The People Report 2 min read Dentsu’s Kartik Iyer retires as COO, South Asia, Saagar Sethi appointed CBO Kartik Iyer will continue with dentsu as an advisor, while Saagar Sethi takes charge of an expanded portfolio spanning investment and trading, media planning and operations, performance practice and operational excellence. BE Staff ETBrandEquity Published On Aug 17, 2026 at 03:32 PM IST Select ETBrandEquity as Preferred Choice on Google Copy Link Share on WhatsApp Share on Linkedin Share on X Share on Telegram Share on Facebook Highlights Kartik Iyer to retire as COO, South Asia in August 2026. Saagar Sethi appointed Chief Business Officer, effective September 1. Restructuring aims to enhance integration in media operations. Dentsu has announced that Kartik Iyer will retire as chief operating officer, South Asia, effective August 17, 2026. Saagar Sethi has been appointed chief business officer, South Asia, effective September 1. Iyer has been part of dentsu’s leadership team during a period of significant change for the industry and the organisation. During his tenure, he helped strengthen the company’s operating capabilities, delivery frameworks and operational discipline, while supporting its broader transformation agenda. He will continue to advise the organisation in his new role. Harsha Razdan, CEO, 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.” Advt Sethi will oversee an expanded portfolio covering investment and trading, media planning and operations, performance practice and operational excellence. The consolidation is aimed at strengthening the integration between investment, planning, performance and delivery. Sethi joined dentsu in 2022 and has been leading its investment and trading business. He has more than two decades of experience across media, commercial strategy, transformation, procurement and business operations. Prior to dentsu, he held senior leadership roles at LG Electronics and Ernst & Young, where he worked on transformation, sourcing and operational excellence initiatives across domestic and international markets. Sethi will report to Sujit Vaidya, CFO, with a matrix reporting relationship to Ajay Gupte, COO. Commenting on the appointment, Razdan said, “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.” He added that bringing investment, planning, performance and operational excellence under one leadership would give clients a more direct line to growth. By BE Staff , --> By BE Staff , ETBrandEquity Updated On Aug 17, 2026 at 03:32 PM IST --> Published On Aug 17, 2026 at 03:32 PM IST 2 min read --> See more on: Dentsu , Kartik Iyer , Saagar Sethi , COO South Asia , CBO South Asia Telegram Facebook Copy Link Comments What are your thoughts? Comment Now --> Comment Now Read Comment (1) All Comments By commenting, you agree to the Prohibited Content Policy Post By commenting, you agree to the Prohibited Content Policy Post Find this Comment Offensive? Choose your reason below and click on the submit button. This will alert our moderators to take actions REASONS FOR REPORTING Foul Language Defamatory Inciting hatred against a certain community Out of Context / Spam Others Report Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. --> All about ETBrandEquity industry right on your smartphone! Download the ETBrandEquity App and get the Realtime updates and Save your favourite articles. --> Scan to download App --> --> Home News The People Report Dentsu’s Kartik Iyer retires as COO, South Asia, Saagar Sethi appointed CBO -->
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com