T. Gangadhar is Essence's new APAC CEO

Essence, GroupM's data and measurement-driven media agency, has appointed T. Gangadhar (known as 'Gangs' in the industry) as its CEO for APAC.

Succeeding global CEO Kyoko Matsushita, who was promoted to her role in August 2019, Gangadhar will be responsible for business growth and company culture across the agency’s fastest-growing region. Based out of Mumbai, he will work with Essence’s global and APAC leadership teams, and will continue to report to Matsushita.

Gangadhar most recently served as APAC president for growth and strategy. He first joined Essence in 2018 as India chairman and has more than two decades of experience in marketing, advertising and media. He previously held roles as managing director for South Asia at MEC and senior vice president and head of marketing at Sony Entertainment Television in India. 

“Essence is pioneering the use of data, analytics, and technology at a time when more and more companies are looking to take advantage of data-driven media and creativity," Gangadhar said in a release. "I am excited about leveraging our  ... capabilities to discover new ways to add value for our clients, consumers, and employees—in these current times and in the post-Covid-19 future ahead of us.”

He received a strong endorsement from Matsushita. "(Gangadhar's) extensive experience in the industry, his knowledge of Essence’s culture and our clients, and his vision for our business in the region make him the ideal person to lead us into our next phase of growth and innovation in APAC," she said. "As the most senior member of our regional leadership team, Gangs has done an outstanding job in partnering with me to navigate our business through the challenges of 2020."

Since Essence’s entry into APAC in 2013, the agency has expanded rapidly across the region, opening offices in Beijing, Bengaluru, Delhi, Jakarta, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo. Essence’s clients in APAC includes Airtel, the Financial Times, Google, Hermès, NBCUniversal and Scoot.