Dentsu is consolidating four major commercial and operational functions under a new leadership mandate as Saagar Sethi takes over as Chief Business Officer, South Asia, from September 1.
The appointment follows Kartik Iyer’s retirement as Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, effective August 17, although Iyer will remain associated with the organisation as an advisor.
The move gives Sethi responsibility across investment, media planning, performance and operational excellence, making the new CBO role considerably broader than his earlier investment and trading mandate.
Saagar Sethi Gets Expanded Portfolio
Saagar Sethi joined dentsu in 2022 and has since led the network’s investment and trading business. Before the latest elevation, he served as President of Amplifi India, the group’s supply-side management platform. He stepped into that position in April 2022.
His new portfolio will cover Investment & Trading, Media Planning & Operations, Performance Practice and Operational Excellence. Dentsu said bringing these capabilities under unified leadership is intended to strengthen the connection between investment, planning, performance and delivery.
Sethi will report to Sujit Vaidya, CFO, with a matrix reporting relationship to Ajay Gupte, COO. The structure places both commercial and operational responsibilities within a single expanded mandate.
From Procurement To Media
Sethi’s career path is notable because his earlier experience was not limited to advertising. Before joining dentsu, he was Head of Indirect Procurement at LG Electronics India and worked on organisational design, transition and change-management initiatives involving LG Electronics and Ernst & Young.
When dentsu appointed him to lead Amplifi in 2022, the company highlighted his 15 years of transition-management experience. The latest reports now describe him as having more than two decades of experience across media, commercial strategy, transformation, procurement and business operations.
The difference is important. The 15-year figure relates specifically to the experience cited when he joined dentsu in 2022 and should not be presented as his current total professional experience.
Iyer Moves Into Advisory Role
Iyer’s retirement closes an association with dentsu that began in August 2008, when he joined Carat Media Services India. He later held senior positions including President of Media Brands at dentsu India before becoming Chief Operating Officer in 2021.
Industry reports put his overall career at more than 30 years across media, advertising and agency leadership. Rather than ending his relationship with dentsu altogether, Iyer will continue supporting the organisation in an advisory capacity.
His transition also comes as dentsu continues to integrate its capabilities across media, data, technology and customer experience. The group’s own 2026 research highlights structural changes in India’s digital advertising ecosystem, including a shift in focus from simply achieving scale towards value, relevance and measurable impact.
Why The New Structure Matters
The significance of Sethi’s appointment lies less in the title than in the breadth of the mandate. Investment and trading decisions increasingly intersect with media planning, performance marketing and operational execution. Bringing those functions under one CBO could give dentsu a more unified structure for managing how media investments translate into planning, activation and performance.
Dentsu has also been strengthening integration across its media, data, technology, CXM and commerce capabilities in India.
For Sethi, the immediate challenge will be managing that wider remit from September while maintaining coordination across specialist teams. For dentsu, the leadership change represents a shift from separate functional responsibilities towards a more consolidated commercial and operational model.
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