Savita Mathai, who had been the Group Chief Talent Officer at IPG Mediabrands Group and the FCB group in India, has parted ways after serving the group for more than three decades, sources privy to the development told exchange4media. Her next move could not be immediately ascertained.
Mathai’s exit marks the second high-profile leadership departure from IPG group this week, following the exit of Anamika Mehta, Chief Growth Officer of IPG Mediabrands.
e4m reached out to Mathai and Omnicom for their comments. The copy will be updated as and when they respond.
Together, the moves signal an intensifying phase of senior-level churn within the group as restructuring gathers pace after Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group.
Axe on Mediabrands. Read e4m report
A long-time IPG loyalist, Mathai has been one of the most influential human capital leaders in the Indian agency ecosystem. Over the years, she played a central role in shaping talent strategy, leadership development, diversity initiatives and organisational culture across IPG Mediabrands’ agencies in India, spanning multiple phases of growth and consolidation.
Her departure comes at a time when global and regional leadership structures across IPG Mediabrands are being recalibrated in the wake of the Omnicom integration, with overlapping roles and succession frameworks under review across key markets.
e4m had earlier reported that Omnicom dissolved Mediabrands, the umbrella agency–which houses several media agency brands such as Initiative, Lodestar and Rapport, in December soon after formalising the acquisition deal. At the same time, Mediabrands’ India CEO Amardeep Singh was appointed Chief Operating Officer in Omnicom, while Executive Chairman Shashi Sinha was given an advisory role. Omnicom Media’s India head Kartik Sharma is leading the merged entity.
There has been no announcement yet for the media agencies brands. It is believed that all brands will continue to operate at least for sometime in India.
Industry observers expect further leadership realignments in the coming months as the combined group sharpens its operating model and talent architecture in India and globally.
Read other IPG exits - Eileen Kiernan, Richard Morris