Agency agenda: Amrita Randhawa talks acquisitions and Publicis’ AI play

Publicis Groupe’s long game in data, AI and creator economy integrations is paying off, said Amrita Randhawa, CEO for Singapore and Southeast Asia, as she outlined how the region is shaping the organisation’s most ambitious growth bets.

Speaking on Marketing Connected's Agency Agenda, Randhawa contextualised Publicis Groupe’s headline statistic that eight out of ten media dollars are now driven by AI. She clarified that the figure reflects the connected media portion of the business, which she described as “Identity (ID) powered media and the intersection of that with customer relationship management (CRM) influenced commerce to build one single view of customer and one view of exposure to outcomes.”

For Southeast Asia, she said this shift is even more pronounced as eCommerce, social and influencer-led channels continue to surge. “Doesn’t matter which data you look at that confluence is exploding in Southeast Asia,” she said, adding that clients expect “simplicity and sustainability of solutions” that leapfrog legacy models rather than retrofit them.

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Randhawa emphasised that Publicis’ advantage in AI does not lie in shiny tools, but in a decade of foundational investment. She said: 

If you want to build an advantage for an AI world, AI is nothing without data.

“It cannot work with subpar data. You will get subpar results because AI hallucinates with poor quality data.” She pointed to the Publicis' 10 years of investment in data and technology as the backbone of its current pace of innovation. Talent remains the second pillar, where Randhawa described the region’s teams as exceptional talent who can harness the network's infrastructure to build future facing solutions.

On acquisition strategy, she was candid that Publicis prefers acceleration over ego. The recent acquisition of creator agency Hepmil was shaped by long standing collaboration and shared clients. “I do not think clients will wait for us to build and that has been a predominant philosophy,” she said. Hepmil’s strengths in “authenticity of connection and understanding of what really works” made it a strategic fit.

She added that acquisitions only work when they fill real gaps.

“It is always about where client growth is coming from and whether we have the capability to match that growth or not."

Looking ahead to 2026, Randhawa believes this period of industry consolidation presents a clear opportunity. “It is an incredible time for Publicis to go after market share,” she said, noting that the region still has “loads of market share left in the tank” for the Groupe to pursue.

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