Mumbai: Publicis Groupe has appointed Ajit Gurnani as chief business development officer for South Asia. In his new role, he will enhance new business offerings, strengthen client relationships, and accelerate growth for the Groupe and its clients. He will also drive greater synergies, and connectivity across Groupe agencies, solution hubs, and practices for increased client value and maximum business results. He will work closely with Publicis Groupe South Asia CEO Anupriya Acharya in this mandate.  Publicis Media India has been leading in new business rankings in the last couple of years.

Gurnani takes on this role in addition to his current role as chief growth officer of Publicis Media Services India wherein he works closely with Publicis Media Services India chief executive Tanmay Mohanty. In his current role, he has helmed critical global and local pitches, and been instrumental in enabling some of the key media wins of 2022 – PepsiCo, LG Digital, and Eureka Forbes among others, working closely with the media services teams.

Gurnani has been with Groupe for nearly eight years now across various roles in Zenith and Publicis Media. Apart from the agency and media experience he gained through leadership roles in leading media networks, he also brings a wide spectrum of client-side experience from his stint at Marico and others.

Acharya says “This role is a vital one for the Groupe and is aimed at further solidifying partnerships with clients and keeping up our pace of new business momentum. Gurnani is a seasoned leader that brings remarkable perspective, depth, and dimension to every brand conversation and from across various vantage points.  His vast experience across categories, businesses and working with multi-disciplinary teams is an added asset.”

Gurnani said, “I am thrilled at the opportunity. Publicis Groupe South Asia has been performing spectacularly on new business and future-facing capabilities and I look forward to my part in elevating its position further, and bringing in new partnerships, connections, and surefire growth. Publicis Power of One model is very powerful, and I hope to leverage it fully to unlock tangible value for the Groupe and its clients.”