Wavemaker appoints Ajay Gupte as Chief Executive Officer of South Asia

• Kartik Sharma, CEO, Wavemaker South Asia resigns to pursue other opportunities in the industry.
• Ajay Gupte will replace Kartik Sharma and will report into Prasanth Kumar, CEO - GroupM South Asia and Gordon Domlija, President Wavemaker Asia-Pacific and China CEO.

Wavemaker has appointed Ajay Gupte as Chief Executive Officer for Wavemaker, South Asia.

Gupte, who is currently COO of Wavemaker India, takes over from Kartik Sharma who steps down to pursue other opportunities in the industry. Gupte will continue to be based out of Wavemaker Gurugram and will report into Prasanth Kumar, CEO - GroupM South Asia and Gordon Domlija, President Wavemaker Asia-Pacific and China CEO.

Prasanth Kumar, CEO – GroupM South Asia said, “I would like to take this opportunity to thank Kartik for his contribution over the years and wish him all the very best.”

Ajay Gupte joined Wavemaker India last year from his previous role in Wavemaker Indonesia where he was Managing Director. He comes with more than two decades of industry experience, having worked across diverse brands and markets like India, Africa and Indonesia.

Since 2011, under Gupte’s leadership, Wavemaker Indonesia saw exponential growth and became a top 3 agency, winning several blue-chip clients and many global and local accolades. Before this, in India, Gupte was Maxus Dehli’s General Manager, leading clients like Nokia, Hero Honda and others. Prior to joining Maxus, Gupte held various roles in Sales and Marketing with TVS Motor Company.

Commenting on Gupte’s appointment, Kumar added, “At GroupM we always believe in building on the hard work and passion of our people and it gives me great pleasure to see Ajay take over as the new CEO of Wavemaker South Asia. He comes with vast experience working in multiple markets and categories. He is a well-rounded professional, and I see him bring in distinctive and increasing value for our clients and the overall ecosystem. I am confident that he will continue to grow Wavemaker as an agency of the future.”

Gordon Domlija, Wavemaker President Asia-Pacific and China CEO, added, “India is a hugely important market for Wavemaker, and we’ve got a very successful team here. I’ve gotten to know Ajay as a strong client and team leader, and I’m convinced he is the right choice to help Wavemaker to future sucesss and, ultimately, to keep looking for better ways to unlock growth for our clients, our agency and our people.”

Commenting on his new role, Gupte said, “I am humbled and very excited to take over the role of the CEO of Wavemaker South Asia. It is an exciting time for the Indian market as the Indian advertising industry is also having a global impact, and I see lots of opportunities for growth.”