MAM
Rediffusion DY&R ropes in Mahesh Chauhan as president
Announcing the change Rediffusion DY&R chairman Diwan Arun said, “I am absolutely delighted to have Mahesh at the helm of affairs at Rediffusion. He is one of the finest advertising professionals in the industry today, and the ease with which he turned around Everest in a short span of three years, is indeed remarkable. Mahesh not only brings with him leadership and dynamism, but also youth, vitality and a fresh perspective – just the qualities we were looking for in a person who would lead Rediffusion in the years to come.”
With fifteen years of advertising experience, Mahesh has worked in agencies like Ogilvy & Mather and Rediffusion DY&R, before taking over as president of Everest Brand Communications.
Under his three year leadership, Everest has not only grown but also bagged creative recognition both in India and worldwide. Besides winning businesses such as Hitachi, LIC, Kinetic, ING Vyasa, MIRC Electronics and Elder Pharma, Chauhan was also responsible for turning around the creative product of the agency during his tenure. Everest was ranked No2 at the Abby’s in 2005 and No 3 this year. It was also ranked in the top 5 in the AAAI, and recently did India proud by winning a Bronze this year at Cannes and a Silver at the One Show, informs an official release.
Commenting on his new role, Chauhan said, “Rediffusion DY&R is one of the most exciting brands in the industry today. What perhaps stands out is the agency’s philosophy toward advertising – Not puffery under the garb of creativity, but creating advertising that works! The fact that the agency has partnered some of the most elite set of corporates in their path toward growth is no coincidence. I am hence extremely excited at this opportunity.
“Human Capital is the only asset in this business. Identifying it, channelizing it in the right direction and nurturing it, hold key. Sensitivity and seriousness in managing Human Capital, will be the foundation on which Rediffusion DY&R will create its competitive advantage in the years to come,” adds Chauhan.
This change has been necessitated due to the movement of Preet Bedi, who led the agency for three years prior to moving out in pursuance of otheropportunities. “Under Preet, Rediffusion DY&R had resurrected itself to emerge as one of India’s foremost agencies both in terms of strategy and creative output. While we will be loosing an immense valuable resource in Preet, we respect his decision to reinvent himself,” added Nanda.
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.
