Mumbai: Publicis Groupe India has appointed Sonal Verma as Managing Director of Arc Worldwide India, in a move aimed at strengthening its experiential, retail and shopper-led marketing capabilities as brands push closer to the moment of purchase.
Verma will report to Kedar Teny, Chief Product Officer, Publicis Groupe India, and will lead Arc Worldwide India’s business and strategic direction at a time when consumer journeys are becoming increasingly fragmented across physical, digital and commerce environments.
Arc Worldwide is Publicis Groupe’s global experiential and shopper marketing network, designed to influence consumer choice at high-intent moments — from retail and events to one-to-one brand interactions. Its offering spans shopper marketing, experiential platforms, retail design and connected commerce, enabling brands to move consumers from consideration to conversion.
Over the last decade, Arc Worldwide India has delivered large-scale brand experiences for Publicis Groupe clients, executing high-impact programs at platforms such as India Mobile Congress, Auto Expo and Lollapalooza, building a reputation for combining creative storytelling with measurable commercial outcomes.
Verma brings more than 25 years of experience across integrated marketing, experiential strategy and consumer engagement, having led large-scale brand platforms that span consumer, retail and digital ecosystems. In her new role, she will focus on expanding Arc’s connected commerce and experiential marketing capabilities, while building future-ready solutions designed to deliver tangible business impact for brands.
Commenting on the appointment, Kedar Teny, Chief Product Officer, Publicis Groupe India, said the move reflects the growing importance of experiential and shopper marketing within the Groupe’s overall growth strategy.
“As brands increasingly seek growth at the moments where decisions are made, Arc Worldwide India’s shopper and experiential capabilities are becoming central to how we create impact. Sonal brings the strategic clarity and executional rigour required to accelerate this momentum and embed these capabilities more deeply across our offering,” he said.
Verma said she was joining at a time when brands are looking beyond awareness towards experiences that drive real commercial outcomes.
“Arc has a strong global legacy in connected commerce, shopper marketing, retail and brand experiences. I look forward to working with the team and our clients to build insight-led, culturally relevant and scalable solutions that sit at the intersection of creativity, commerce and consumer engagement,” she said.
With this appointment, Publicis Groupe India is reinforcing its push to build specialist, outcome-driven capabilities that bridge branding, experience and commerce — an increasingly critical space as traditional linear marketing models give way to non-linear, intent-led consumer journeys.
