India’s digital advertising ecosystem is evolving from scale to sophistication, powered by AI, retail media, connected TV, programmatic infrastructure and creator-led commerce. Global leaders such as Google India, Meta India and Microsoft India are deepening AI-driven monetisation, while platforms like Amazon Ads, YouTube India and Flipkart Ads are reshaping performance marketing across commerce and content. At the same time, homegrown innovators including InMobi, Amagi Media Labs, Affle India and CleverTap are building privacy-first, data-led platforms with global ambition. India’s Top 50 Leaders in Advertising Technology, Platforms, Data & AI recognises the executives and founders driving this shift, shaping how brands connect, measure and grow in an AI-first, platform-powered digital economy.

• Preeti Lobana (VP and Country Manager, Google India): A transformation-focused leader with over three decades of experience across banking and technology, Preeti Lobana leads Google India’s commercial charter within the Global Business Organisation. With deep expertise in Ads, SMB growth and technical services, she has scaled large cross-continental teams while driving AI-led customer experience innovation. A strong advocate for inclusion, she has also championed DEI initiatives within Google India.

• Arun Srinivas (Managing Director & Country Head, Meta India): With 30 years of experience across consumer goods and digital industries, Arun Srinivas heads Meta’s India operations, steering revenue, innovation and ecosystem partnerships across its family of apps. Known for building billion-dollar P&Ls and high-performing teams, he brings a sharp blend of brand, marketing and digital expertise to one of India’s largest advertising platforms.

• Rajiv Kumar (Managing Director and President, Microsoft India): A career technologist who began at Microsoft in 1992, Rajiv Kumar now leads Microsoft’s largest global development center outside the US. As President of the Experiences and Devices Group in India, he oversees engineering innovation across Office, Teams and Edge, positioning India as a critical hub for AI-powered productivity and platform development.
  

• Gulshan Verma (Director, Amazon Ads): A P&L leader with global exposure across consulting and industry, Gulshan Verma drives Amazon’s e-commerce advertising and DSP business in India. With deep strengths in strategy, media monetisation and digital growth, he focuses on performance-driven advertising solutions within Amazon’s fast-evolving retail and streaming ecosystem.
  

• Shilangi Mukherji (Director & Head, SVOD Business, Amazon Prime Video India): Shilangi Mukherji leads the subscription video-on-demand business for Amazon Prime Video India, shaping monetisation, subscriber growth and platform strategy. Her leadership sits at the intersection of content, consumer insights and digital scale in one of India’s most competitive streaming markets.
  

• Raghav Gupta (Head of Education – India & Asia Pacific, OpenAI):  A seasoned business builder with over 25 years across education and tech, Raghav Gupta leads OpenAI’s education charter across India and Asia Pacific. Having previously scaled Coursera and BlaBlaCar in the region, he brings deep expertise in high-growth digital ecosystems and AI-led impact at scale.

• Gunjan Soni (Country Managing Director, YouTube India): Gunjan Soni leads YouTube India, driving creator growth, monetisation and platform innovation in one of the world’s most dynamic digital video markets. With prior leadership roles at Zalora, Myntra and Star India, she combines deep consumer, commerce and media experience to expand YouTube’s creator economy footprint.
  

• Vignesh V (Director, Samsung Ads): With over two decades in media, partnerships and monetisation, Vignesh V leads Samsung Ads’ India business across connected TV and smart device ecosystems. His expertise spans digital airtime sales, data-led brand solutions and strategic revenue planning in the rapidly growing CTV advertising space.
  

• Varun Mohan (Chief Commercial Officer, MiQ India): Varun Mohan is the Chief Commercial Officer at MiQ India, where he drives revenue growth and commercial strategy across the company’s programmatic and data-led advertising solutions. With over 16 years in premium digital media, he has built and scaled ad sales businesses for platforms including Republic TV – Digital, Appier Inc, Microsoft (MSN India), The Economist Online and Naukri.com. Known for crafting sharp go-to-market strategies and premium media packaging, he brings deep expertise in monetisation, market creation, and data-driven revenue efficiency within India’s evolving AdTech ecosystem.

• Devajit Roy (Head of India, Growth & Mid-Market – Marketing Solutions, LinkedIn): Devajit Roy leads LinkedIn’s new business and mid-market growth charter across India and neighbouring markets. With 18+ years in B2B digital and ad tech, he focuses on scalable revenue growth, strategic client partnerships and performance-led marketing solutions within the professional platform ecosystem.

• Pulkit Trivedi (Managing Director, Snap Inc): Pulkit Trivedi brings over 25 years of leadership across enterprise and consumer internet businesses to Snap India. Focused on scaling revenue and building high-impact teams, he is driving Snap’s advertising and AR-led innovation strategy in one of its fastest-growing global markets.
  

• Amarjit Singh Batra (General Manager – SAMEA (South Asia, Middle East, Africa) & Managing Director- India, Spotify India): Amarjit Singh Batra oversees Spotify’s India business while also leading the SAMEA region. At the helm of one of the largest audio streaming platforms, he drives advertising, subscriptions and creator partnerships, strengthening Spotify’s role in India’s rapidly expanding digital audio ecosystem.
  

