Ajit Varghese joins Madison Media as Partner and Group CEO, Media & OOH

Madison Media is delighted to announce the appointment of Ajit Varghese, an experienced and pedigreed true blue media professional who cut his teeth in media planning in the early years at Madison; as Partner and Group CEO, Madison Media & OOH. 

Ajit, over his 3 decade experience in Media in India and abroad brings a unique blend of creative strategy and commercial acumen. He is a pass out of Xavier’s Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar. He started his early career in media planning at Madison Media, where he was COO of Madison Media Infinity for 7 years, followed by 13 years at Group M, where he was Managing Director, South Asia at Maxus, CEO Asia Pacific at Maxus and Global President of Wavemaker based in London. He was also the Chief Commercial Officer at ShareChat and more recently the Head of Revenue – Entertainment & International at JioStar, the joint venture between Reliance and Disney. At JioStar, he was a key voice shaping the future of TV media, Digital, Connected TV, Branded content, and driving brand growth narratives and immersive consumer experiences on the platforms. 

Says Sam Balsara, “I am delighted to have Ajit join us back. Ajit has all the credentials to steer an agency like Madison into the future; substantial media agency experience at Madison and Group M, both in India and abroad, then with a digital publisher and finally with Jio Star. Ajit, like Vikram will join us as Partner and CEO with a stake in the business” 

Says Ajit Varghese, “Coming back to Madison feels like returning home — but with a fresh purpose and a bigger mission. This is where my media journey began, and it’s where I now hope to help write its next big chapter. The world of media is transforming at lightning speed, and Madison is uniquely poised to lead with its client-first thinking, independent spirit, and deep talent. I’m thrilled to partner with Sam and the entire team to shape the next phase, stay future-ready and platform-powered Madison that delivers innovation, agility, and measurable business outcomes for brands. The ambition is clear: make Madison the most impactful and future-facing agency in the region.” 

Sam Balsara further adds, “Vikram Sakhuja will continue in the role of Executive Director, working on building Organization capability, based in New Delhi.” 

Madison Media, India’s largest homegrown communication agency, has been ranked the World’s 4th Largest Independent Media Agency by RECMA. At the recent e4m Prime Time Awards 2025, Madison Media was awarded ‘Media Agency of the Year’ for the 6th time. The Agency was also honoured with the ‘Outdoor Media Agency of the Year’ title at the e4m NEON OOH Awards 2025 for the 3rd time. Additionally, Madison Media was awarded ‘Independent Agency of the Year 2024’ at the e4m Media Ace Awards. The agency has won over 300 awards in the past 2 years. 

Madison Media handles media planning and buying for blue chip clients like Marico, Asian Paints, Titan, TVS, Godrej Properties, Godrej & Boyce, Pidilite, Cipla Health, Ceat, Raymond, Jyothy Labs, BlueStar, Axis Max Life Insurance, Lodha, Shaadi.com, BJP, Fortis, LT Foods, BirlaNu, and many others. Madison Media is part of Madison World, India’s largest homegrown communication agency established in 1988. Madison World through its 11 Units served last year, as many as 500 Advertisers.