Vanitha Selva appointed VP - Clients, WPP Media Malaysia

Vanitha Selvathurai, former partner and head of Carat Malaysia, is now the vice president for clients at WPP Media Malaysia.

She will be instrumental in further solidifying the agency's client leadership and enhancing partnerships as it continues its journey of creating a client growth business, WPP Media Malaysia said.

“I am delighted to welcome Vanitha Selva to WPP Media Malaysia as vice president, clients. Since joining us, she has already brought tremendous energy, leadership and client expertise to the business," Winnie Chen-Head, CEO, WPP Media Malaysia, told A+M. "With nearly two decades of media agency experience and a strong track record of  Industry leadership she is a fantastic addition to our team."

Selvathurai joins at a critical juncture for WPP Media Malaysia given the company's recent successes such as Ikea, Telekom Malaysia, and the Estée Lauder Companies.

"As media, marketing and technology become increasingly connected in the AI era, our ambition is to build the next-generation media and marketing company in Malaysia," added Chen-Head.

"As a trusted growth partner to our clients, we are combining exceptional talent, innovation and AI-enabled capabilities to help brands navigate change, unlock opportunity and maximise the impact of their marketing investments," the CEO said.

Selvathurai had served Carat Malaysia for almost 18 years, having served for about five years as partner and head of Carat. She first joined the agency as a planner before working her way up to business director, and subsequently deputy general manager.

Key Highlights:

• Vanitha Selvathurai appointed VP – Clients at WPP Media Malaysia after 18 years at Carat
• Will lead client growth, partnerships, and AI-driven media strategy
• Joins as WPP Media Malaysia expands key global client accounts

In addition to her work with Carat, she was the secretary of the Media Specialists Association of Malaysia (MSAM) 2020-2024, and was appointed vice president of MSAM in May 2024. Selvathurai's LinkedIn states she left MSA in March this year.

Last month, WPP Media appointed Winnie Chen-Head as the new CEO of the country to further its quest of growth and innovation in the market.

After more than 24 years in e-commerce, aviation, telecommunications, tech startups and media agencies, Chen-Head officially took over as head of the agency on 6 May.

As part of this transition she will take charge of the Malaysia business and help the agency network become better and more efficient at helping clients navigate their media journeys with integrated business driven media strategies and future ready media capabilities.

Before coming to WPP Media, Chen-Head was the CEO of OMG Malaysia, but left after Omnicom's global acquisition of IPG was completed in December 2025. She was also the managing director for media of Carat, dentsuX and iProspect, three dentsu brands in Malaysia.

She replaces Arshan Saha, who was the Malaysia-Singapore CEO of WPP Media. He had been with the network for 13 years.

Since then, he has been with global digital advertising enablement firm Aleph as regional managing director, focussed on expanding the company's reach, developing platform partnerships and unlocking value for advertisers and partners in the various markets of the Asia Pacific region.