• Shashwat Sharma (Chief Operating Officer, airtel): Shashwat Sharma leads large-scale marketing and brand portfolios at airtel, driving distribution, media reach and commercial performance. With deep experience in telecom innovation and consumer activation, he plays a central role in shaping advertising and data-driven engagement at scale.

• Harit Nagpal (MD & CEO, Tata Play Ltd): Harit Nagpal heads Tata Play, steering one of India’s leading content distribution platforms through digital transformation. Under his leadership, the company has evolved across DTH and OTT integrations, strengthening its advertising and subscription-led growth strategy.
  

• Kushagra Dwivedi (Director, Flipkart Ads): Kushagra Dwivedi leads advertising across key lifestyle and FMCG categories at Flipkart, managing monetisation across multiple marketplace formats. With strong expertise in pricing, GTM strategy and P&L ownership, he plays a pivotal role in scaling retail media in India.

• Manuj Arora (Director, Myntra Ads): Manuj Arora heads ad sales for fashion and sports at Myntra, aligning brand partnerships with performance-driven commerce outcomes. With a decade of experience in demand planning and strategy, he is helping shape Myntra’s growing retail media network.

• Kiran Mani (Chief Executive Officer, JioStar): Kiran Mani leads JioStar, India’s largest media and entertainment platform formed through the Viacom18–Star merger. Overseeing digital properties including JioHotstar and Cricinfo, he drives integrated advertising, content and platform strategy at national scale.

• Ashish Lodha (Sr. VP, Jio Ads): Ashish Lodha plays a key leadership role in expanding Jio Ads’ digital advertising footprint. With experience in revenue strategy and platform monetisation, he supports the growth of Jio’s data-led advertising ecosystem across telecom and digital assets.
  

• Kaveri Das (Business Head, ZEE5): Kaveri Das oversees corporate strategy, lifecycle management and P&L performance at ZEE5, driving both AVOD and SVOD growth globally. Her data-led approach to customer journeys and monetisation has strengthened ZEE5’s competitive position across India and international markets.
  

• Ankush Sachdeva (Co-Founder & CEO, ShareChat & Moj): Ankush Sachdeva is building one of India’s largest AI-powered vernacular content ecosystems through ShareChat and Moj. By blending short-video, social engagement and machine learning, he has positioned the platforms as key players in India’s digital advertising and creator economy landscape.

• Deepit Purkayastha (Co-Founder & CEO, Inshorts): Deepit Purkayastha leads Inshorts and Public App, focusing on product, data and platform strategy. His work in building high-engagement news and content platforms has created scalable advertising opportunities rooted in user behaviour and regional reach.
  

• Kartik Mehta (Chief Business Officer, Channel Factory): At Channel Factory, Kartik Mehta is driving revenue growth and market expansion with a sharp focus on brand-safe, contextual advertising. With over 15 years in digital sales and business strategy, he previously scaled Silverpush’s international operations from the ground up into a multi-million dollar business across 15 markets. Known for building high-performance teams, Kartik blends commercial instinct with deep ad-tech understanding.
  

• Tejinder Gill (Managing Director, The Trade Desk): Tejinder Gill leads The Trade Desk’s India operations, steering its programmatic growth strategy in a competitive market. Under his leadership, the company has strengthened agency partnerships and accelerated adoption of data-driven media buying. His tenure reflects a strong command over go-to-market execution and platform-led innovation.
  

• Medhavi Singh (Country Head – India, Criteo): Medhavi Singh heads Criteo India, bringing over a decade of leadership experience across retail media, monetization and enterprise growth. She has built scalable revenue strategies while navigating complex change cycles in digital advertising. Her expertise spans P&L management, strategic planning and high-impact team building.
  

• Rajeev Goel (Co-Founder and CEO, PubMatic): Rajeev Goel co-founded PubMatic with a vision to empower publishers through independent, owned technology infrastructure. Since 2006, he has scaled the company into a global, publicly listed SSP with a strong culture of innovation. A serial entrepreneur, Rajeev continues to shape programmatic advertising through product-led growth and global expansion.

• Naveen Tewari (Founder & CEO, InMob): Naveen Tewari built InMobi into India’s first unicorn in mobile advertising and continues to push the boundaries of AI-driven consumer engagement. Through InMobi and Glance, he has redefined how users interact with content across mobile and connected screens. His leadership blends product vision, global scale and ecosystem building.

• Harpreet Singh (Country Manager, Taboola India): Harpreet Singh leads Taboola India, strengthening publisher monetization and content discovery partnerships across the market. With over 15 years in digital media, he brings deep expertise in strategic alliances and revenue optimization. His work bridges product strategy with publisher growth in a fast-evolving ecosystem.
  

• Shouneel Charles (MD/Head, Outbrain India): Shouneel Charles oversees Outbrain’s India and Southeast Asia operations, drawing from decades of experience across digital, television and publishing. Having led revenue at NDTV and Times Network, he brings cross-platform monetization insight to native advertising. His leadership focuses on premium publisher partnerships and scalable content recommendation ecosystems.

