Dentsu elevates Anita Kotwani as Divya Karani quits

Dentsu India has announced the elevation of Anita Kotwani as CEO media, South Asia, Dentsu, effective immediately.

She replaces Divya Karnani, former CEO media, South Asia, Dentsu, who has stepped down to pursue personal interests. Karani was with the agency since 2011. 

In her expanded role, Kotwani will lead the network's media businesses across South Asia, including Carat, iProspect, Dentsu X, Posterscope, and its media investment arm, Amplifi. 

Prior to this, she was CEO, India. 

This announcement comes after Harsha Razdan's appointment as the new CEO of dentsu South Asia.

Rob Gilby, CEO APAC, dentsu, and interim CEO, India, said, “Anita is a well-loved leader who firmly looks to the future, bringing her people with her on the journey and is fearless in her approach to driving new solutions for clients. The Media opportunity in India is growing exponentially. Anita’s background, coupled with Harsha’s complimentary experience is building a powerful force in our business to drive growth for our clients in this exciting market.”

Rob added, “Over the past ten years Divya has successfully scaled our business on a market-beating trajectory. We thank her for her years of dedication and wish her the very best for the future. I am looking forward to the next wave of leadership accelerating the solid foundation Divya has built.” 

Karnani said, “I am proud of what I have accomplished with dentsu. Having worked closely with Anita – a valuable member of my leadership team, I know there is no better candidate for me to hand the reins to lead the media business to new heights. While it’s always a bittersweet moment to leave your ‘baby’, it is time for me to move on and pursue new opportunities.” 

Kotwani said, “I have learned a tremendous amount from Divya and am honoured to be given this baton to carry on the marathon. You don’t just replace three decades of experience overnight – I intend to take this on with my utmost commitment and will look to continually challenge myself and my wonderful team of media specialists to always stay at the forefront of the industry to deliver the world’s best-integrated media strategies.”