MAM
Komli Media makes three appointments
MUMBAI: Komli Media, a digital media technology platform, has appointed Apurva Dalal as VP and head of engineering, Ashwin Puri as VP and head of global business development and Rahul Bhargava as VP and head of products.
Dalal will be responsible for building and scaling the Komli Media‘s technology platforms. He will drive the company‘s overall engineering and research vision to bring “industry-leading” technology solutions to customers.
Meanwhile, Bhargava is responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of Komli products, including crafting the company‘s product strategy, defining the road map and executing the go-to market plans.
Puri will be responsible for business development and strategic alliances for Komli Media globally, including publisher relationships, data and technology partnerships and M&A activity.
Komli Media CEO Prashant Mehta said, “Komli Media is focused on creating innovative advertising solutions for customers across the digital spectrum. These three key additions underscore the investment we are making to support our fast-paced growth. Apurva, Rahul and Ashwin have consistently demonstrated their strengths in innovation leadership, superior execution and the ability to scale across markets and products in high-growth environments. I am really excited about adding this winning combination to our global leadership team and the added momentum it will bring to Komli.”
Dalal joins Komli from Google where he established the enterprise cloud computing R&D center at Google Hyderabad. During his seven-year tenure, he also led software engineering teams for AdWords, data warehousing and developer infrastructure.
Prior to Google, Dalal spent five years at eBay‘s Silicon Valley offices, leading software engineering efforts for the search and high
performance computing divisions.
Bhargava brings over 20 years of experience in engineering, product, and business management for technology-driven products. Most recently, Bhargava was VP/GM of digital payments at American Express. Prior to that, he had led the Global Merchant Solutions team at Paypal.
Prior to joining Komli Media, Puri had spent over 12 years in the mobile and consumer space in the US and APAC in product and business development roles at Sprint, VeriSign and Vuclip.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
