Publicis Groupe MY names chief operating officer

Publicis Groupe Malaysia has named Gitanjali Sriram (pictured) to the newly-created role of COO, reporting to CEO Tan Kien Eng. Her job scope covers inter-agency integration initiatives focused on fostering collaboration to optimise the resources, driving operations excellence and showcasing creativity in all forms to drive organic growth.

Sriram will be directly supporting some of the strategic business units when required and is also part of the Publicis Groupe management team in Malaysia. In a statement to A+M, Sriram said she is looking to champion a more efficient and productive culture where the agency teams work in a borderless environment to deliver effective communications solutions that benefit client businesses and surprise and delight consumers.

"Creativity has the power to transform human behaviour and in this interconnected world, consumers expect brands to deliver those delightful experiences throughout their purchase journey. Authentic and immersive brand engagements can only be successful if we put the brand and its consumer at the centre of our business and deliver solutions that are non-linear and seamlessly executed," she said.

Prior to joining the team in Malaysia, she was the business operations director for Arc Worldwide in Manila for close to three years, according to her LinkedIn. She was previously the corporate and reputation director for Publicis Groupe in Dubai in 2016.

According to her LinkedIn, she previously worked at Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide Malaysia from 2003 to 2007, first as director of strategic planning and business director, then as GM. This was before it rebranded to MSL in Malaysia.

In 2014, she was COO at Fielo Loyalty, an end-to-end incentive automation platform for over a year. She was also the director of marketing for the platform, her LinkedIn said. Sriram was also the founding partner of Naked Communications from 2010 to 2012 in Mumbai. This came after she worked at MullenLowe Group India as channel planning director for about two years, according to her LinkedIn. Sriram has also worked in Japan and Hong Kong.

"I have worked for more than three decades across multiple countries, industries and cultures, and have had a successful career in managing companies and brands locally, regionally and globally, with a strong focus on integration, new product development and entrepreneurship," her LinkedIn said.

She added that having worked in a variety of business environments has empowered her to seek innovative approaches to the task at hand, addressing the challenge that each individual task presents to avoid the trap of a "one-size-fits-all"solution. Her expertise includes brand communications across various disciplines - marketing, integrated communications plannning, advertising, social, digital, activation, design, and loyalty and CRM.