Babita Baruah’s return to India to fortify VML’s operations in country

Babita Baruah has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for VML in India. She has been Executive Director, VMLY&R Thailand, and Regional Client Lead, WPP Ford, International Markets Group. Her appointment comes a quarter after WPP merged VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson to form VML. She will take charge of her new role from March 1, 2024.

Meanwhile, Saurabh Saksena has been elevated as President.

Baruah has an over two-decade long tenure with WPP in various roles. She had joined WPP in 1996 at JWT/Wunderman Thompson India. Her portfolio has been extensive – Unilever brands, Godrej brands, Kotak brands, Aditya Birla Capital, Kingfisher Airlines, Diageo, Kelloggs, Wills, Bata, Emami, World Gold Council, De Beers, and Nokia, among others. She worked on the Nestle business for two years before moving on to head PO1 as Senior Vice President & Managing Partner and Head, JWT Delhi.

In 2017, Baruah took up a senior position at WPP’s Global Team Blue, which is WPP’s dedicated agency for the Ford business in India. 

In 2021, Baruah took moved to Bangkok, taking on the roles of WPP Lead for the Ford business across India, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, the Middle East, and South Africa, as well as Executive Director, VMLY&R Thailand.

Commenting on her new role, Baruah said, “It’s an honour to lead a market like India for VML. I look forward to working closely with Audrey, Yi-Chung, Saurabh, and the whole team in India to make sure that we connect creativity, experience, data and technology, to be the preferred destination for India’s ambitious brands and talented individuals.”

On Baruah’s appointment, Audrey Kuah, Co-CEO, VML APAC, said, “Babita is no stranger to India, and we welcome her home as the new VML India CEO. With her vast experience in delivering innovation and growth for clients and a passion for building a high empathy and performance culture, I look forward to working with Babita to take our India business, already one of the strongest in the region, to new heights in 2024.”

Yi-Chung Tay, Co-CEO, VML APAC, added here, “Saurabh and Babita will be a driving force for growth in India. I’ve watched Babita grow the Ford and VMLY&R Thailand businesses over the years and I’m confident that she will do the same for our clients in India.” 

In another development, Shamsuddin Jasani has stepped down as CEO of Wunderman Thompson, South Asia. February 28, 2028 will be his last day with the agency.