WPP’s India country manager, CVL Srinivas, to retire

WPP has announced that CVL Srinivas (Srini), country manager for India, will retire from the company at the end of March 2026, concluding a 36-year career. During his 20-year tenure at WPP, he successfully integrated WPP’s agency and specialist offerings in India, establishing the country as a global hub for next-generation services and talent.

Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, said, “Srini is a truly outstanding leader whose vision has been instrumental in transforming India into one of WPP’s most important and dynamic markets globally. He has not only delivered exceptional growth but has also built an incredible culture of collaboration and innovation. From establishing our integrated campuses to scaling our global delivery and tech capabilities, his legacy is a stronger, more unified, and future-ready WPP in India, perfectly positioned to harness our AI advantage for our clients. We are deeply grateful for his immense contributions, and we all wish him the absolute best for the future.”

Srini’s transition was planned for around 15 months. WPP told Campaign his successor will be announced soon.

Reflecting on his journey, CVL Srinivas said, “Leading WPP in India has been the privilege of a lifetime. I am incredibly proud of what our 11,000-strong team has built together – a market defined by growth, innovation, and most importantly, a shared purpose. Our foundation is strong, and the potential for India to drive WPP’s global agenda is boundless. I will be cheering from the sidelines as I look forward to my next chapter.”

Srini assumed his current role in 2017, succeeding Ranjan Kapur. He had joined WPP in 2013 as CEO of South Asia’s GroupM (now WPP Media).

Before his role as WPP’s country manager for India, Srini held senior positions including CEO – South Asia at GroupM and CEO Asia Pacific at Maxus. He was part of the pioneering team that launched India’s first media Agency of Record (Fulcrum for HUL) in 1995.

An active industry voice, he has served on the boards of BARC, ABC, MRUC, and IAA, and was a founding co-chairman of MMA India. Some of the milestones that WPP achieved during Srini’s tenure, include India ascending from outside the top 12 to become one of WPP’s top four markets globally by revenue for WPP. The holding company’s operations in the country now encompass over 11,000 people across agencies, a scaled Global Delivery Centre (GDC), and critical global support functions. India delivers innovative solutions to WPP clients worldwide, leveraging its skilled and specialist talent base building creative-tech platforms.

Srini also championed and built integrated client teams that the company claims consistently rank among the best-rated by WPP’s global clients, delivering seamless, full-service capabilities. Under his leadership, it established three collaborative campuses (Mumbai, Gurgaon, Chennai) and nurtured a partnership culture by bringing together people across agencies, through leadership commitment and communities like WPP Stream, Creative Tech, WPP Stella Network, Unite, and the People Forum.

Other key initiatives include launching and scaling the Creative Tech Experience Centres in the Mumbai and Gurgaon Campuses, WPP Stream India, and the WPP Ignite Awards, firmly placing creativity and technology at the heart of the organisation. Under his chairmanship, the WPP India Foundation expanded its reach, supporting nearly 20,000 children. He also positioned WPP as a leader in sustainability efforts, including as a founding member of Xynteo’s Vikaasa coalition.

India was the only market among WPP’s top five to post growth in the first half of the year, with overall revenue of $6,663 million. While WPP’s global revenue declined 7.8%, India grew 0.1%. This followed stronger growth of 8.1% in the first quarter of 2024, before revenue dipped 3.9% in the second quarter. Other regions fared worse: China declined 16.6%, Latin America fell 2.7%, the Middle East and Africa slipped 2.6%, and the US declined 2.3%. Central and Eastern Europe was the exception, growing 2.2%, while the UK saw revenue fall 6%.