Ajay Gupte is set to join dentsu in a senior leadership role in the second half of 2026.

He stepped down from his role as president, client solutions, WPP Media South Asia, in January, bringing to a close a nearly 15-year-long association with the network. 

Gupte’s anticipated move to dentsu marks another senior leadership shift at the holding-company level, at a time when global agency networks continue to recalibrate their leadership benches to drive growth and client-centric transformation. It's unclear whether Gupte will be a direct replacement for Anita Kotwani, former chief client officer.

Gupte joined WPP Media in 2011 and has since held multiple leadership positions across South East Asia and India. In July 2025, he was appointed president, client solutions, WPP Media South Asia, a mandate that saw him work closely with clients on integrated growth and transformation agendas across markets, as the network merged Wavemakar, Mindshare and EssenceMediacom.

Following Gupte’s exit, Shekhar Banerjee has succeeded him at WPP Media. Banerjee joined the network in 2018 as managing partner – west, Wavemaker India, and has since taken on expanded responsibilities within the organisation.