WPP elevates Mindshare SEA CEO Himanshu Shekhar to GroupM Indonesia CEO

Mindshare's Southeast Asia CEO Himanshu Shekhar (pictured) will be taking on the role as CEO of GroupM Indonesia, effective 1 January 2019. This follows the departure of current CEO of GroupM Indonesia, Ed Thesiger. Shekhar has been based in Indonesia since March 2010 when he joined as the managing director for Mindshare’s business with Unilever. He was later promoted to CEO of Mindshare Indonesia in December 2011. Whilst at the helm of Mindshare Indonesia, he delivered consistently strong growth for the agency and positioned Mindshare as the market leader in digital transformation.  In January 2015, Shekhar was promoted to his current position, CEO of Mindshare Southeast Asia. Thesiger, CEO GroupM Indonesia and Vietnam, will be relocating to the UK at the end of March 2019 to set up his own consulting business. Mark Patterson, CEO GroupM APAC, said, “Indonesia continues to be a key growth market for us, and I am delighted that we have been able to promote from within for this important leadership position.  Shekhar has a proven track record with a depth of experience and industry relationships that is second to none in that market.  I would also like to thank Ed for his energy, passion and outstanding leadership over the past seven years.  We are sorry to see him leave the region and wish him every success on his new venture back in the UK.” Amrita Randhawa, CEO Mindshare APAC, added, “Shekhar has built Mindshare into a titan of an organisation in Indonesia and driven its strength, reputation and leadership stature across South East Asia. His knowledge of Indonesia and our clients’ core needs in the market is unparalleled and therefore there is no one better suited to step into the GroupM leadership position. We are rooting for Himanshu’s success in this next chapter of his career and are confident that he will continue to be an incredible partner for Mindshare and our client’s growth story in Indonesia.” Shekhar added, “Leading GroupM Indonesia is a massive responsibility. Across our agencies, Mediacom, Mindshare, Wavemaker and Essence, we have some of the brightest minds working with super successful brands on creating media for business growth. I am thankful to our leadership and teams for building trusted partnerships with clients, media and tech ecosystems over the years.  Today, Indonesia’s media is among the most vibrant globally. We have global innovation originating here and best practices taking shape in some areas. Our global networks have been deeply committed to this already, and I am excited to add my efforts to this journey. I am thankful for the trust, and look forward to working together with our wonderful teams and partners.” Thesiger added, “It has been an absolute privilege leading such a talented group over the past 7 years. Shekhar has been a cornerstone of the team for the duration of my tenure and I look forward to seeing him drive the business on to the next level in the coming years.” Thesiger will work closely with Shekhar to ensure a smooth transition over the coming weeks. Most recently, Mindshare’s chief digital officer, APAC and MENA, Sanchit Sanga also left the agency. Sanga was promoted to this role in May last year, previously only handling the APAC market. He has been with GroupM for over 15 years, while managing Mindshare since 2012. Meanwhile, earlier in August, Kevin Rooney, Mindshare Asia Pacific chief growth officer, moved to Japan to take on the CEO role for Mindshare Japan & Korea (North Asia). Rooney was chief growth officer of Mindshare Asia Pacific for two years and has more than 14 years of experience in roles across North America, Global in the United Kingdom, and most recently in APAC, in both management and business development positions.