Shashidhar Sharma has stepped down from WPP Media, formerly GroupM, concluding a five-year stint with the organisation. His last working day was January 2, bringing to a close a phase in which he played a key role in shaping the group’s programmatic and ad operations strategy. Sharma most recently served as Head – Programmatic & Ad Operations, a position he held from January 2021 to January 2026.

The development was shared through a LinkedIn post, where Sharma reflected on his journey at WPP Media and the work accomplished during his tenure. The post marked the end of his association with the company and acknowledged the teams and collaborators he worked with over the years.

During his time at WPP Media, Sharma led the programmatic function across all GroupM agencies and sub-agencies, overseeing large and diverse client portfolios. He was closely involved in driving the adoption of programmatic best practices and in building a more diversified approach to media buying, with a strong focus on optimisation at the publisher, exchange and creative levels to consistently meet performance benchmarks.

A significant part of his contribution lay in strengthening operational efficiency. Sharma spearheaded the introduction of standard operating procedures, RACI frameworks and automation-led processes, which reportedly delivered efficiency improvements of around 33 percent. He also played a central role in implementing clean supply path initiatives, including supply path optimisation and benchmarking dashboards, aimed at improving transparency and control across the programmatic supply chain.

Beyond systems and processes, Sharma placed emphasis on talent development within the organisation. Structured training programmes and certification initiatives were rolled out under his leadership, helping create clearer career progression pathways and contributing to lower team attrition. The teams he led went on to win more than 15 industry awards across 2023 and 2024 for programmatic campaigns, including recognition for innovative applications of artificial intelligence.

Before joining WPP Media, Sharma held senior programmatic leadership roles across global agency networks. His experience includes stints as Director – Programmatic at FCB Global and Omnicom Media Group in Auckland, and Associate Director – Programmatic at OMD India. Earlier in his career, he spent over seven years at Google in operations and support leadership roles, following initial assignments in digital marketing and technical support.

Sharma’s exit marks the end of a significant chapter for WPP Media’s programmatic practice, one that saw the function evolve with a sharper focus on performance, transparency and operational rigour.