Publicis Groupe appoints new CEO in Sri Lanka

Publicis Groupe has named Sanjay Chaudhari as the CEO of Publicis Groupe, Sri Lanka, to lead all its agencies in the country, effective immediately. This includes Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, where Arosha Perera has stepped down as CEO.

Chaudhari comes to Publicis Groupe after leaving Grey Group in May, where he led the Gillette and Duracell businesses across APAC for six years. Prior to that, he worked at Ogilvy and DDB with many global clients and across many international markets including Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand, Morocco, Lebanon and India. 

“The Publicis Groupe is deeply committed to the Sri Lanka market and we will continue to bring the best-in-class solutions for our clients," Saurabh Varma, CEO of Publicis Communications for South Asia, said in a release. "I am thrilled to welcome Sanjay to the Publicis Groupe family. His depth of international experience of leading world-renowned brands and his understanding of business cultures is unparalleled."

Chaudhari adds he's "excited to join the Publicis family and build the 'Power of One' agenda in Sri Lanka and deliver more integrated creative" work for clients. 

Arosha Perera

Perera had been CEO of Leo Burnett in Sri Lanka for the past three years and was its chief operating officer for nearly two years prior to that. During this time Sri Lanka has been one of the fastest-growing media markets and has been on the cusp of a digital revolution in marketing.

“It’s been a great journey for me at Leo Burnett, Sri Lanka," a statement from him said. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the clients and our extremely talented people. This is what I’m going to miss most. I’m moving on to explore things that I have always wanted to, but just never had the time to do. I wish Saurabh, Sanjay and the entire Publicis Groupe the very best.”