Digital
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EssenceMediacom’s Sonali Malaviya quits the WPP-owned media agency
Sonali Malaviya had stints across Roy Morgan Research, PHD, MindShare, Twitter, Colorbar etc.
As the managing director of Essence, Sonali Malaviya led Essence during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully transitioned to a fully remote work environment. She surpassed business growth expectations by 25 percent. She retained all existing clients and acquired new business.
Sonali Malaviya, who led GroupM's EssenceMediacom as chief strategy and transformation officer, has stepped down from her position, according to industry sources who spoke to Storyboard18.
During her stint at the WPP group company, Malaviya oversaw strategy, data and technology, digital transformation, commerce and performance, creative futures, and insights and analytics. One of her key achievements was a comprehensive data strategy framework for Coca-Cola India to enhance customer data management and engagement. She established data partnerships to foster deeper consumer relationships and built an addressability framework to help clients segment and target audiences effectively.
She led digital transformation for P&G, Vivo, Airtel, Mars, and Del and developed addressable audience(s) strategies for Mars, Uber, and Coca-Cola. She uilized advanced analytics to determine media effectiveness for Uber and Rapido.
Malaviya began her career at Mediacom and then went on to work across Roy Morgan Research, PHD, MindShare, Twitter, Colorbar and Essence.
As the managing director of Essence, she led Essence during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully transitioned to a fully remote work environment. She surpassed business growth expectations by 25 percent. She retained all existing clients and acquired new business.
On January 31, 2023, GroupM launched EssenceMediacom, which was formed from merging Essence and Mediacom. The new entity combines Essence’s expertise in performance, data, analytics and creative technology with MediaCom’s multichannel audience planning and strategic media expertise. EssenceMediacom is part of GroupM, WPP’s media investment group.
SPOTLIGHT
At the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spotlighted the critical role of traditional media in an evolving digital landscape. He emphasized that such gatherings can aid the govt in formulating more effective policies for a balanced and sustainable media ecosystem.
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