SARMAD ALI, a visionary leader with broad media expertise and a passion for innovation, is Managing Director and President Revenue Cluster at the Jang Media Group, where he is responsible for the commercial function of the Group’s print and television portfolio.

Sarmad has more than 30 years experience in marketing, advertising, media research and media management. He has been associated with the Jang Group since 1994 when he joined the group as Executive Director of the Group’s English daily The News. Under his stewardship The News became one of Pakistan’s two premier English dailies. In 1997 he took over as the Group’s Executive Director Marketing & Sales and in 2006 was promoted as Managing Director.

Prior to joining the Jang Group, Sarmad had been associated with some of the country’s leading advertising agencies including IAL/Saatchi, where he worked as Director Client Services from 1987 to 1993 and led the agency’s affiliation initiative with Saatchi’s.

He is presently President of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and has previously served as its Secretary General and Joint Secretary. He is also member of the South Asia Executive Committee of the World Association of Newspapers (WAN). In 2013 Sarmad organised the first ever South Asian Media Summit at Islamabad. In 2019
he introduced the idea of celebrating Sept 25 every year as the National Newspaper Readership Day
to encourage the younger generations to develop reading habits.
In 2019 Sarmad served as the Chairman of AdAsia 2019 and led the the team that conceptualised and executed the prestigious Asian Advertising Congress in December at Lahore.
He is the Chief Marketing Officer / Director of the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations. He is also President of the International Advertising Association’s Pakistan Chapter. During and after the first first phase of Covid-19, he launched IAA’s Pledge of Positivity and Let’s Advertise Again initiatives.

In the past Sarmad has also served on the Board of the Management Association of Pakistan and has been its Honorary Secretary and Treasurer.

Described as of one of Pakistan’s marketing thought leaders, Sarmad has been thrice the President of the Marketing Association of Pakistan. In 1999, he was awarded the coveted Marketing Excellence Award for his contribution in the field of marketing. Ranked amongst Pakistan’s Top 100 Business Leaders, Sarmad received the Asian Brand Leadership Award from the Asian Brand Congress in 2007 and the 50 Most Talented CMOs Award at the World Marketing Summit in 2013. In 2019 the Asian Federation of Advertising Associations ( AFAA ) bestowed upon him the Special Merit Award in recognition of his services for the advertising industry in the region. In 2021 the Pakistan Advertisers Society presented him with its most prestigious and iconic Lifetime Acievement Award.

In 2013, the President of Pakistan conferred upon Sarmad, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, Pakistan’s third highest Civil Award for his contributions towards the newspaper industry.

He serves on the Governing Board of the Intellectual Property Organization, Cabinet Division, Government of Pakistan and the Board of Directors of Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). He has also served, in the past, as member of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Privatisation and Investment in 2003 and as member of the Sindh I.T. Board from 2000-2003.

Sarmad has also been on the Jury of the Global AME Awards (Advertising & Marketing Effectiveness) as well as the M&M Global Media Marketing & Advertising Awards, Festival of Media Awards and INMA (International News Media Association) awards.