GroupM: New roles for Kartik Sharma, T. Gangadhar, Anand Chakravarthy

Recently, GroupM announced the merger of MEC and Maxus, which will come into effect January 2018 onwards. Until then, MEC and Maxus continue to operate as separate agency brands.

Today, Tim Castree, Global CEO of MEC and CEO of 'NewCo', as this merged entity is being called for now, announced that Kartik Sharma will be managing director of this entity in India and South Asia, when it launches in January 2018. Sharma has been managing director of Maxus South Asia since 2014.

Castree says in a press release, “We're creating a brand new billion-dollar revenue media, content and technology agency, dubbed 'NewCo' for now. With such ambition, comes a need for brilliant talent to lead and inspire, and so today's news is very exciting for us. Under Kartik's leadership, I am confident that we will have the right team in place to truly make NewCo a formidable future-facing agency in India and South Asia.“

Sharma will report to GroupM South Asia CEO, CVL Srinivas and Castree.

Further, Christian Juhl, global CEO of Essence, a digital-first agency that GroupM acquired in November 2015, announced that T. Gangadhar, current managing director of MEC South Asia, will transition into the role of chairman, Essence, India, and managing director, Essence, North Asia.

Gangadhar will report to Kyoko Matsushita, CEO of Essence APAC. He will continue to be based in Mumbai.

Anand Chakravarthy, who has worked as managing partner at Maxus India since 2015, will transition into the role of managing director, Essence India. Chakravarthy will report to both Gangadhar and Matsushita and will work closely with the regional leadership in his new role.

Like Sharma, Gangadhar and Chakravarthy will take on their new roles in January 2018.

Juhl says, “India is such an important market for so many of our clients whose business challenges we work tirelessly to solve. Essence has built its credibility on being a data-centric agency that infuses technology and measurement across all media. We're excited to expand our geographic footprint and apply our unique approach for our global clients looking for relevance in India. Gangadhar and Anand are experienced leaders who will help expand our presence."