Senior/General Manager - Digital Advertising Council (DAC)

Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI)

Location: Mumbai

Experience: 10+ years

Reporting to: Executive Vice President

About the Role

IAMAI is India's leading not-for-profit industry body representing the digital ecosystem.

The Digital Advertising Council (DAC) is one of IAMAI's most influential councils bringing together 110+ member organisations across agencies, publishers, affiliates, ad-tech, and mar-tech, and engaging with brands, agencies and publishers through reports, task forces, conferences and policy forums.

The Senior/General Manager leading the DAC owns the council's strategic direction, member engagement, content agenda, and operational delivery. The role sits at the intersection of policy, industry relations, content, and commercial growth, and requires a senior professional who can hold their own in conversations with CMOs, agency heads, regulators, and publishing leaders.

This is a high-visibility position with direct exposure to India's most consequential conversations on digital advertising from measurement to connected TV, affiliate marketing standards, DPDP-era compliance and AI related services and regulations

Key Responsibilities

Council Leadership & Strategic Direction

Lead the overall strategic agenda for the Digital Advertising Council in close collaboration with the Chair (Shantanu Sirohi, Interactive Avenues) and Co-Chairs (Priya Choudhary, Google; Satyan Gajwani, Times Internet). Translate the council's vision into an annual roadmap of initiatives, reports, events, and policy interventions, and own end-to-end delivery against that roadmap.

Member Engagement & Network Growth

Serve as the primary point of contact for 110+ member organisations across agencies, publishers, affiliates, ad-tech, and mar-tech companies. Build deep, trust-based relationships with senior stakeholders including CMOs, founders, agency heads, and platform leaders. Drive member retention through consistent value delivery, and lead structured outreach to grow the council's footprint year-on-year.

Task Force & Sub-Group Coordination

Run the council's focused sub-groups: Payments Reconciliation, Affiliates, Martech and Publishers: ensuring each operates with clear objectives, active senior participation and tangible deliverables. Co-ordinate cross-cutting task forces on critical industry issues.

Policy Advocacy & Regulatory Engagement

Represent the collective voice of the digital advertising ecosystem in engagements with policymakers, regulators and government bodies. Build positions on emerging regulation including DPDP implementation, digital advertising standards, and platform accountability. Convene member discussions to crystallise consensus positions, and lead written submissions, consultative engagements, and stakeholder meetings as required.

Industry Reports & Thought Leadership

Lead the publication of DAC's flagship research, including the Digital AdEx Report capturing advertising spends, trends, and growth projections, and special reports such as the upcoming India CTV Playbook. Manage end-to-end report development, from scoping and member input to research partner coordination, editorial direction, and launch positioning. Position DAC as the most credible industry voice on digital advertising in India.

Events & Industry Platforms

Own DAC's role across IAMAI's flagship events including India Digital Summit (IDS), MARCON. Curate sessions, identify speakers, drive member participation and ensure DAC's presence translates into visible thought leadership and tangible member value. Lead invite-only offsite formats such as Marketing Masters Meet and Intersec, designed for closed-door CXO engagement.

Billing & Payment Recovery Process (BNPP)

Oversee the BNPP Sub-Committee's work in collaboration with AAAI, supporting reconciliation of outstanding payments across the agency-publisher-network ecosystem and promoting adherence to the industry-standard cycle.

Commercial & Membership Growth

Partner with the IAMAI leadership team to grow DAC's commercial contribution through new memberships, partnership-led initiatives, sponsored research, and event monetisation. Identify opportunities to deepen revenue per member through tailored engagement formats and category-specific initiatives.

Required Experience & Skills

- 10+ years of relevant experience across marketing, advertising, publishing, events, or industry body environments

- Proven ability to operate at senior levels, engaging confidently with CMOs, agency heads, regulators, and platform leaders

- Strong understanding of India's digital advertising ecosystem, including agencies, publishers, ad-tech platforms, walled gardens, and emerging categories like CTV and affiliate marketing

- Demonstrated ability to lead multi-stakeholder initiatives, coordinating across competitive members, building consensus, and driving outcomes within defined timelines through council and committee meetings

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills

- Strong commercial instinct, comfortable owning revenue conversations, partnership structures, and event monetisation

- Operational rigour ability to run complex initiatives end-to-end, manage timelines, and deliver consistently across reports, events, and member engagements

- Basic familiarity with policy and regulatory landscape preferred, including working knowledge of DPDP, digital advertising standards and emerging compliance themes

What Success Looks Like

- 110+ member base retained and grown by [X]% annually

- DAC's flagship reports (Digital AdEx, CTV Playbook, others) recognised as the industry's most credible references

- Active and visible sub-group cadence with senior member participation

- Council-led policy positions adopted, cited, or referenced by regulators and policymakers

- High-impact DAC presence across IAMAI's flagship events with measurable member engagement

- Closed-door offsites and roundtables consistently rated as top-tier industry forums

- Sustained revenue contribution to IAMAI through memberships, partnerships, and sponsored initiatives

Why This Role Matters

The Senior/General Manager leading DAC is one of the most consequential industry-body roles in India's digital advertising ecosystem. The council shapes how the industry navigates measurement, privacy, regulation, and the post-cookie transition. The right person in this role will not just run a council they will help define the agenda for India's - 70,000+ crore digital advertising market over the next decade.