GroupM India appoints Ashwin Padmanabhan as President – Investments, Trading and Partnerships

GroupM India, today announced Ashwin Padmanabhan taking on an elevated role as President – Investments, Trading & Partnerships, GroupM India. Ashwin who earlier led ‘Trading’ and ‘Partnerships’ will now be also taking on the ‘Investments’ portfolio from Sidharth Parashar. Sidharth Parashar will be joining the APAC Mindshare leadership team as chief investment officer, Mindshare APAC and will now be based out of Singapore.

Prasanth Kumar, GroupM South Asia CEO said, “Sidharth has had a phenomenal career journey where the organization has witnessed his evolution from a practice expert to a leader over the last 18 years with GroupM. He has successfully led the investment mandates across all media and has elevated the practice through innovative products and delivering exceptional value for our clients. I would like to wish him the very best and will continue to work closely with him as he drives regional investment strategy for Mindshare”. He added, “I am also excited to see Ashwin taking over this additional role. He has a deep understanding of the business, and we continue to benefit from his knowledge of the media ecosystem. Focusing on cutting-edge innovation backed by his solid process orientation is a value add for clients. His ‘start up’ mindset has helped GroupM venture into new practices, deploying creativity to our Products and Solutions keeping client delight at the helm.”

Sidharth will report to Helen McRae, chief executive officer, Mindshare APAC, and work on enhancing Mindshare’s local market investment strategy and driving thinking and the opportunity of Good Growth and Intentional Investment for the region.

Helen McRae, chief executive officer, Mindshare APAC said, “I am very pleased that Sid will be joining our regional team. He brings a tremendous depth of expertise and will be a great champion of Good Growth for our clients.”

Sidharth Parashar, chief investment officer, Mindshare APAC said, “It has been an amazing journey at GroupM, and I am delighted to now take over this new Mindshare APAC investments role. I look forward to this opportunity in new markets to build value for our client’s business.”

Ashwin Padmanabhan, president – investments, trading and partnerships, GroupM India said, “GroupM, has been a fertile ground for innovation and creating value in a highly entrepreneurial environment. This expanded remit motivates me to renew my focus on the GroupM value proposition for our clients, media partners, and technology partners. We want to keep the momentum up with these relentless efforts toward improving today for a better tomorrow.”

Ashwin will continue to report to Prasanth Kumar South Asia CEO of GroupM and be based out of Gurgaon Campus. Over the next 3 months, Sidharth and Ashwin will work closely in ensuring a seamless transition into their respective new roles along with their key leadership team.