Rana Barua

Group CEO India, SEA & North Asia (Japan & South Korea)

Rana Barua is a renowned transformational leader in the global advertising and marketing industry, with a distinguished career spanning three decades, and is a Wharton College alumnus.

Rana joined Havas India in 2018 as its Group CEO and catapulted the network from 3 to 24 companies, and 200 to 2500+ employees in just 6 years.

In 2024, Rana Barua, was elevated as Group CEO of Havas India, Southeast & North Asia (Japan & South Korea), adding nine additional markets under his leadership across Havas Creative Network and Havas Media Network.

In his current role, Rana oversees Havas' Creative and Media businesses across 10 markets including India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, South Korea, and Japan.

With an illustrious career of three decades, Rana has led esteemed organizations such as Contract India (a leading WPP creative agency) and RED FM (India's leading radio network). He has also held senior leadership profiles at Radio City (as marketing head) and multiple WPP agencies (JWT, Ogilvy & Rediffusion Y&R), where he has spent a major part of his professional life.

In 2021, Rana was named the Trailblazer of the Year in the Indian advertising industry.

In 2024, Rana won 1st Runner Up awards at the prestigious WEP awards by the United Nations in the Leadership Commitment category.