MAM
L&K Saatchi & Saatchi ropes in Kanishka Vashisht as executive creative director
New Delhi: L&K Saatchi & Saatchi strengthened its creative team on Monday with the appointment of Kanishka Vashisht as the executive creative director. Vashisht will be based out of New Delhi and will manage all brands for the region. He will report to L&K Saatchi & Saatchi, Joint national creative director, Rohit Malkani.
Vashisht joins the agency from Lowe Lintas, Delhi where he was group creative director. His joining will strengthen the agency’s creative output and help create a unique culture – one that will thrive on creating superlative content & meaningful conversations for brands in the region, said the agency in a statement on Monday.
Commenting on the appointment, Malkani said: “Finding the perfect person to head our New Delhi office wasn’t easy. It had to be someone who shared our obsession for spawning a unique culture, who shared our ambition for creating conversations and superlative content and finally, someone with a proven track record. In Kanishka, I saw all three. He is a unique creative person with his heart in the right place! It’s going to be a heck of a ride with him on board.”
Vashisht began his advertising journey as a suit in Triton Advertising, Delhi. But the creative spirit in him led him to switch over and join Ogilvy Delhi in 2004. After a five-year stint at the agency where he worked on brands like Motorola, KFC, LG, Eno, and others, he left to join Leo Burnett. As Uninor was born, he was then summoned to McCann Delhi to build relationships with Perfetti, Chevrolet, Coke, Aircel, Metlife, Greenlam, and others.
After a five-year stint, Lowe Lintas Delhi came calling and got him to help conceive much more than just ideas for brands like Google, Micromax, Foodpanda, and Hindustan Times. He briefly took a sabbatical to explore his liking for a serene setting and left for the fields of southern France.
Sharing his views on the opportunity that this role presents, he said, “I believe L&K Saatchi & Saatchi is an extremely fertile land for some very interesting brand work. My job is to sow the seeds of possibility, gather and nurture talent, and of course, reap the fruits of our combined efforts.”
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
