Kalyan Undinty, until recently Senior Vice President — E‑commerce at WPP, has announced his departure from the agency network in a LinkedIn note that he framed as the close of an “incredible journey,” thanking mentors, colleagues, clients and his team as he moves on to the next chapter of his career.

Background / Overview​

Kalyan Undinty’s exit was first reported in a short item by Storyboard18, which reproduces the text of his LinkedIn message and highlights the public expressions of gratitude he shared with colleagues across the WPP network. The Storyboard18 write‑up notes that Undinty tagged a broad list of collaborators in his post but did not disclose his next employer or future plans. Trade press outlets that track industry moves corroborated the departure and added context about Undinty’s recent career path. Exchange4media reported that Undinty had been with WPP for nearly two years and quoted the same LinkedIn passage, while long‑running trade archives from 2024 document his arrival at Mindshare (a GroupM agency inside WPP) where he joined as head of e‑commerce after a multi‑year stint at Reckitt. Together these accounts establish a verifiable timeline: Reckitt → Mindshare/WPP (May 2024 appointment) → departure (November 2025).

---

Who is Kalyan Undinty? Career highlights and what we can verify​

Kalyan Undinty is an e‑commerce and digital commerce specialist with a background that includes leadership roles at consumer goods and agency sides. Key, verifiable milestones:

• He joined Mindshare (part of GroupM and the WPP group) as Head of E‑commerce in May 2024, a hire covered by industry outlets at the time.
• Prior to Mindshare, Undinty spent multiple years at Reckitt, where he led global e‑commerce initiatives and scaled digital commerce programs. This career movement is consistently noted in his appointment coverage.
• His exit from WPP was publicly posted on LinkedIn and picked up by Storyboard18 and other trade publications on Nov 10, 2025; the published excerpt thanks leaders, team members and clients and does not announce a new role.

These three facts—past employer (Reckitt), Mindshare appointment in May 2024, and the LinkedIn‑announced departure—are corroborated across multiple independent industry outlets and the primary post itself. Where public coverage is silent (for example, reasons for leaving, financial terms, or the identity of a next employer), those items remain unverified and should be treated as such until either Undinty or WPP publish more detail.

---

What the public announcements actually say (and what they don’t)​

Confirmed by the evidence​

• The departure was announced by Undinty on LinkedIn and reproduced by trade outlets. The message is framed as gratitude and reflection, not as an explanation of immediate next steps.
• Multiple trade outlets confirm Undinty’s tenure and prior roles, giving us a clear professional arc (Reckitt → Mindshare/WPP → exit).

Unconfirmed or absent​

• No public statement from WPP or GroupM about an internal reorganization or a named successor to Undinty has been published alongside the departure notice. This absence is notable given how agencies typically announce senior role changes when continuity or client assignments are at stake.
• There is no public announcement of Undinty’s next position at the time of reporting; his LinkedIn post does not name a future employer. Until he or the company reveals that information, any claim about his next role is speculative.

---

Why this matters: the operational and commercial implications for WPP and clients​

Agencies—especially networks with large client portfolios and shared operating platforms—treat senior e‑commerce leaders as linchpins for both client relationships and product execution. Undinty’s role and the timing of his departure have several practical implications:

• Client continuity risk. E‑commerce leadership often holds client trust, roadmaps, account-specific playbooks and vendor relationships (platform integrators, marketplaces, martech partners). A sudden or publicly visible departure can create short‑term uncertainty for clients, who may expect named alternates or transition plans. The published notices so far do not show such a succession plan.
• Knowledge transfer and intellectual property. E‑commerce strategies embed commercial data, measurement frameworks and optimization rules—tacit knowledge that is difficult to transfer. Agencies that handle shared client assets (e.g., marketplaces integrations, SKU‑level analytics) must be deliberate about handover documentation and retention of specialist staff.
• Talent signalling. Senior exits are attention‑getting in a tight talent market. Competitors and consultancies that hire ex‑agency e‑commerce leads can accelerate client outreach. Conversely, agencies that demonstrate controlled, transparent handovers reduce churn and buyer anxiety. Context here includes a series of industry leadership moves at WPP and elsewhere during 2024–25 that have amplified attention on succession and governance.
• Product and strategy continuity. If Undinty led specific e‑commerce product pushes—marketplace partnerships, D2C roadmap work, or vendor integrations—clients will need clear signals from WPP/Mindshare about who will steward those projects next and whether budgets, timelines, or KPIs will change.

---

Industry context: agency e‑commerce leadership is strategic and fluid​

E‑commerce services sit at the intersection of creative, media and technology—making e‑commerce leads particularly strategic hires for media networks. Undinty’s May 2024 appointment at Mindshare followed a broader industry pattern: agencies recruiting experienced operator‑executives from the brand side to accelerate client e‑commerce capabilities. The 2024–25 rhythm of hires and exits reflects several structural forces:

• Rapid growth and digital transformation in retail and CPG have increased demand for e‑commerce specialists inside agencies. Clients want integrated teams that can run marketplace strategies, performance media, CRO, and on‑site merchandising together.
• Talent is portable. Experienced e‑commerce operators (brand FTEs, marketplace specialists, head of digital commerce) are attractive to both agencies and consultancies. That mobility accelerates leadership churn and puts a premium on documented process, rather than person‑dependent execution.
• Network dynamics at WPP: large holding groups often recombine talent across agencies and brands to meet client needs; a single departure can trigger small domino effects in complementary teams and partner squads. Recent WPP governance and board changes have kept the organization under close market watch, amplifying the attention paid to executive moves.

