MUMBAI: GroupM and Maxus has announced the new managing director for Maxus South Asia, Kartik Sharma. Sharma takes over the reins from current managing director Ajit Varghese wef January 2014, as Verghese moves into a new regional role as CEO Maxus Asia-Pacific.

Kartik moves up from Managing Partner, Maxus and will report into GroupM South Asia CEO CVL Srinivas and Verghese. He will also now be a part of the GroupM South Asia EXCO.

Commenting on Sharma’s Appointment, CVL Srinivas said, “Kartik has done a stellar job as managing partner, Maxus, working closely with Ajit in shaping the Maxus brand, creating client delight, winning several new businesses and helping Maxus dominate industry awards. I wish him the very best and also welcome him to the GroupM South Asia EXCO which will benefit immensely from his product knowledge and experience.”

On handing over the charge, Verghese added, “Kartik is an excellent choice for Maxus going forward especially considering his product strengths and client focus. A long standing employee of GroupM, he has the in-depth knowledge and insight of what is needed to take Maxus to the next level. Kartik has been the key architect in growing the Maxus Mumbai office 3 fold in the last 6 years and building up a collaborative culture of working across offices and between various teams inside GroupM.”

With over 18 years of experience under his belt, Sharma said on his appointment, “The last six years at Maxus has been very exciting. What I love most is the passion & collaborative culture where every team member works hard to deliver on our 10/10 vision of delighting clients. Our focus on constantly improving the product and the ability to develop a unique work culture has helped us deliver winning solutions for clients. I look forward to my new journey and am confident it will be equally exciting & fulfilling.”