Arun Varghese bids farewell to WPP Media after 10 years

BENGALURU: Some marketers chase attention. Arun Varghese builds it, then measures it. After 10 years, he has bid farewell to WPP Media, closing a decade that took him from director to national head of emerging tech and experiential marketing, and left a trail of more than 1,000 projects behind him.

His parting note is warm. What started as a job, he says, became a journey of growth, learning, friendships and memories that he will cherish forever. WPP, he adds, has been more than just an organisation. It has been a second home, and a place that gave him the nerve to do whatever it takes. It is where he grew, made mistakes, celebrated victories and spent some of the most defining years of his life. He leaves, in his words, with immense gratitude, a lifetime of memories and a little heaviness in the heart.

The record behind the sentiment is substantial. Across 19 years, Varghese has delivered experiential marketing campaigns and IPs, product launches and content creation. His profile describes a powerhouse team of creative visionaries crafting next-gen brand experiences, using XR, Gen AI, spatial tech and more to build immersive, audience-engaging solutions that deliver real results. His method is to turn brand narratives into impactful stories while integrating business goals and advanced analytics to maximise ROI. He also says he excels at uncovering prime opportunities for brand exposure and revenue growth. In a business where “innovation” is often a slide in a deck, that is a notably practical brief.

The climb was steady. Varghese joined Wavemaker in July 2016 as director, experiential marketing, a post he held until November 2020 in Bengaluru. His remit covered the South and North Indian markets, producing positive brand experiences that raise brand equity and contribute to growth, while integrating business objectives and measurement tools to maximise ROI. He then served as senior director, experiential marketing and emerging tech, from November 2020 to November 2022, and as national head, emerging tech and experiential marketing, from December 2022 to October 2026, a stretch of three years and 11 months. His WPP Media listing, as national head, emerging tech and experiential marketing (WM/MOT), runs from July 2024 to October 2026, or two years and four months, also in Bengaluru. In all, his Wavemaker tenure spans 10 years and four months.

The work speaks through its showcase. His profile highlights the WM Experience for Royal Stag Boombox 2024 in Jaipur, BREW 2026, described as WPP’s annual flagship event for content and tech, and the Tata Tea Chakra Gold sand art unveil of the new pack. The profile lists 16 media items against the role.

The foundations were laid in events and activations. Varghese was business head at The360ARC from January 2014 to June 2016, working across Mumbai and Dubai. The company has offices across India, the UAE, South Korea and the UK and, since its inception in 2006, has completed over 1,600 projects globally. Its record covers events, expos, activations and artist management, for brands including Mercedes Benz, Skoda, Hyundai, LG, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic.

Before that came a year at Edelman Cream India, from December 2012 to November 2013, as senior manager, activations and new business, in Mumbai. There he led the conceptualisation of major projects, identified new business opportunities with clients, monitored key client interactions and worked with the operations team to ensure smooth execution and the highest levels of customer satisfaction. The client list included Kwality Walls, Being Human, Magnum ice creams, Hello, Femina, Pepe, L’Occitane and Jack n Jones. Two projects stand out. The HELLO! Hall of Fame Awards 2013, described in the profile as India’s most prestigious personality-based awards ceremony, called for end-to-end ideation, conceptualisation, execution and management over months of planning. All Starr Jamm, an initiative by Jack & Jones, Vero Moda and ONLY (Bestseller India), brought talented artists together while raising footfalls to the store. It featured Ramona Arena, Arijit Dutta, Shefali Alvares and Nikhil D’souza.

The earlier chapters show the same appetite. From August to November 2012, Varghese was senior manager, activations and sponsorships, at Arena Sports BVI, a 360ARC venture, in Mumbai and Dubai. At The 360 ARC, over four years and 10 months, he was manager, activations and events, from February 2010 to November 2012, handling business development and the conceptualisation, planning and execution of brand activations, events and expos. He began there as business development executive, from February 2008 to February 2010, in Mumbai. The first rung was an internship at Pressman Advertising & Marketing Limited, in Mumbai, from November to December 2007.

No farewell is complete without the thank-yous, and Varghese’s list is long. He thanks his mentors, friends and colleagues Karthik Nagarajan, Kishan Kumar, Niraj Ruparel, Priyambada Choudhury, Tushar Vyas, Ajay Mehta, Prasanth Kumar, Deepak Sasikumar, Priyadarshi Debasrit, Abhishek Chandran, Anindita Dutta Roy, Gaurav Chopraa, Vaibhav K. Pankaj, Aarti Bal, Vinit Karnik, Shaad M, Shibu George, Karan Yadav, George Kovoor, Vishal Jacob, Raadhika Ramanand, Ravishankar Iyer, Raunaq Sikka, Gaurav Sablania, Deepak Ramesh, Rashi Mohan, Tariq C., Nakul Agarwal, Abhishek Singh, Rajiv Rajagopal, Ramkumar, Tony V Francis, Venu Madhav, Anilkumar Sathiraju, Pooja Belose, Anjali Nand Kumar, Vidisha Mishra, Amith, Radhika Anand and many more. He thanks them for the laughter, the madness, the conversations and the unwavering support, and most of all for standing by him through the difficult times. They made the tough days bearable and the good days unforgettable.

The pattern is clear. Varghese started on the ground, planning and executing activations, and ended up setting the direction for how brands use immersive technology. He says he is driven to learn, innovate and consistently deliver excellence, and that the next adventure awaits, though a part of him will always belong at WPP. He signs off by thanking colleagues for trusting him and being a part of his little journey. The record suggests it has been anything but little.