---

Strengths of the available reporting​

• Direct primary evidence: The departure was announced by the executive himself on LinkedIn; trade outlets simply reproduced or summarized his post, which is the primary document for the claim. That makes the fact of exit highly credible.
• Multiple independent trade confirmations: Industry publications that cover agency people moves—Exchange4media, BestMediaInfo and others—have corroborated the Storyboard18 item and the timeline that places Undinty at Mindshare since May 2024. That independent reporting strengthens the veracity of the career chronology.
• Contextual background: The May 2024 Mindshare appointment pieces provide substantiation of Undinty’s prior roles and the expectations attached to his hire, offering readers a clear picture of his remit in the network.

---

Risks, gaps and cautionary notes​

• No official WPP comment (yet). The press coverage reproduces the LinkedIn announcement but there is no immediate public statement from WPP or GroupM confirming the exit, successor or handover plan. That gap matters for clients who contract services through agency agreements linked to named leaders. Until the company issues an official note, there remains a governance blind spot.
• Unclear reason for departure. The LinkedIn message is gracious and personal but does not specify whether the exit is voluntary, prompted by an external offer, part of a strategic reorganization, or otherwise. Absent a first‑person follow‑up or corporate release, motives are speculative.
• No named successor or transition timeline in public reporting. For roles that intersect with client P&Ls and channel revenue, the absence of a public transition narrative increases short‑term risk for campaign delivery and strategic continuity. Agencies typically mitigate this by naming interim leads; that has not been reported yet.
• Potential amplification by broader WPP leadership changes. WPP has itself been through a period of senior leadership transitions, and public markets and clients track such moves closely. While there’s no evidence that Undinty’s exit is linked to global governance changes at WPP, the cumulative perception of churn can affect client confidence and vendor negotiations.

---

Practical guidance for clients, partners and internal agency teams​

Clients, partners and internal stakeholders should expect and demand transparency and continuity actions in the wake of a senior e‑commerce exit. Recommended steps:

• Immediately request a named transition lead and a written handover plan covering ongoing programs, critical timelines, and vendor contacts.
• Ask for a 30/60/90 day delivery and contact matrix that shows who will own which KPIs and projects during the transition.
• Secure written assurances about access to data, reporting dashboards and contractual commitments that protect campaign continuity.
• For large, ongoing transformation projects (D2C platform builds, marketplace integrations), ask for a staffed contingency plan that maintains momentum if the next hire is external and onboarding will take time.
• For procurement and legal teams negotiating new statements of work, require SLAs for knowledge transfer and release clauses that avoid single‑person dependency.

These are practical client protections that reduce the operational friction of leader turnover and make delivery resilient to personnel shifts.

---

What WPP / Mindshare should do next (journalistic recommendations)​

• Publish a short, formal statement acknowledging the exit, its effective date, and the name of the interim or permanent successor where applicable. This reduces market speculation and reassures clients.
• Confirm continuity plans for the largest accounts and list named deputies who will manage day‑to‑day client relationships.
• Preserve institutional knowledge by accelerating formal handover documents: playbooks, platform credentials, vendor lists and an archived timeline of key milestones and decisions.
• Consider a short Q&A for major clients to walk through the implications and field concerns; proactive outreach is better than silence in these situations.

---

Wider significance: talent flows, agency strategy and the future of e‑commerce services​

E‑commerce functions within agency groups are evolving from tactical execution teams to strategic growth engines that tie directly into client revenue. Senior leaders who can run platform integrations, measurement frameworks, and merchandising strategies are scarce—and therefore highly mobile. Undinty’s move illustrates several broader trends:

• Agencies will continue to recruit senior operators from brand and retail businesses to meet client demand for hands‑on e‑commerce expertise.
• Holding company strategy matters: when WPP or equivalent networks reorganize at the top, it creates ripple effects across country structures and client teams; agencies must manage these ripples with disciplined succession planning.
• Clients increasingly buy outcomes (conversion uplift, marketplace share, D2C revenue) rather than discrete media services; this puts a premium on integrated leadership that can bridge creative, data and operations.

---

Verification checklist (what reporters and procurement teams should confirm)​

• Confirm the effective date of Undinty’s resignation with WPP or Mindshare communications (not just the LinkedIn post). If the effective date is not disclosed, treat the departure as public but administratively undefined.
• Confirm whether Undinty has accepted a role elsewhere; look for an updated LinkedIn headline, corporate press release, or comment from the named new employer. As of the initial reports, no such confirmation has been published.
• Verify claims about team stability: ask WPP/Mindshare for a list of deputies and a project status brief for any ongoing high‑value programs that depend on e‑commerce leadership.

---

Conclusion​

Kalyan Undinty’s exit from WPP as Senior Vice President, E‑commerce is a verified personnel move anchored in a LinkedIn announcement and amplified by multiple trade publications. The career arc it closes—transitioning from Reckitt to Mindshare/WPP in 2024 and leaving in November 2025—is well documented, but the reporting so far leaves important operational questions unanswered: the reason for departure, the effective date for transition in client work, and the identity of any successor. For clients, partners, and agency leaders the immediate task is governance: secure named contacts, insist on documented handovers, and protect commercial continuity. For WPP and its agencies, the move is a reminder that e‑commerce leadership is not a résumé line — it is a commercially critical role that requires disciplined succession planning, rapid knowledge transfer, and clear client communications. The stakes are not only managerial; they are measurable in campaign outcomes, marketplace revenue and the trust that sustains long‑term client relationships. As this story evolves—particularly if Undinty announces a new role or WPP issues a formal statement—these developments will clarify whether the departure represents a personal career step, a broader strategic reshuffle, or both. Until then, the verified facts are clear; the near‑term operational questions are what clients and partners should focus on next.

---

Source: Storyboard18 WPP’s Ecommerce SVP Kalyan Undinty resigns