Babita Baruah to be VML India CEO as Shamsuddin Jasani exits

VML has announced Babita Baruah will join as Chief Executive Officer of India from March 1, 2024, and will partner with Saurabh Saksena, who has been elevated into the role of President. 

Meanwhile, Shamsuddin Jasani announced that he will be stepping down from the role of CEO at Wunderman Thompson South Asia. 

With a career spanning 25 years in marketing and advertising, Babita Baruah joins VML India from a dual role working across WPP's Ford International Market Group as Regional Client Lead and Executive Director at VMLY&R Thailand.

Baruah's journey began at JWT/Wunderman Thompson India, where she spent two decades leading global and local brands such as PepsiCo, Unilever, Nestlé, Kellogg’s, Godrej, Kotak Mahindra, Reliance, and Aditya Birla. In 2017, Baruah joined the GTB business in India as Managing Partner and moved to Bangkok in 2021 in a dual capacity role as WPP Lead for the Ford business across India, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Middle East, and South Africa, and Executive Director, VMLY&R Thailand.

Regarding the new role, Babita Baruah commented: “It’s an honour to lead a market like India for VML. I look forward to working closely with Audrey, Yi-Chung, Saurabh, and the whole team in India to make sure that we connect creativity, experience, data and technology, to be the preferred destination for India’s ambitious brands and talented individuals.”

Audrey Kuah, Co-CEO of VML APAC added: “Babita is no stranger to India, and we welcome her home as the new VML India CEO. With her vast experience in delivering innovation and growth for clients and a passion for building a high empathy and performance culture, I look forward to working with Babita to take our India business, already one of the strongest in the region, to new heights in 2024.”

Yi-Chung Tay, Co-CEO of VML APAC added: “Saurabh and Babita will be a driving force for growth in India. I’ve watched Babita grow the Ford and VMLY&R Thailand businesses over the years and I’m confident that she will do the same for our clients in India. Saurabh’s elevation is founded on his record of successfully integrating VMLY&R India’s offices, building culture and increasing profitability. I can’t think of a better duo to lead India, which is a key market for VML in APAC.”

Saurabh Saksena has been elevated into the role of President of VML’s India operations and will partner with Baruah on the leadership of the agency. Over the past 30 years, Saksena has delivered business growth, managed change and transition, and built deep internal capabilities across the five agencies including a decade at Wunderman Thompson and most recently VMLY&R. Over the years, he has worked with ambitious brands in diverse categories such as, CPG, retail, finance, technology, automotive, e-commerce and QSRs.

Saksena said: “I’m very excited to continue this journey of building a strong and successful VML with Babita by orchestrating innovative growth solutions for our clients that sit at the intersection of creativity, experience, data and technology.”

The announcement comes as the final appointment in VML’s Asia Pacific leadership team.

Under Shamsuddin Jasani's leadership, the agency won large competitive pitches including Skoda, Vivo, Indigo, Hafele, NPCI, Rupay, Manyavar and Cult Sports, across Creative, MarTech and Commerce. Shamsuddin Jasani reflected on the past two years stating: “It has been an amazing and rewarding two years at Wunderman Thompson and I’m proud of what we have achieved. During my time, we have transformed the company into a partner that provides smart and impactful solutions to crucial business problems - all powered by creative, tech and commerce.”

“As the business continues its evolution, I believe my job is done. I am looking forward to a new and exciting chapter in my life with an amazing opportunity. I thank everyone at Wunderman Thompson - the clients, our partners and specially our team,” Jasani added.

Audrey Kuah, now Joint-CEO of VML APAC commented on Jasani’s commitment to the agency over the past years: “With such a large and diverse market like India, I have seen Shams work diligently to bring the offices and capabilities together. I would like to thank Shams for his dedication to our business and wish him every success in his new endeavours.”

Jasani will move on to pursue a new opportunity with more to be announced in due course, the agency said.

In May last year, Tarun Rai, Executive Director-Strategic Initiatives, at APAC, retired from Wunderman Thompson after spending 30 years in the advertising domain.