CE DESK 
WPP Media appoints advertising veteran Kedar Shetye as Director of Performance Marketing, strengthening data-driven strategies for Indian brands in a competitive digital landscape.
WPP Media, a cornerstone of the global advertising giant’s operations in India, announced the appointment of Kedar Shetye as Director – Performance Marketing on January 31, 2026. This strategic hire underscores WPP’s commitment to amplifying performance-led growth for clients amid surging digital ad spends projected at Rs 52,000 crore for 2026.
Shetye brings two decades of expertise in performance marketing, media planning, and analytics from leading agencies like GroupM and Dentsu. His track record includes spearheading data-centric campaigns for blue-chip brands in FMCG, auto, and e-commerce, delivering measurable ROAS through programmatic buying, SEO, and attribution modeling. In his new role, Shetye will oversee end-to-end performance solutions, integrating AI tools for real-time optimization across Google, Meta, and CTV platforms.
Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, Shetye aims to bridge creative and performance worlds, focusing on full-funnel strategies that convert awareness into revenue. WPP Media’s India arm, serving over 200 clients, leverages this expertise to navigate privacy changes like cookie deprecation and rising quick-commerce demands. Shetye’s vision emphasizes agile experimentation, first-party data ecosystems, and cross-channel measurement to maximize client outcomes in a cookieless era.
This appointment aligns with WPP’s recent wins including acef awards coverage and digital transformations for legacy brands. Industry peers applaud Shetye’s data storytelling prowess, positioning WPP Media to capture greater market share as performance marketing eclipses traditional media buys.
