Dentsu today announced that Kartik Iyer will retire from his role as Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, dentsu, effective 17 August 2026. Saagar Sethi has been appointed Chief Business Officer, South Asia, dentsu, effective 1 September 2026.

Kartik has been part of the leadership team through a period of significant change for the industry and the organisation. During his tenure, he has played an important role in strengthening the operating capabilities, delivery frameworks, and discipline that underpin the business today, while supporting dentsu’s broader transformation agenda. As he transitions from his executive role, his experience and perspective will continue to support the organisation through his advisory position.

Harsha Razdan, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, dentsu said, “Kartik has been a valued colleague and a steady hand through some demanding years for our industry. He has played an important role in strengthening the way this business operates, and we are grateful for the experience and perspective he has brought to the leadership team. We are pleased that his counsel will continue to be part of dentsu as he takes on an advisory role, and we wish him every success for the next chapter.”

Saagar will assume responsibility for an expanded portfolio comprising Investment & Trading, Media Planning & Operations, Performance Practice and Operational Excellence. Bringing these critical commercial and operational capabilities under unified leadership will strengthen the connection between investment, planning, performance, and delivery, while enabling a more integrated and agile operating model for clients and teams. He will report to Sujit Vaidya, Chief Financial Officer, with a matrix reporting relationship to Ajay Gupte, Chief Operating Officer.

Saagar joined dentsu in 2022 and has led the Investment & Trading business, where he has strengthened strategic partnerships, enhanced commercial value creation and driven greater operational discipline across the ecosystem. He brings more than two decades of experience across media, commercial strategy, transformation, procurement, and business operations, including senior leadership roles at LG Electronics and Ernst & Young, where he led large-scale transformation, sourcing, and operational excellence initiatives across domestic and international markets.

Harsha added, “The Indian market is moving faster than any playbook can keep pace with. Brands here are being asked to show business outcomes, and the distance between a media decision and a commercial result has never been shorter. Our job is to close that distance for our clients. Saagar has spent his career at the commercial end of this business, and putting investment, planning, performance, and operational excellence in one pair of hands gives clients a more direct line to growth. His understanding of how this organisation works makes him the right person to lead this portfolio.”