MAM
Humsa Dhir signs off from Sony after a decade of scripting its story
MUMBAI: Every great story needs a strong narrator and for Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI), that voice has been Humsa Dhir for the last 10 years. Now, after an extraordinary decade as Senior vice president and head of corporate communications, she is bidding farewell to the network she helped define.
Joining SPNI in 2015, Dhir steered the company’s reputation through broadcast, digital, and sports ventures, shaping how the brand was seen and understood. From deft crisis management to bold corporate storytelling, her tenure became the playbook for communications done with both strategy and sensitivity.
Her influence stretched far beyond press releases. She chaired the organisation’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee for two terms, established social media governance frameworks, and championed initiatives such as the award-winning Go-Beyond Podcast, which won praise for reinventing corporate storytelling.
Across media, energy, manufacturing, and automotive sectors, Dhir’s broader career has seen her advise CXOs and boards across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East on trust, change, and long-term value creation. At Sony, those skills translated into campaigns that resonated, and a reputation that endured.
“Humsa has been an exceptional custodian of SPNI’s reputation and values,” said SPNI CHRO Manu Wadhwa hailing her ability to craft compelling narratives while building trust with stakeholders. “We will truly miss her insight, her partnership, and the calm confidence she always brought to the table.”
Reflecting on her own journey, Dhir called the role “a privilege” and “a decade of growth,” noting that it gave her opportunities to blend strategy with sensitivity while building a trusted communications function. “As I close this chapter, I do so with deep gratitude and a clear sense of readiness to take this experience into new environments,” she said, hinting at broader mandates ahead.
As she steps away, Sony loses its voice behind the curtain, the calm strategist who ensured its stories found the right tone at the right time. But for Dhir, the next chapter promises new audiences, bigger stages, and fresh scripts waiting to be written.
MAM
De Beers launches ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ centenary book
Visual retrospective traces 100 years of iconic slogan and cultural impact.
MUMBAI: De Beers just dropped a century’s worth of sparkle between two covers because when a four-word line becomes forever, even the book needs a forever title. De Beers Group has released A Diamond Is Forever: The Making of a Cultural Icon 1926–2026, a landmark visual retrospective celebrating 100 years of shaping the modern perception of natural diamonds. The book traces how the brand transformed diamonds from elite heirlooms into universal symbols of love, commitment and personal achievement, with rare archival material, campaign highlights and cultural commentary.
At its core is the legendary 1947 slogan “A Diamond Is Forever,” penned by N.W. Ayer copywriter Frances Gerety. The four words redefined diamonds as eternal promises, earning the title of the 20th century’s greatest advertising slogan from Advertising Age in 1999. The book explores how this idea and others like the “Two Months’ Salary” guideline and the “Right Hand Ring” influenced social rituals, female independence and consumer behaviour worldwide, including in India, where diamonds shifted from gold-centric traditions to emotionally resonant milestones.
Beyond marketing, it showcases collaborations with artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Raoul Dufy, alongside icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. Later campaigns, including the 1990s “Shadows” series set to Karl Jenkins’ Palladio, reinforced diamonds as timeless and unique. The narrative also addresses today’s focus on provenance, sustainability and ethical stewardship, positioning natural diamonds as symbols of both enduring love and responsible luxury.
The book arrives as De Beers marks a century of innovation in luxury marketing, from the Great Depression to the era of conscious consumption, offering a rare window into one of advertising’s most enduring brand stories.
In a world where trends fade fast, De Beers didn’t just sell diamonds, it sold forever, and now it’s bound the proof in pages that will outlast even the hardest carat.
