Dentsu India has appointed Saagar Sethi as its new Chief Business Officer (CBO), taking over the portfolio previously led by Kartik Iyer, who recently stepped down from the network.
Sethi moves into the role after serving as President of Amplifi, dentsu India’s supply-side management platform, since April 2022. During his tenure, he led the network’s Investment Management, Media Trading and Content businesses, while also overseeing growth for The Story Lab and Posterscope in India.
As CBO, Sethi will oversee an expanded portfolio covering Investment & Trading, Media Planning & Operations, Performance Practice and Operational Excellence. The consolidation is aimed at bringing investment, planning, performance and delivery under unified leadership and creating a more integrated operating model for dentsu’s clients and teams.
The leadership change comes as dentsu India continues to reshape its senior management structure. Sethi will report to Sujit Vaidya, Chief Financial Officer, with a matrix reporting relationship to Ajay Gupte, Chief Operating Officer.
Commenting on the transition, Harsha Razdan, CEO, South Asia, dentsu, acknowledged Iyer’s contribution to the organisation and said his experience would continue to be available to the network in an advisory capacity.
On Sethi’s appointment, Razdan said the Indian market is increasingly focused on measurable business outcomes, making the connection between media investment and commercial results more critical. He added that bringing investment, planning, performance and operational excellence together under Sethi’s leadership would provide clients with a more direct path to growth.
Sethi’s appointment comes as dentsu seeks to create a more integrated and commercially focused operating structure, combining its media investment, planning, performance and operational capabilities under a single leadership portfolio.