The record
The paired transition was announced on 29 October 2026 (Grey 82.5) and 28 October 2026 (VML India). Ramamurthy led Grey 82.5 through its transformation and business momentum following the integration of Grey and 82.5, and will work with Roy until 1 December to ensure a seamless handover across client partnerships and operations. Before Grey 82.5, he held roles at Media.Monks India, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and Lowe India.
Baruah took over as CEO of VML India in March 2024, following the merger of Wunderman Thompson and VMLY&R to form VML. Her move to a regional Ford-focused role keeps a senior leader on the group’s largest global account relationship.
Why this move matters
Agency CEO swaps inside one holding group are rarely just musical chairs — they signal where the group sees growth. VML is WPP’s largest agency network by scale, and its India chair now goes to a leader who has just finished integrating two agencies into one. That is the exact skill VML India needs as it consolidates its own post-merger structure: someone who has already done the hard part of merging cultures, clients and P&Ls.
What this signals — analysis
The paired announcement is the story: two CEO chairs filled in one move, zero external search, zero leadership vacuum. For holding companies, the bench is the strategy. For clients, the question is simpler — whether the new CEOs keep the teams and relationships that won the work in the first place.
For context, see the Leadership Moves archive for other verified leadership changes, and our companion piece on Shouvik Roy’s move to Grey 82.5.