Essence brings Sonali Malaviya on board as the MD

Joining Essence in 2018, Malaviya most recently led the agency’s Google business in India and Southeast Asia as senior vice president, client services

Data and measurement-driven media agency Essence has appointed Sonali Malaviya as the agency’s managing director for India. In her new role, Malaviya will be responsible for leading continued client-centric  innovation in data, analytics and technology, as well as business growth and company culture  for the agency in the market. Based out of Delhi, Malaviya will report to Essence APAC CEO, T Gangadhar (Gangs) and  GroupM South Asia CEO, Prasanth Kumar (PK). She will join Essence’s APAC leadership team and GroupM India’s executive committee as part of her role. Anand Chakravarthy, previously MD, Essence India, has moved on from the agency to pursue new opportunities. 

“Sonali Malaviya comes with rich experience in management, marketing and media across industries  and markets, as well as a deep understanding of Essence’s business, work, people and  culture. In addition to building strong, collaborative partnerships with clients and employees  alike, she is an advocate of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. India continues to be a  priority for Essence in APAC and globally, and with her at the helm, I am very excited about  our next phase of growth and development in the market,” T Gangadhar, CEO, Essence APAC, stated.

Joining Essence in 2018, Malaviya most recently led the agency’s Google business in India  and Southeast Asia as senior vice president, client services. Previously, she served as chief  operating officer at Colorbar Cosmetics and country marketing lead at Twitter in India. With  over 20 years of industry experience, she has also held senior roles at Mindshare, PHD, Roy  Morgan Research and MediaCom in India, the United Arab Emirates and Australia. 

For Prasanth Kumar, CEO, GroupM South Asia, with her  background and significant achievements, Sonali Malaviya will add to the capabilities of Essence. “As we continue to develop leaders internally, Sonali Malaviya is also part of our growing pool of talent taking on various leadership roles across  GroupM India,” he added.

Since Essence’s entry into India in 2016, the agency has rapidly expanded to three offices  across Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai. Essence’s diverse portfolio of clients in the market  includes Airtel, Britannia, Flipkart, Games24x7, Google, Honda motorcycles and scooters,  Livspace, Melorra, Purplle, Vedantu, Wakefit and Zee5.

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