MAM
Megha Ajgaonkar named GM- sales at The Leela Palaces, Hotels & Resorts
Mumbai: The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts on Friday announced the appointment of Megha Ajgaonkar as general manager for sales division. In her new role, Ajgaonkar will spearhead and drive sales performance thus fortifying The Leela’s sales and distribution network and strategies.
Ajgaonkar brings with her about two decades of diverse experience in hospitality and business development. Prior to joining The Leela, her most recent role was with Marriott International as area director of sales & distribution West India for Marriott South Asia. Over the course of her vast career, Ajgaonkar has worked with brands such as Taj, Starwood, and Marriott.
She has been instrumental in the successful opening of multiple luxury brands across the country including the JW Marriott Mumbai Sahar and positioning the Ritz Carlton Pune. Her sales leadership aided luxury hotels including the W Goa, St Regis Mumbai, and JW Marriott Juhu in expanding their market share performance.
A hotel management graduate and an alumnus of IHM, Aurangabad, Ajgaonkar began her journey through the Taj Management Training Program and is also a certified sales trainer. She is the recipient of multiple industry accolades for leading from the front and driving sales performance in her former roles.
Welcoming Ajgaonkar on board, The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts, chief operating officer, Anuraag Bhatnagar said, “With her extensive experience, understanding of key markets, and strong relationships, we are confident that Megha will further enhance and strengthen The Leela’s sales and distribution network and strategies.”
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.
