EXCLUSIVE: Prasoon Joshi, Aditya Kanthy to spearhead Omnicom’s new India charter

Omnicom Advertising has unveiled a sweeping new organisational structure for its India operations, positioning the market as a central pillar of its global creative ambitions. In an internal memo, Sean Donovan, President of Omnicom Advertising Asia, outlined how the company will operationalise its global three-network architecture—McCann, BBDO and TBWA—while adapting it to India’s scale, legacy agencies and client landscape.

According to the internal communication (accessed by Storyboard18), India’s significance as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and the strength of its long-standing creative agencies have influenced the regional adaptation. The structure is positioned as a balance of continuity and change—designed to maximise growth for clients while expanding opportunities for talent across the group.

Prasoon Joshi and Aditya Kanthy to Lead New India Charter

The new India leadership will be spearheaded by Prasoon Joshi, who is elevated to Chairman of Omnicom Advertising India, and Aditya Kanthy, who becomes President & MD. Both leaders will report directly to Donovan. They will be joined by S. Subramanyeswar (Subbu), who takes on the dual role of Chief Strategy Officer for India and Chief Knowledge Officer for Asia.

This leadership trio will anchor Omnicom’s investments in creative excellence, knowledge systems, specialist capabilities, AI-driven tools and technology platforms across the India network. The goal, according to the memo, is to strengthen agency output, accelerate client growth and widen avenues for professional development.

Three Global Agency Networks, Strengthened by Indian Brand Equity

In India, the organisation will formally operate three global agency brand networks—TBWA\Lintas, BBDO Group and McCann—each reinforced by the equity of legacy Indian brands Lintas, Ulka and Mudra. The structure is further supported by Omnicom Advertising’s creative and experience innovation network, represented locally by Kinnect and 22feet Tribal.

New Leadership Across Agencies

Several leadership appointments have also been confirmed across the group’s agencies:

McCann: Dheeraj Sinha and Rahul Mathew will take charge.

BBDO India: Josy Paul will continue to lead, with a refreshed leadership team to be announced.

TBWA\Lintas: Govind Pandey and Prateek Bhardwaj will head the merged entity.

Kinnect & 22feet Tribal: Chandni Shah becomes CEO of the combined organisation.

Group Digital Capabilities: Rohan Mehta will lead digital integration and capability development across Omnicom Advertising India.

All agency brand CEOs, along with the broader India organisation, will report to Aditya Kanthy, supported by Prasoon Joshi in his role as Chairman.

Transition to the New Structure on January 1, 2026

The memo underlines that the operating structure taking effect from January 1, 2026, has been developed collaboratively with local leadership teams. Employees have been assured that additional operational details will follow in the coming weeks as agencies refine implementation frameworks.

Donovan emphasised that the transition aims to maintain client continuity while creating an environment where talent can thrive. He noted that the combined scale and opportunities within Omnicom and Omnicom Advertising will allow individuals to build long-term careers across markets.

Closing the communication, he acknowledged the organisation’s resilience through the year and expressed confidence in the impact the restructured group will create for clients.