MBA from the Indian School of Business and has an undergraduate degree in Business Management from Christ University.
Amitabh Chaudhry, MD & CEO, Axis Bank said, “Over the years, Axis Securities has established itself as a leading player in the Indian broking industry. Pranav’s experience and technology acumen will play a pivotal role in driving our growth and expansion plans, while creating a more robust and differentiated franchise.”
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Debra Crew named Diageo’s first female CEO
Crew is currently the COO
By exchange4media Staff | Mar 28, 2023 5:37 PM | 1 min read
Diageo, one of the biggest largest alcoholic drinks companies, has got its first female CEO. The company, which makes Guinness beer and Johnnie Walker whisky, has announced that its Chief Operating Officer Debra Crew would be the next CEO, according to media reports.
She will take over from Ivan Menezes, who will retire after 10 years in the role.
Crew will take charge on July 1, 2023, the company said in a statement. Her appointment means women will make up more than 50% of Diageo’s executive committee, it added.
Media reports quoted chairman Javier Ferrán as saying, “Ivan has transformed Diageo’s global footprint, brand portfolio and strategic focus, positioning our business as a clear leader in premium drinks,”
“The Board has diligently planned for Ivan’s successor, and we are delighted to have appointed a leader of Debra’s calibre to the role,” he reportedly added added. “I have no doubt that Diageo is in the right hands for the next phase of its growth.”
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