Mimi Deb, COO of Madison Media Plus, brings over 25 years of experience in media and communications across global network agencies and consultancy. Having worked with leading FMCG, lifestyle, luxury, and digital-first brands, she shares how global learnings shape her approach at Madison, why client trust depends on agility and listening, and how empowering teams is key to future-ready partnerships. In this interview, she reflects on balancing people and clients, staying ahead of shifting consumer behavior, and building long-term value in a fast-evolving media landscape.
You’ve worked across some of the biggest media networks before stepping into this leadership role at Madison. What are the key global learnings you want to bring into your mandate here?
Global learnings have been invaluable in building frameworks and processes that become second nature — almost like muscle memory. They’ve taught me to bring a structured lens to any business challenge, to break it down to its finest detail, and to craft strategic solutions with both rigor and clarity.
Having worked across FMCG, lifestyle, luxury, and digital-first businesses, how do you see media strategies evolving for brands that need to balance both traditional and digital ecosystems?
What’s important is that we stop dividing media into ‘traditional’ and ‘non-traditional.’ Today, every opportunity to connect with audiences is media.
The real task is to define the role of each channel — which ones build mass coverage and salience, and which ones drive precision and full-funnel outcomes. There is no one-size-fits-all ‘balanced approach.’
For some brands, depending on their stage, the focus must be mid-to-bottom funnel, with extra emphasis on conversion-driving channels. For others, the priority is top-funnel reach and frequency.
Ultimately, the evolution of media strategy is about orchestrating all touchpoints seamlessly, driven by data and tech, so that each channel flexes to the brand’s specific growth need.
Madison Media is known for its strong client partnerships. From your perspective, what does it really take to build trust and long-term value with brands today?
It is important that we keep listening to our partners across all levels of their organisation. If we keep a keen ear to the challenges they are trying to solve and walk that journey with them, the relationship naturally becomes long-standing.
Agility and being future-ready are the other two pillars that truly define enduring partnerships today.
At the end of the day, a true business partner is one who invests in a client’s challenges as if they were their own, and creates value that outlives any single campaign. That’s how trust and long-term value are built.
With so much transformation in consumer behavior, especially in how people discover and consume content, what shifts do you think agencies must make to stay ahead?
To stay ahead, agencies must remain hungry to learn and open to what’s next. That means meeting partners and solution providers even if they don’t seem directly relevant today, because tomorrow’s disruption often comes from unexpected places.
Equally, it’s about educating clients to test and scale new ideas, and building a culture where we are constantly learning, experimenting, and evolving.
In a world where consumer behavior transforms in no time, the only way agencies can stay ahead is by keeping pace with the ecosystem — not once in a while, but every single day.
Being COO is as much about building teams as it is about driving clients. How do you balance the two?
Being COO is as much about building teams as it is about driving clients — and I see the two as inseparable. If you build strong, motivated teams, client success follows naturally. My role is to create an environment where people feel empowered, trusted, and future-ready. When teams are energised, they bring that same passion and problem-solving mindset to clients.
At the same time, staying close to client businesses keeps us sharp and ambitious. The real balance lies in investing in people while staying deeply engaged with clients — ensuring both grow in tandem.
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