MUMBAI: Omnicom Media Group has strengthened the leadership of its media agency, PHD India, having promoted Jyoti Bansal to the role of CEO and Shavon Barua to chief client officer.

The promotions follow the exceptional growth and performance of the agency over the past few years under these leaders’ tenures.

An engineering and MBA graduate, Bansal joined Omnicom Media Group in 2009 to lead its new business initiatives and when PHD India was established, she was appointed to lead the new agency. Under her leadership, the agency has continued to climb from strength to strength, winning global, regional and local accolades for its innovative approach to communications planning. As CEO, Bansal will focus on expanding PHD’s footprint in India through continued digital transformation and innovation in the media space.

Barua joined PHD in 2015 as managing partner to work on the Hindustan Unilever business from the agency’s Mumbai office. Over the past three years, she has played an instrumental role in growing the business, gaining invaluable experience that she will now leverage in her new role. As CCO, Barua will now work closely with Bansal to further develop PHD’s market-leading and award-winning client offering.

Speaking on the promotions, Omnicom Media Group India CEO Harish Shriyan said, “With a unique leadership mix of Jyoti’s media prowess and Shavon’s creative background, PHD India has soared to incredible heights over the past few years, becoming one of India’s most acclaimed media agencies. These well-deserved promotions will ensure PHD India continues to scale new heights, as they continue to find a better way for their team, clients and partners.”

“Over the years, we have built a highly differentiated offering in the market, rooted in a culture of smart strategic thinking and creative innovation,” said Bansal. “From a young challenger brand in the market to winning Media Agency of the Year, the last five years have been an exhilarating journey. I look forward to continuing forging a future-ready agency, helping clients’ future-proof their businesses and working with the team to produce more industry-leading work.”

Barua added: “At PHD, our mission has always been about ‘finding a better way’ to produce innovative communications solutions work for our clients. In my new capacity, I look forward to combining gamification techniques with hard-core strategic principles to spark further innovation and deliver stronger business results for our clients.’’

The promotions are effective immediately.