MAM
Karun Chandhok is brand ambassador for TI Cycle’s premium range
NEW DELHI: TI Cycles of India, the bicycle manufacturer and part of the $3.8 billion Murugappa Group, has roped in F1 Racer Karun Chandhok as the brand ambassador for Montra.
TI Cycle’s premium range, Montra, claims to be the faster, lighter and stronger than any cycle ever made in India. It is the first international standard carbon bike designed and manufactured ingeniously. It was launched in March this year and was designed and created on par with international performance biking standards, the company claims.
TI Cycles GM Rajesh Mani said, “We are delighted to have Chandhok as our brand ambassador for Montra. In an effort to establish an instant connect between Montra and the Indian masses; Chandhok was the perfect fit. There is a strong connect between the product and its brand ambassador, with both being at the forefront of sports and technology. Chandhok is one of India’s finest racers and we couldn’t find a better fit for India’s finest bicycle. The Montra brand is very important and close to us at TI cycles. We are proud to be the first Indian company to design and manufacture world-class performance bikes and now, carbon framed bicycles.”
Chandhok added, “TI Cycles has always been at the forefront of innovation in cycling and I am happy to be associated with them. Montra is a brand that reflects world class performance bicycles made in India. I look forward to a long term partnership with TI Cycles where we can jointly build the sport in India.”
“While F1 as a sport is growing in India, there is a perceptible rise in cycling enthusiasts, and TI Cycles is trying to leverage this trend, both from the fitness perspective and as a sport. A brand ambassador will help build a closer connect with audiences on the advantages of cycling to stay fit, youthful and enjoy the outdoors, while keeping it pollution free,” Mani added.
ITV News
Schbang puts India on Cairns map with twin finalist teams
Four young creatives make Asia-Pacific shortlist, take on UN brief in a live showdown
MUMBAI: A Mumbai-born agency with no global network backing is punching above its weight. Schbang has landed two teams in the finals of Cairns Hatchlings 2026, sending four young creatives to compete at the Cairns Crocodiles festival in Australia this May.
The Asia-Pacific competition, a proving ground for emerging creative talent, has shortlisted 30 teams from across Australia, Japan and India. Two of those teams come from Schbang alone, a rare feat for a homegrown independent.
The finalists include Priyanka Gohil and Aman Aragonda in the digital category, and Beverly Coutinho and Sneiden D’souza in publishing. They will face a high-stakes, live brief from the United Nations Foundation, unveiled on stage by CMO David Ohana, with just 24 hours to respond. Flights and accommodation for all 60 finalists will be covered by the festival.
For decades, the global creative spotlight has centred on Cannes. But Cairns Crocodiles, now in its second year, is fast redrawing that map. This time, India is not just watching, it is competing at the table.
“What makes this moment remarkable isn’t just that Schbang has two teams in the finals,” the company said. “It’s that four young creatives from India earned their place at Asia-Pacific’s biggest creative table, backed not by a legacy global network, but by an agency that was born in Mumbai just a decade ago.”
Dipshika Ravi, national creative director at Schbang, said, “We are thrilled and excited to see our young Schbangers representing us at prestigious global events such as the Cairns Crocodile Awards. This completely aligns with Schbang’s goal of taking India to the global stage.”
She added, “When I saw the ideas, I knew they had merit and the potential to take them places. I am glad that not one, but four people from Schbang will get to experience the adrenaline-pumping energy of the industry, connect with great minds, and showcase their talent to the world while working on the 48-hour brief. Kudos to them, and here’s wishing them all the very best.”
The finalists, for their part, are already eyeing the global stage. “We believed in our work and seeing it stand tall on its own has been incredible,” said Gohil and Aragonda. “Representing India at a stage this big, on a brief from the United Nations Foundation, is something we never imagined when we started our careers. We’re ready for Cairns.”
Coutinho and D’souza struck a similar note: “Publishing is often overlooked for the role it plays in big brand campaigns, shaping how stories are understood and remembered. With our idea leading the way, the opportunity to fly to Australia and work on a live UN brief in 24 hours, that’s the kind of creative pressure we thrive on. Here we come, with one eye on the brief, and one on the crocs.”
Schbang, founded in 2015, has grown into a 1,200-strong creative, media and technology outfit with offices from Mumbai to London and Amsterdam, working with brands from Jio and Britannia to Philips and ASUS.
From a Mumbai startup to a double finalist on Asia-Pacific’s biggest emerging stage, the signal is unmistakable. The centre of gravity in global creativity is shifting, and this time, India is not on the sidelines.
