When the world’s largest advertising holding company, Omnicom, unveils its consolidated leadership structure-and potentially its operating framework-on December 1 following the IPG integration, most global eyes will instinctively turn towards New York, London or Singapore. Yet industry insiders argue that the real anticipation is centred much closer to home: India.
More than any other geography, India’s leadership blueprint will indicate who ultimately steers the next phase of expansion within the combined Omnicom–IPG ecosystem. This moment goes well beyond a routine leadership announcement. It represents the strategic frontier of the merger.
India is currently the world’s largest consumer market. Advertising expenditure in the country, estimated at approximately ₹1.07 lakh crore and accounting for about 0.4% of GDP, is projected to rise to nearly 0.5% by 2029, according to Bain & Company’s Advertising in the Digital Age: In India and Around the World report.
While North America continues to command nearly half of global advertising expenditure-growing steadily at 9–11% annually through 2029-the Asia-Pacific region is forecast to surpass it. This momentum will be fuelled by high-growth economies such as India, which is expected to expand at a 10–15% CAGR. The acceleration is being driven by surging media consumption, platform-led innovation, and deeper internet penetration across both metropolitan and non-metro markets.
India’s GDP growth climbed to 8.2% in Q2 FY26, led by robust manufacturing, services and capital investment, according to government data. In parallel, the country’s wider internet economy is expected to touch the $1 trillion mark by 2030.
With quick-commerce platforms, retail media networks and AI-enabled precision targeting reshaping the digital ecosystem, the coming five years will be decisive for marketers. Brands that adopt mobile-first thinking, regional narratives and attention-based measurement models are likely to be best placed to leverage this growth cycle.
The report reinforces the view that India is fast becoming one of the most vibrant advertising markets globally. Fresh from the merger and armed with expanded capabilities and talent depth, Omnicom is keen to unlock India’s opportunity early and decisively.
Ashish Bhasin, senior industry leader, Founder of The Bhasin Consulting Group and former CEO Asia Pacific at Dentsu, notes, “India is among the most strategic markets for Omnicom following its acquisition of IPG, for multiple reasons. It is one of the world’s fastest-growing economies and is on track to become the third-largest globally after the US and China within the next two years. Importantly, India is also a net exporter of exceptional leadership talent-we’ve consistently seen Indian executives take on influential global roles.”
“It will be fascinating to observe how the combined entity selects its mix of leaders and veterans to navigate the Indian market,” Bhasin adds.
Why India Is the Most Politically Nuanced Market
Across creative, media and digital domains, India’s advertising ecosystem has long been shaped by individuals who don’t simply manage agencies-they shape industry narratives.
In Western markets, power often resides in systems and structures. In India, it rests firmly with people. The Omnicom–IPG merger unites two leadership cultures that, while professionally aligned, remain structurally different-one built around platform-driven logic, the other powered by iconic talent-led brands, observes a senior advertising executive.
“Together, Omnicom and IPG bring more than a dozen marquee agency brands to the table, each with its own legacy, leadership style and internal power dynamics,” says another industry veteran. “Aligning them under a single strategic framework without eroding identity or triggering turf battles will require far more than structural reorganisation-it calls for cultural integration on an unprecedented scale.”
Whether the combined leadership can harmonise competing philosophies, recalibrate influence and sustain growth momentum without alienating established power centres remains the central question reverberating across the market.
Complicating matters further is the fact that Omnicom’s stiffest challenge in India comes from UK-based WPP, which currently accounts for close to 35% of the country’s advertising spends. Insiders suggest that the eventual leadership model will be shaped by who is best positioned to counter WPP at a time when the holding group is seen as navigating one of its most demanding global phases.
India is no longer a peripheral outpost for global agency networks. It has become the gravity point where creative scale, digital experimentation, retail media and vernacular storytelling converge with a turbo-charged consumption economy. For Omnicom and IPG-both of whom have built formidable agency portfolios and cultivated strong-willed leaders in the country-the biggest test is not integration, but balance of influence.
Ramesh Narayan, veteran advertising professional and Director – Strategy, Asian Federation of Advertising Associations (AFAA), remarks, “Both Omnicom and IPG have achieved solid momentum in India under strong leadership teams. When you combine that with India’s immense economic promise, it’s evident that Omnicom will be plotting its future with India firmly at the core.”
The Power Matrix
Within IPG’s Indian operations, four principal agency groups dominate the landscape: Mediabrands (led by Shashi Sinha and Amardeep Singh), Initiative (headed by Vaishali Verma), Lodestar UM (led by Aditi Mishra), and Interactive Avenues (led by Shantanu Sirohi).
Omnicom Media Group (OMG), under the leadership of Kartik Sharma, oversees three agencies-OMD (led by Anisha Iyer), PHD (headed by Moanz Todywalla) and Heart & Science (led by Rochelle Chhaya).
On the creative front, Omnicom operates three major agencies in India: DDB Mudra Group, TBWA India and BBDO India. Globally, Omnicom has already moved towards consolidation, integrating its creative brands under the Omnicom Advertising Group (OAG), which is overseen in India by Aditya Kanthy.
IPG’s creative portfolio in the country comprises McCann Worldgroup India, FCB Group India and MullenLowe Lintas Group, all of which continue to function within their respective global networks.
Each of these leaders wields influence. Each commands loyalty. And none can be repositioned without ripple effects. Industry insiders believe, however, that dual governance models are unlikely to endure once integration gathers pace.
The unanswered questions are many: Who will emerge as the commercial steward of India’s unified growth narrative? Will creative and media continue to operate as parallel worlds, or converge under unified capability leadership? Will India ultimately function under a single P&L, and if so, whose banner-legacy or newly minted-will sit at the top? And how will personalities that have defined India’s advertising landscape for decades coexist within a framework that demands shared accountability?
As one senior industry strategist aptly summarises: “In the US, leadership is authority. In India, leadership is identity. If you get the leadership architecture wrong here, you don’t get the market.”
For now, the industry remains firmly in wait-and-watch mode, at least until Tuesday.
