IPG merges India media ops

Universal McCann India has formally confirmed its merger with IPG sister agency Lodestar Media, creating a new player that it believes will rank as one of the country's top three media agencies in terms of size. <BR><BR> Shashi Sinha (pictured), who has been CEO of Lodestar for the past five years, will head the new agency, called Lodestar Universal. He will form a new management board with equal representation of Lodestar and Universal McCann executives. Lodestar Universal will have a staff of 155 people across six offices, with all six offices involved in managing the agency's clients. <BR><BR> Universal McCann's major global clients working in India include MasterCard, Intel, L'Oréal, Johnson & Johnson and Microsoft.