20-year content hand to lead Google partnerships at WPP

WPP Media has named Prachi Narayan as Head of Partnerships at Media Futures Group, the bespoke global media and advertising agency built exclusively for Google.

Narayan joins from Havas Media Network India, where she most recently led Havas Play. Her appointment puts a content and branded-entertainment leader at the centre of one of WPP’s most closely watched client-dedicated teams.

01 · What the role covers

Media Futures Group is not a typical multi-client agency. It is a dedicated unit created for Google, which suggests the partnerships brief sits close to platform priorities, IP opportunities and cross-channel branded content, not just media buying.

• Over 20 years across newsrooms, broadcast, branded content and entertainment
• Joins from Havas Play, where she was Managing Partner from July 2025 to August 2026
• Earlier stints at Prime Focus Technologies, Republic Media Network and TV Today

02 · Why the move matters

Narayan’s career runs through Republic Media Network, where she led branded content initiatives, and Prime Focus Technologies, where she headed a large OAP programme for Disney Southeast Asia. That mix of content creation, IP development and client servicing is exactly the skill set partnerships roles now demand.

For Indian CMOs, the appointment is a useful signal: client-dedicated agencies are moving beyond media planning into partnership design. When a single-client unit hires a content-led leader, the expectation is that deals will be built around formats, audiences and integrated programmes, not just inventory.

03 · What to do about it

Marketers can use this as a prompt to review how their own agency relationships are structured. Ask whether your agency team is staffed to create partnership opportunities, or only to execute a media plan. If your brand works closely with a large platform, a partnership lead with content experience may be the missing link.

The one-line marketing take: partnerships are becoming a creative discipline, and agencies are now hiring accordingly.

Source: Indian Advertising Media & Marketing News – exchange4media

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.