WPP Media has appointed Seshadri Shankaran as Senior Vice President – Client Investments, Marketplace and Partnerships, India, strengthening its leadership team across media investments, marketplace strategy and partnerships.
Shankaran, who took up the role in September 2026, will be based in Mumbai and will be responsible for managing products for media solutions. He announced his new position through a post on LinkedIn.
The appointment marks Shankaran’s return to the GroupM ecosystem, where he spent more than a decade across a range of leadership and consulting roles. His experience spans agency investments, strategic partnerships, inventory media, product strategy and media consulting, giving him exposure to multiple facets of the evolving media business.
Prior to joining WPP Media, Shankaran was General Manager at Bennett Coleman & Co. from September 2025 to August 2026. During his tenure, he worked across business strategy, revenue planning, yield management and the identification of new business opportunities. His responsibilities also included deal structuring and sales support.
His earlier association with GroupM began in September 2015, when he joined as Director, Media Consulting Practice. In this role, he provided consulting services to media companies across sales strategy, business planning and organisational structuring. He continued with the organisation until June 2017.
From June 2017 to October 2021, Shankaran served as Head, Business Strategy & Product Head (Inventory Media) at Matrix (CTG), where his remit included product management, acquisition strategy, supply design and tracking.
He subsequently took on the role of Business Head (Inventory Media) at GroupM between October 2021 and February 2023, before becoming Head, Strategic Partnerships (India).
Before his long stint with GroupM, Shankaran held several roles across the media and technology ecosystem. With experience spanning media consulting, investments, partnerships, revenue strategy and product development, Shankaran’s move to WPP Media comes at a time when the media industry is undergoing significant shifts across digital, traditional and emerging channels.
