Shashidhar Sharma
Digital Marketing Professional
Bangalore
Summary
Results-oriented Digital leader with 19+ years of experience driving revenue growth, building high-performing global teams, and achieving industry recognition. Proven ability to establish and scale ad operations from scratch, optimize processes, and deliver award-winning campaigns. Expertise spans programmatic media buying, social and digital marketing, team leadership, and client relationship management. Seeking a VP/GM role where I can leverage my expertise to drive innovation and achieve ambitious business objectives.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
3
3
Certifications
Work History
Head of Programmatic & Xaxis
GroupM
01.2021 - Current
- Led the programmatic practice for all GroupM agencies and multiple sub-agencies, spearheading a 200+ member activation team and driving significant adoption of best practices across 250+ client accounts
- Spearheaded revenue growth of over 150% in 2024 vs
- 2023 and delivered over 200% consolidated growth in programmatic media spend from 2021 to 2024
- Led the organization to achieve GMP certification, a first for a holding company in India, demonstrating a commitment to delivering innovation at scale
- Developed and implemented programmatic media buying best practices, resulting in demonstrably improved work quality, timeliness, and response quality, earning positive client feedback and recognition
- Streamlined workflows by introducing SOPs, RACI matrices, and automation, enhancing communication, accountability, and campaign automation, enabling efficient management with a lean team
- Implemented a clean supply path initiative, including SPO implementation and a benchmarking tool, increasing transparency for clients and optimizing supply path management
- Championed team growth and development through training programs and platform certifications, creating a clear growth roadmap and reducing attrition from 60% in 2012 to under 15% in 2024
- Elevated GroupM's industry profile by authoring 20+ articles on programmatic advertising and participating in numerous industry events as a subject matter expert
- Led teams to win over 15 awards for programmatic campaigns in 2023 and 2024, showcasing innovative strategies and exceptional execution
Director – Digital
FCB MEDIA
01.2019 - 01.2020
- Company Overview: (Interpublic Group - IPG)
- Built and led a high-performing 20-person social, programmatic, and ad ops team, significantly expanding agency capabilities and driving new business acquisition
- Developed and implemented agency-wide programmatic and ad operations SOPs and SLAs, improving quality and operational efficiency
- Led programmatic and ad operations, achieving excellent campaign performance and earning industry awards for work with key clients
- (Interpublic Group - IPG)
Associate Director – Digital
OMNICOM MEDIA GROUP - OMG
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Earned “The Drum Asia” award for Best Use of Data in a creative campaign
- Increased programmatic spend by 30% YoY through consistent improvement in digital buy performance
- Optimized campaign management processes, reducing optimization time by 20% and improving overall team efficiency
Operations Lead
GOOGLE
01.2010 - 01.2018
- Company Overview: (Accenture 2015 to 2018 and Intris Consulting 2010 to 2015)
- Scaled the DoubleClick Bid Manager support team from 5 to 150 members, successfully onboarding and training new hires
- Led a project focused on error reduction, resulting in a 40% decrease in 'Agent Driven' escalations and improved operational efficiency
- Optimized team productivity and performance by 25% by implementing strategic approach to ‘Pod’ based mentorship
- Also led client MBR’s and QBR’s analysing team performance and future strategy roadmap
- (Accenture 2015 to 2018 and Intris Consulting 2010 to 2015)
Senior Associate – IT Support
MorgenSegen Technologies
01.2006 - 01.2010
Education
Post Graduate Diploma in Management - Marketing Management
Post Graduate Program in Management - Leadership & Decision Making
Skills
Programmatic Advertising
Certification
Digital Marketing & Strategy | TUV SUD
Awards & Thought Leadership
● E4M 40 Under 40 Award (2024): Recognized as one of the top 40 marketing leaders under 40 in India.
● Programmatic Advertising Expertise: Frequently quoted and published in leading industry publications on programmatic advertising trends, challenges, and best practices.
● Industry Speaker & Trainer: Featured speaker and trainer at industry events and academic institutions, sharing expertise on programmatic advertising and digital marketing.
● TAPMI: Listed as a key industry speaker. https://www.tapmi.edu.in/eminent-speakers/key-industry-speakers/
● Integral Ad Science: Master of Media interview discussing programmatic strategies in APAC. https://integralads.com/apac/insider/masters-of-media-shashidhar-sharma-groupm/
● The Media Stories: Interview on charting the programmatic frontier and future trends. https://themediastories.com/charting-the-programmatic-frontier-with-shashidhar-sharma/
● AdGully: Article on the road ahead for programmatic advertising in 2025.https://www.adgully.com/road-ahead-for-programmatic-in-2025-an-ai-powered-odyssey-part-1-154213.html
● AdPushup: Article on navigating ad tech in a cookie-less world. https://resources.adpushup.com/navigating-ad-tech-in-a-cookie-less-world
Timeline
D, GermanySA360, CM360, DV360 & GA360 | GoogleTrading Academy - Practitioner & Professional, Edge Academy – Marketing Foundations | The Trade Desk
01-2025
DV360, CM360, SA360 & GA360 | Google
01-2025
Head of Programmatic & Xaxis - GroupM
01.2021 - Current
Director – Digital - FCB MEDIA
01.2019 - 01.2020
Associate Director – Digital - OMNICOM MEDIA GROUP - OMG
01.2018 - 01.2019
Digital Marketing & Strategy | TUV SUD
03-2015
Operations Lead - GOOGLE
01.2010 - 01.2018
Senior Associate – IT Support - MorgenSegen Technologies
01.2006 - 01.2010
IMT Ghaziabad - Post Graduate Program in Management, Leadership & Decision Making
ALLIANCE UNIVERSITY - Post Graduate Diploma in Management, Marketing Management
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