MAM
Rediffusion – Y & R appoints Venugopal Chandrasekhar business head, Mumbai
MUMBAI: Rediffusion – Y & R has appointed Venugopal Chandrasekhar as the business head, Mumbai.
Chandrasekhar moves in from Bates 141 and has also worked with Contract Advertising and Brand David.
Chandrasekhar has worked on brands such as Amul, Camlin, Philips Lighting, Bajaj Sunny Zip, Bajaj Auto, Asian Paints, ICICI Bank, VIP, Bharat Petroleum, Heinz, Shoppers’ Stop and LG Mobile Phones.
Chandrasekhar was also involved in the launch of the English News channel CNN-IBN of the Network 18 Group. At Bates 141, he had been actively working on AIG Corporate, Tata AIG Life Insurance and AIG Mutual Funds. He also led the successful transition of Colgate into Bates and led the team on the Unilever Brand, Ayush.
Rediffusion – Y & R Mumbai VP Neville Medhora said, “Venu has handled a varied set of clients and brings a lot of experience to the table. He has exceptional strategic and relationship skills and I am looking to him to deliver that across our clients and within the agency.”
Chandrasekhar added, “The thought of being a part of the next stage of consolidation and growth of an iconic agency like Rediffusion – Y & R truly excites me. There is a whole bunch of extremely talented guys out there hungry to do sparkling work on some fascinating brands. Heading a business unit which has a lethal combination of experience and exciting young talent is what motivated me to sign up.”
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.
