AD Agencies
Shobiz completes 40 years; adopts new brand identity as Shobiz Havas
Mumbai: Shobiz, the experiential communication agency of Havas Group India, has completed 40 glorious years in India. To commemorate this historic milestone, Havas Group India and Shobiz have launched a new brand identity, a new logo – Shobiz Havas – to display the company’s integration with the French network. In 2019, following Shobiz’s acquisition by the Havas Group India, the agency became a critical strategic pillar in the growth of the network in the country.
Shobiz has also launched a 40-year celebratory logo to mark this momentous occasion.
The agency has been offering services in strategic planning, communication and content design, creative, graphic & architectural design, audience acquisition, production, and logistics for the last four decades. Founded by Rehmatali Tobaccowala in 1982, the Mumbai-headquartered Shobiz has four offices and over 250+ professionals across India, said the statement.
Over the years, the agency was lauded for its long-standing client relationships in India. This includes HUL, Tata, Ford, SAP, VMWare, Mercedes, HPE. Today, the agency works across sectors, such as IT, Automotive, FMCG, Corporate, BFSI, Healthcare and Media, with over 150 recurring clients.
“I want to congratulate Sameer and the entire team at Shobiz Havas for achieving this tremendous milestone. Its legacy and reputation in the market is unrivalled,” said Havas Group India group CEO Rana Baru. “Over the last four decades, Shobiz has gone through several transformations, but the one over the last two years was perhaps the biggest in the history of the company and reflects in the business growth of the company despite the market challenges. Very soon, the company will venture into newer functions and partner many of our group companies to offer a meaningful and seamless brand journey to clients.”
“The legacy of Shobiz in the field of experiential is unmatched. The brands that we built over the last four decades and the long-standing client relationships that we cherish are a testimony of this legacy,” stated Shobiz Experiential Communications CEO Sameer Tobaccowala. “I take this opportunity to thank everyone who associated with us over the years. A huge thanks to Havas Group global and Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India, who stood by us when we were at our lowest. I also want to thank my team for their unwavering support. Lastly, we wouldn’t have been here without the business acumen of my father Rehmatali Tobaccowala, who taught us to never say never, always be open to learn and do it all with impeccable humane touch and a sense of joy.”
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
