The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA), the apex industry body representing advertisers in India, has announced the appointment of Atul Agrawal as its chief executive officer, effective January 2, 2026.
Nearly four decades of leadership experience
Agrawal brings close to four decades of experience across some of India’s most respected corporate institutions. His career spans senior leadership roles across FMCG and corporate sectors, with deep expertise in brand building, media strategy, and corporate communications. A management graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, he has previously worked with Hindustan Lever and at the Tata Group Headquarters, where he was associated with corporate brand marketing, youth engagement initiatives, media buying, and large-scale sponsorship programmes.
He has also been closely associated with ISA over the years, having served on its executive committee representing Tata Services. At the global level, Agrawal has contributed to the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), where he served as a jury member for the Global Marketer of the Year Award.
Focus on collaboration and responsible marketing
Commenting on his appointment, Atul Agrawal said, “It is an honour to lead ISA at a time when marketing and media are undergoing such profound transformation. Having witnessed the evolution of brands, consumers, and technology over the years, I believe ISA’s role as the collective voice of advertisers is more crucial than ever.”
Outlining his priorities, he added, “My focus will be on driving responsible, effective, and efficient marketing through collaboration with the entire ecosystem of advertisers, agencies, broadcasters/media owners and other stakeholders. Together, we will strive to strengthen ISA’s charter around media transparency and measurement, among others.”
Industry at a critical inflection point
Welcoming Agrawal to the role, Sunil Kataria, chairman, ISA, said the appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the advertising and media industry. “Atul’s appointment comes at an important inflection point for the industry. His extensive leadership experience across the Tata Group and Hindustan Lever, coupled with his long-standing association with ISA, uniquely positions him to accelerate our agenda of building robust and transparent industry standards, enhancing advertiser support, and driving efficiency and effectiveness in advertising,” Kataria said.
He further noted that with ISA spearheading key initiatives such as the Media Charter, Brand Safety, Viewability, First-Party Data frameworks, and Cross-Screen Measurement, Agrawal’s strategic and operational expertise would be critical in translating these initiatives into measurable value for advertisers.
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