Industry celebrates the IAA Leadership Awards 2018 winners

The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India Chapter announced the winners for the sixth edition of the coveted Leadership Awards at St Regis Hotel, Mumbai on July 27, 2018. ZEE was the presenting partner for the event. 

IAA India inducted Sam Balsara, Chairman and Managing Director, Madison World, into the IAA Hall of Fame for doing so much more than just founding and building a great communication company.  

Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group was honoured as the IAA Business Leader of the Year. 

While accepting the award, Piramal said, “I am honoured to receive the Business Leader of the Year Award 2018 by the International Advertising Association. At Piramal Group, our deep driving desire has been our values of Knowledge, Action, Care and Impact. This value-driven path has helped us create value for the Group and our stakeholders, and provides us with a purpose of ‘Doing Well and Doing Good’. As trustees, we act in the best interest of all our stakeholders, to create mutual, enduring value; and make a positive difference to the world around us.”  

Sharing his learnings from the Bhagwad Gita, Piramal mentioned that it has the philosophy that can be used to practice on a day to day basis. “Some of the lessons I have learned are to:

  1. Have courage – keep fighting
  2. Be fearless – take the path less traveled 
  3. Focus on action – results follow actions
  4. Be equanimous.”

Quoting from the Gita, he added, “You are what your deep driving desire is,

As is your desire, so is your will

As is your will, so is your deed

As is your deed, so is your destiny.”

IAA President, Ramesh Narayan, commented, “A unique power-packed event, we have with us advertisers, media, corporates all assembled to salute excellence in leadership. This is very inspirational. India Chapter has been leading from the front to name a few initiatives – #WorktoLivetoWork , IAA Mentorship for Women, IndIAA Regional Awards, Reigniting the Artist and Storyteller in You, IAA Olive Crown Awards, IndIAA National Awards, and for the first time in 80 years we have the IAA World Congress being hosted in Kochi in February 2019.” 

Winner Speak

Sam Balsara, Chairman and Managing Director, Madison World – Inducted into IAA Hall of Fame


“It feels wonderful. This is a very prestigious award and I’m certainly glad that IAA and the executives deemed me fit enough to be worthy of this award. It always feels good to receive an award. The IAA Leadership Awards came up about 6-7 years ago. Though there are several awards, but at the same time we saw a lacuna, wherein we felt that there weren’t enough awards to recognise the people who really did the core thinking – the marketing people and their contribution to a brand’s success. That is where the IAA Leadership Awards come in. Another important aspect is that these awards are not for organisations but for individuals who actually drove those brands. I think as a concept it has been well accepted.” 

Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief, Republic TV – IAA Media Person of the Year


“It is brilliant and I can’t wait to do more things now. You can expect some more spectacular things in the next few months. We’ll talk more in a few months.” 

 

 

Priya Nair, Executive Director, Home Care, Hindustan Unilever Group – Marketer of the Year – FMCG - Homecare


“I’m really delighted. It is always great for the work to be recognised and is good encouragement. I have been in the business for the last 24 years. I think women in a consumer-oriented business like Unilever are in a privileged position, because their understanding for what consumers are looking for is even more insightful, so I encourage women to be in businesses where they have a natural edge over anyone else.” 

 

 

Anjana Ghosh, Director - Marketing Bisleri International Pvt Ltd – Marketer of the Year - FMCG - Beverages


“It feels good to win this award because ultimately you know your efforts have been recognised and nothing can be better than an award. In Bisleri, especially, we have this whole culture of recognising potential and give them the opportunity to flourish in the organisation. I have been with Bisleri for 14 years and from Level 2 back then I am heading marketing today.” 

 

 

 

 

Amit Gujral, Chief Marketing Officer, LG Electronics India Pvt Ltd – Marketer of the Year - Consumer Durables - Others


“Having spent only one year in this country with brand LG, winning the IAA award is wonderful. If I were to ask you if you have come across someone who doesn’t have LG as part of their lifestyle, you would respond in the negative. This love and affection of the people keeps us on our toes to be relevant in any era. 21 years is not a small period of time and still knowing that people love us is wonderful.” 

 

 

 

Faye D’sousa, Executive Editor, Mirror Now - IAA News Anchor of the Year Award


“It feels amazing to win this award. Obviously, to get an award among the seniormost people in advertising is testimony that the channel is not just doing well from a viewership point of view, but that it has been accepted by those people who make channels successful. We completed one year in April this year, and to receive this award gives us the confidence that whatever we were experimenting with is working. It gives great insight to have received this award, especially from this group of people, as I believe the jury involved not just the current management at IAA but previous presidents as well, so I’m thrilled. Mirror Now is doing fantastically and I couldn’t have expected a better year for Mirror Now. We didn’t think we would do so well so quickly. Today, we have been able to bring on board young people were not watching television, not reacting and not relating to what’s happening on TV. Also, there is a very healthy split of male and female viewers that I’m personally very proud of. Actually, we have more female viewers than male viewers, which is amazing for me. There was this view that women watched Saas-Bahu serials and didn’t watch news, I think that’s completely incorrect because if you talk about issues that really matter, people will watch, it is not gender specific.”

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