Anita Kotwani has been promoted to CEO Media, South Asia, by Dentsu, according to the company's announcement. Anita will oversee all of Dentsu's media operations in South Asia, including Carat, iProspect, Dentsu X, Posterscope, and media investment arm Amplifi in her increased role. Anita has been the CEO of Carat India from 2020, which was her most recent role.
Anita is a driven media professional with more than 20 years of experience in the field. She has a strong record in managing media for brands in the FMCG, financial services, consumer durables, and multinational corporations. Anita regularly chairs juries for award-giving organisations like the EMVIEs, Goafest, and Kyoorius. Anita most recently received the "Agency Head of the Year" honour at the 2022 Campaign Agency of the Year Awards. She was also chosen "Women to Watch" in 2018, "Impact Top 50 Influential Women" in 2019, and "Impact Top 50 Influential Women" of 2022 in the category of media, marketing, and advertising.
ob Gilby, CEO APAC, dentsu, and Interim CEO, India until newly appointed CEO, Harsha Razdan, starts said, “Anita is a well-loved leader who firmly looks to the future, bringing her people with her on the journey and is fearless in her approach to driving new solutions for clients. The Media opportunity in India is growing exponentially. Anita’s background, coupled with Harsha’s complimentary experience is building a powerful force in our business to drive growth for our clients in this exciting market.”
After establishing a solid media presence for Densu India over the past ten years, Divya Karani will leave the industry to pursue personal interests.
Rob added, “Over the past 10 years Divya has successfully scaled our business on a market-beating trajectory, evidenced by dentsu becoming the #1 agency in RECMA 2021. We thank her for her years of dedication and wish her the very best for the future. I am looking forward to the next wave of leadership accelerating the solid foundation Divya has built.”
Divya Karani said, “I am proud of what I have accomplished with dentsu. Having worked closely with Anita – a valuable member of my leadership team, I know there is no better candidate for me to hand the reins to lead the media business to new heights. While it’s always a bittersweet moment to leave your ‘baby’, it is time for me to move on and pursue new opportunities.”
Anita Kotwani, CEO Media, South Asia, dentsu said, “I have learned a tremendous amount from Divya and am honoured to be given this baton to carry on the marathon. You don’t just replace three decades of experience overnight – I intend to take this on with my utmost commitment and will look to continually challenge myself and my wonderful team of media specialists to always stay at the forefront of the industry to deliver the world’s best-integrated media strategies.”
This announcement comes shortly after last week's selection of Harsha Razdan as the new CEO of dentsu South Asia, as the company works to bolster its local management team.
The appointment of Anita is effective right away.