Madison Media has announced a series of strategic leadership appointments across content, influencer marketing, sports and regional operations as part of its ongoing transformation under the Madison 3.0 vision.
As part of the expansion, Mayank Bhatnagar joins Madison Media as Chief Client Officer, where he will lead the agency’s South operations and drive strategic growth for the business and its clients in the region.
Bhatnagar returns to Madison with over 25 years of experience across India, Malaysia and Singapore. Over the course of his career, he has held leadership roles at agencies including OMD Malaysia, Carat India and Mindshare. His experience spans categories including FMCG, telecom, automotive, QSR, IT, banking and retail, having worked with brands such as Apple, McDonald's, Nestlé, Mondelez International and Intel.
The agency has also appointed Karan Rao as Vice President, Content & Influencer Marketing. Based out of Mumbai, Rao will lead Madison Loop and drive its evolution into Loop 2.0, the agency’s next-generation content and influencer marketing offering combining human creativity with AI-led capabilities.
Prior to joining Madison Media, Rao was Co-founder at LeapX, an AI-powered marketing and content platform. Earlier, he led StudioX for The Coca-Cola Company across India and South-West Asia. His previous experience also includes leadership roles within WPP.
In another strategic move, Dinesh Rathod, who previously led Madison Media’s South business for over a decade, will now focus on building and scaling the agency’s Sports vertical. His new mandate includes strengthening capabilities across cricket, emerging sports, live events and brand partnerships.
Speaking on the appointments, Ajit Varghese, Partner & Group CEO, Madison Media, said, “This is a very intentional step in how we are shaping Madison for the future. Clients today expect ideas that move seamlessly across content, platforms, creators and commerce. With these leaders, we are bringing together experience and new-age thinking to make that possible at scale.”
Commenting on his appointment, Mayank Bhatnagar said, “The industry is shifting from capability-led growth to outcome-led partnerships. In leading the south business, my focus will be on deepening client relationships, building strong teams and ensuring we deliver measurable impact. I’m excited by the opportunity to shape this next phase of growth.”
Karan Rao added, “Content moves at the speed of culture, and the creator economy has completely reshaped how brands show up in people’s lives. What excited me about Madison is the ambition behind Loop 2. I’m looking forward to building something meaningful and creating work that audiences genuinely connect with.”
Speaking on his new role, Dinesh Rathod said, “Sports today presents one of the most powerful opportunities for brands to build passion-led consumer engagement. I’m excited to lead Madison Media’s Sports vertical and build innovative partnerships, capabilities and experiences that create value for clients across both established and emerging sporting ecosystems.”
