Mindshare rejigs top management for growth markets

Amrita Randhawa is CEO - Asia Pacific while Prasanth Kumar has been promoted as CEO for MENA and Africa

Mindshare, the global media agency network, has announced two major leadership changes for their growth markets region. Amrita Randhawa is promoted to CEO - Asia Pacific while Prasanth Kumar has been elevated to the position of CEO for MENA and Africa in addition to his current role as the CEO for South Asia. Randhawa and Kumar will continue to work with Ashutosh Srivastava, executive chairperson & CEO for growth markets, comprising of APAC, MENA, Africa & Russia/CIS. Both roles are effective immediately.

Commenting on the appointments, Srivastava says, “(Amrita) Randhawa and (Prasanth) Kumar represent the very best of Mindshare. They have both been transformative in their leadership approach to two of our biggest markets and have made Mindshare the dominant force it is today... I look forward to them continuing to transform Mindshare’s vast network of offices in this region to stay relevant and highly valued business partners to their clients.”

According to the press release shared by the agency, Randhawa, who was previously the CEO for Mindshare Greater China will remain based in Shanghai, where she will continue to manage Mindshare China as its executive chairperson, in addition to her overall Asia Pacific duties. In her new role Randhawa will focus on the agency’s product, especially delivering the balance of brand and demand services for marketers and ensuring that Mindshare adapts and evolves in line with client’s needs first and not agency agendas. She has been with the agency for over 12 years working across the Delhi, Mumbai, Beijing, Shanghai and APAC Regional office in Singapore.

Speaking about her new role, Randhawa says, “We often say Mindshare has an Asian heart with our first office being in Taiwan. Asia is the star of our network and I take this responsibility with an incredible sense of humility. Sitting at the crossroads of data, content, technology and analytics, this is the time for the media agency. Working with the incredible leadership team we have in each of the APAC clusters especially in Himanshu, Katie and PK (Kumar), our focus will be to ensure that Mindshare is ahead of the pack and charts the path for what is possible for media agencies today and tomorrow.”

Kumar was previously the CEO for South Asia, where he oversaw rapid expansion in that market bringing the agency to a dominant position according to RECMA. During his time as the Mindshare India CEO he developed a record for not just the most number of new business wins by a single market, but also a tradition of external accolades, which included such highlights as a Glass Lion at Cannes and an average of over 250 external awards per year.

Speaking about his new role, Kumar says, “This recognition in the context of the strong talent profile we have built in the purple family means a lot to me as it reflects our commitment to focus, serve and collaborate with our clients fueling their business growth... This expanded role gives me the opportunity to widen my perspectives and cross-pollinate our learning and initiatives for smarter, faster, better practices for our clients and our purple talent. I am thrilled and excited to be working with the new markets - Middle East and Africa, as these markets along with India and South Asia are probably the fastest growing economies on the planet. I am very proud and confident of my team.”