Wavemaker names new Indonesia MD as Ajay Gupte takes on South Asia remit

Wavemaker has promoted Ajay Gupte (pictured left), former managing director for Wavemaker Indonesia, to the role of chief operating officer of South Asia. The new role will see Gupte relocate to the agency's Gurugram office and report to Kartik Sharma, CEO – Wavemaker, South Asia.Gupte was appointed to the role of managing director, Wavemaker Indonesia in 2017 following the merger of MEC and Maxus. Prior to the merger, he was the managing director of MEC Indonesia. He has more than two decades of industry experience, having worked across diverse brands and markets such as India, Africa and Indonesia.Gupte said he is "very excited" to be back in India, adding that the media scene there is "vibrant" and offers "unlimited opportunities" for marketers."With our future-focused offering around Media, Content, and Technology, Wavemaker is uniquely positioned to deliver maximum impact for our clients. I am delighted that the next lap of my journey continues with Wavemaker where I can contribute to delivering this promise," he said.(Read also: Meet Wavemaker Indonesia’s Ajay Gupte)Taking over the reins as managing director, Wavemaker Indonesia is Amir Suherlan (pictured right), who was most recently managing director at Mindshare Enterprise in Indonesia. He has over 20 years of experience in the advertising and media industry and according to his LinkedIn, also worked at Initiative, and Dentsu. He has worked a range of local and multinational clients including Unilever, Nestle, XL Axiata, Shopee, Booking.com, Sampoerna Philip Morris, Konimex and Bank Danamon.Suherlan said he is truly excited to join the agency to lead and collaborate with "a bunch of bright talents". "I am impressed with the agency’s transformation to a leading agency today – leveraging on the best use of media, content, and technology to deliver future proof solutions to client business challenges. My goal is to bring the agency to the next level within the rapid changes in the media ecosystem and consumers behaviour," he said.Meanwhile, Sharma said it is an absolute pleasure to have Gupte back in India. "Under his leadership as MD of Indonesia since 2011, Wavemaker (erstwhile MEC) has grown exponentially and is now ranked as top three agency in the country. Gupte is a passionate leader and I am confident that he will be able to grow Wavemaker as an agency of the future," Sharma said.Rose Huskey, CEO – Wavemaker, Southeast Asia said Gupte has been instrumental in grooming and leading successful teams, accelerating the agency’s digital business."I am sure he will be an asset to India and I’ll like to thank him for his great leadership. Gupte has successfully led the MEC-Maxus merger in Indonesia. Under his stewardship, Wavemaker Indonesia won several blue-chip clients and many global and local accolades for the agency," Huskey added.