Awards
UTV bags Golden Peacock award for Hindi cinema
MUMBAI: UTV has bagged the Institute of Directors (IOD)’s Golden Peacock National Quality award for Hindi cinema for 2004. The award was presented by Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on 14 January amidst an elite gathering of head honchos from the corporate world.
UTV creative director Zarina Mehta says, “It is indeed an honour for all of us at UTV to accept this award. The cinema and entertainment industry in the country has been seeing a paradigm shift in recent times. UTV has strived to corporatise the manner in which the movie and entertainment industry in India functions without compromising on high standards of quality. The award is a recognition for the pioneering services and cutting edge creativity that UTV stands for.”
UTV has in the past co-produced movies such as Fiza, Chalte Chalte, Lakshya and more recently Swades. To ensure better distribution of films and a more transparent reporting of box office revenues, UTV has established its own distribution network across markets such as India, US, UK, Dubai, South Africa, Fiji and Japan. UTV has till date distributed over 16 films, key amongst them being Sarfarosh, Mission Kashmir and Lagaan.
The awards ceremony is a part of the Congress Banquet for the 15th World Congress on Total Quality (WCTQ). The aim of WCTQ is to integrate themes of quality, sustainability and governance in order to maximise value for the customer, shareholder, society and the planet; to make quality the epicentre for improving national competitiveness and GDP growth; and to create a seamless quality value network to anticipate and fulfill both short and long term customer needs in a sustainable manner.
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
