Gautam Kiyawat to replace Punitha Arumugam at Madison Media

Madison Media has found a replacement for Punitha Arumugam, former group chief executive officer, who put in her papers last month. Gautam Kiyawat will join the agency's Mumbai office on May 1 as group chief executive officer.

On his appointment, Kiyawat conveys in a press note, "It is fantastic to join an organisation that I have respected immensely as a client for its expertise, its values and for always being guided by doing the right thing." He adds that he looks forward to working with D Sriram, newly appointed consulting director, Madison Media and Sam Balsara, chairman and managing director, Madison World.

Addressing the appointment, Balsara says, "I am delighted to have Gautam (Kiyawat) join us. His cross-market experience of managing brands, media companies and a digital start up are all very relevant to the exciting future we see for Madison. I am sure he will add a lot of value to Madison Media clients and bring a fresh new holistic business perspective."

An alumnus of IIM Bengaluru, Kiyawat brings to the table more than 17 years of experience across various markets including India, Southeast Asia and the US.

Kiyawat started his career with Procter & Gamble (India and ASEAN) in 1995. He was at P&G till 2002, after which he moved to Philips (Asia Pacific), where he worked till 2004. Subsequently, he moved to News Corp (STAR TV), Southeast Asia.

In 2009, Kiyawat joined AdVerb, a digital creative media company, where he worked for two years before moving to Research In Motion earlier this year.