• Tarun Ummat (Managing Director, Teads): Tarun Ummat leads Teads’ India mandate, championing high-impact, brand-safe video and display solutions. With a strong background in sales and business development, he works closely with agencies and brands to deliver outcome-driven campaigns. At Teads, he is advancing premium publisher collaborations and AI-powered optimization.
  

• Sunny Masand (Regional Partner Director (APAC) – , Aleph Group, Inc): Sunny Masand spearheads X’s monetization strategy across seven APAC markets through Aleph Group’s partner mandate. With two decades in digital ad sales, he manages cross-border revenue expansion and product P&L responsibilities. His leadership integrates regional market nuance with global platform partnerships.
  

• Baskar Subramanian (Founder, Amagi Media Labs): Baskar Subramanian co-founded Amagi and has positioned it as a global leader in cloud-managed streaming and ad monetization technology. A technologist-turned-entrepreneur, he bridges deep product architecture with business strategy. Amagi today powers content distribution and monetization across dozens of countries through scalable cloud infrastructure.
  

• Anuj Khanna Sohum (Founder, Chairperson & CEO, Affle India): Anuj Khanna Sohum founded Affle India in 2005 and has built it into a consumer intelligence-driven mobile advertising platform. Under his leadership, Affle has scaled globally, leveraging data and AI to drive performance marketing outcomes. He continues to focus on innovation-led growth across emerging and developed markets.
  

• Sunil Thomas (Co-Founder & CEO, CleverTap): Sunil Thomas leads CleverTap, a full-stack retention and engagement platform for app-first brands. A technologist at heart, he has built scalable customer lifecycle solutions powered by real-time analytics. His vision centers on helping brands drive long-term user value in a data-first digital economy.

• Rohit Jain (President, Lionsgate Play): Rohit Jain founded Lionsgate’s Asia operations and launched Lionsgate Play across multiple markets. He has expanded the brand’s digital footprint while investing in premium Indian content through Lionsgate India Studio. His leadership reflects a strong play at the intersection of OTT, content and monetization strategy.
  

• Hitesh Chawla (CEO, Silverpush): Hitesh Chawla has scaled Silverpush into a global contextual AI leader spanning 20+ countries. Focused on privacy-first advertising, he combines AI innovation with creative storytelling to help brands connect meaningfully. His journey reflects a builder’s mindset grounded in experimentation and scale.
  

• Sandeep Bommireddi (Co-founder, Adonmo): Sandeep Bommireddi co-founded Adonmo with a vision to build one of the world’s largest hyper-targeted DOOH networks. A technologist by training, he is driving the digitization of outdoor advertising in India. His work blends location intelligence, programmatic capabilities and scalable infrastructure.
  

• Nitin Gupta (CEO, Xapads Media): Nitin Gupta founded Xapads Media to bring AI-led transparency and performance to digital advertising. Under his leadership, the company has expanded across six countries, serving billions of ad requests daily. A serial entrepreneur, he focuses on building scalable ad-tech solutions powered by data and machine learning.

• Ankit Prasad (Founder & CEO, Bobble AI): Ankit Prasad founded Bobble AI after leaving IIT Delhi, building one of the world’s most engaging AI-powered keyboard platforms. With over 100 million users, Bobble integrates contextual advertising into everyday conversations. He represents a new generation of consumer tech founders blending AI, expression and monetization.

• Umair Mohammed (Founder, NITRO Commerce): Umair Mohammed is a SaaS and ecommerce specialist focused on solving data and marketing efficiency challenges. Through NITRO Commerce and Wigzo Technologies, he leverages AI models to reduce CAC and optimize marketing spends. His work sits at the intersection of ecommerce growth and algorithmic intelligence.

• Russhabh R Thakkar (Founder, Frodoh): Russhabh R Thakkar is building Frodoh with a focus on performance-driven digital solutions in the evolving ad-tech landscape. As a new-age entrepreneur, he represents emerging leadership shaping data-backed advertising strategies. His work reflects a strong orientation toward scalable, tech-enabled growth models. 

• Sudhir Vashist (Founder, SEORCE): Sudhir Vashist is the Founder of SEORCE, an AI-powered search intelligence platform built for the new era of discovery beyond traditional Google rankings. With over two decades of experience across SEO, digital strategy, and technology, he has helped startups and enterprises scale organic growth into measurable revenue. After co-founding one of India’s leading independent digital agencies in 2010, Sudhir is now focused on redefining search visibility across AI platforms, rich results, and multi-format ecosystems.

As India moves deeper into an AI-first, commerce-integrated digital economy, advertising is no longer just about reach. It is about intelligence, accountability and long-term value creation. From global powerhouses like Google India and Meta India to homegrown innovators such as InMobi and Amagi Media Labs, the leaders featured in this list are building the infrastructure that will define the next decade of brand growth. Their work sits at the intersection of data, creativity, technology and trust. India’s Top 50 Leaders in Advertising Technology, Platforms, Data & AI is not just a recognition of scale, but of vision, execution and the ability to shape how businesses engage with consumers in a rapidly transforming digital landscape.

–Authored and edited by Sandhya Bharti