There have been numerous senior level departures at MediaMonks India, causing a shakeup in the top management of an agency that was previously considered one of the fastest growing in the country. The digital-first agency, owned by Martin Sorrell’s S4 Capital, appears to be struggling to retain its senior leadership recently.
Reports indicate that in addition to the departure of former head of country Poran Malani in February, Rajnandini Ghosh, senior vice president for Delhi, is also leaving. Alongside her, Azazul Haque, chief content officer, and chief operations officer Kiran Ramamurthy are also said to be on their way out, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Ghosh has officially resigned and is set to leave by mid-April. She will be replaced by Megha Ahuja, who comes from Ideate Labs and has previous experience at Leo Burnett.
MediaMonks has confirmed these changes, stating: “Yes, there are leadership changes. Rajnandini Ghosh has resigned and her role will be taken over by Megha Ahuja.”
When reached for comment, Ghosh confirmed her departure, saying: “I had a great experience during my time at MediaMonks and worked with some great clients. I wish them the best!”
Sources close to the situation report that Azazul Haque is currently serving his notice period and is expected to leave by March 31. However, both MediaMonks and Haque deny his departure. Prior to joining MediaMonks, Haque was the chief creative officer at MullenLowe Lintas Group and has had a long career in the advertising industry.
Also reportedly leaving, but denied by both himself and MediaMonks, is COO Kiran Ramamurthy. Ramamurthy joined MediaMonks in 2019 after working at Ogilvy and Mather for seven years. He has also held positions at other companies such as Nova Medical Centres, Lenovo, and Leo Burnett India.
Azazul Haque (left) and Kiran Ramamurthy (right)
Earlier this year, Robert Godinho was promoted to managing director for Content at MediaMonks India, overseeing operations. He took on this role after Malani’s departure. Smita Salgaonkar, ex-country manager for Data and Digital Media, also left in November to join Google Cloud.
MediaMonks, backed by S4 Capital, was launched in India in 2021 after the merger of MediaMonks and MightyHive. With a global presence in 54 locations across 36 countries, the company has experienced significant growth in the region, working with clients such as Tata Tea, Amazon, Bajaj Auto, ONDC, and Xiaomi.
Stay tuned for more updates as the story unfolds.
