Breaking: Kartik Sharma named CEO of Omnicom Media India

Industry veteran Kartik Sharma has been appointed as CEO of Omnicom Media India, marking one of the most significant leadership moves in the media and advertising sector this year. Sharma will report directly to Tony Harradine, CEO of Omnicom Media APAC, as the network undergoes sweeping structural changes following its $13-billion acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG).

Sources confirmed the development to Storyboard18, adding that Sharma emerged as the frontrunner in the leadership race thanks to a strong business performance momentum. OMG India had added more than 10 major clients in 2025, collectively valued at over $40 million. New account wins include Kimberly-Clark, Zurich Kotak General Insurance, Atomberg, Double A, Michelin, Watertec, and Bondbazaar. The network also secured Marico, its largest India mandate since the marquee Tata Motors win.

Storyboard18 reached out to Kartik Sharma for his response, he remained unavailable for a comment.

Sharma joined Omnicom in July 2020 from Wavemaker, where he served as CEO–South Asia. During his more than decade-long stint at Wavemaker (formerly Maxus), he held key leadership positions that strengthened the agency’s regional footprint. He has also worked with Madison Media and Mindshare, bringing over two decades of media, strategy, and leadership expertise to his new role.

As CEO of Omnicom Media India, Sharma is expected to steer the organisation through a transformative phase, sharpen its competitive edge, and deepen its client relationships at a time when the global media landscape is shifting rapidly.

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Sharma’s appointment comes as Omnicom executes one of the largest restructurings in its history. The holding company is set to eliminate more than 4,000 jobs and retire several long-standing global agency brands following the completion of its blockbuster IPG acquisition.

The deal positions Omnicom as the world’s largest advertising holding group by revenue, overtaking Publicis and pushing WPP into third place. The consolidation reorients the centre of global advertising power back to New York’s Manhattan, long regarded as the symbolic home of the original “Mad Men.”

Alongside the APAC restructuring, the group has also formalised the appointments of four global brand presidents across its media networks:

George Manas, OMD

Stacy DeRiso, Initiative

Susan Kingston-Brown, UM

Christian Flouch, PHD

Appointments for Mediahub and Hearts & Science will be announced later. Of the four confirmed presidents, Kingston-Brown and Flouch are UK-based. Flouch is the only appointee without prior CEO experience, having previously served as chief client officer at PHD Worldwide.

Industry watchers see Sharma’s elevation as a strategic move to bolster Omnicom Media India's operations at a crucial juncture. With India emerging as one of the fastest-growing advertising markets globally, leadership stability and aggressive client acquisition are key priorities for the network.

Sharma’s deep market understanding, turnaround experience, and strong relationships across the ecosystem are expected to play a critical role as Omnicom integrates IPG assets, consolidates services, and strengthens its media brands in the region.

His appointment underscores Omnicom’s intent to build a more agile, unified, and competitive media organisation—one that can leverage scale without losing market-specific agility.