Media conglomerate GroupM India has announced the elevation of Navin Khemka as CEO for its organisation EssenceMediacom South Asia. It has also elevated Sonali Malaviya as its chief strategy and transformation officer.

Earlier this year, the company had announced a global merger of Essence and MediaCom to form EssenceMediacom.

The two, the company said, will play a role in the integration of the digital and data-driven processes of Essence with the media expertise of MediaCom. Khemka has about 25 years of experience across networks. In his previous roles in GroupM, he was part of a Mindshare team and was also involved in the merger of Maxus & MEC to form Wavemaker.

Malaviya, on the other hand, has about 20 years of experience in management and media across industries and markets, including senior roles at Mindshare, PHD and MediaCom in multiple markets.

Prasanth Kumar, CEO of GroupM South Asia said, “Both of them are inspirational leaders and they have been consistent in their efforts for the transformation of agency businesses. With both agencies coming together we all are confident that we will continue to focus on our people and capabilities.“

Rupert McPetrie, CEO, EssenceMediacom for the Asia Pacific region said: “They provide us with very strong leadership and direction as we build our new agency of the future and transform the work we do for our clients. Both have a great track record, both have a firm belief in putting people first, and together will bring new growth to our client’s businesses."

Khemka said: “I am looking forward to this transformational role for leading the merged agency. Our clients can look forward to the sophistication from of the firm that is required to succeed in the new era."

Malaviya said: “Every day platforms evolve, creators emerge, and communities are formed. A flywheel of change is being powered at the intersection of consumers, content, and technology. I am looking forward to partnering with our talented teams and driving that change & achieving growth and transformation in a way that serves our consumers and clients - it is the best time to work in media.“