MAM
Ampverse DMI appoints Sona Mazumdar as general manager
Mumbai: Ampverse DMI, a leader in the gaming and entertainment sector, has announced the appointment of Sona Mazumdar as the head of its newly launched marketing solutions unit targeted to revolutionize the Indian Gaming market. Having successfully collaborated with over 300 top brands such as Porsche, Samsung, Riot Games, KFC, and Coca-Cola across Asia, Ampverse aims to replicate its Southeast Asian success in the Indian market.
Sona Mazumdar, known for her proven track record in spearheading transformative marketing initiatives, will lead this new venture, driving growth and innovation in the gaming sector for Ampverse DMI in India. A seasoned professional, Sona has previously served as the chief partnership officer at Kidzania for eight years. Being a part of the initial leadership team; Sona played a pivotal role in forging key long term strategic partnerships for the company and helped scale the business.
With over two decades of experience of working across diverse entertainment sectors in India, she excels in structured problem-solving, data analysis, and strategic execution, making her a trusted advisor to Board and C-level stakeholders. She has been instrumental in forging the joint venture between DMI and Ampverse.
Commenting on Sona’s appointment, Ampverse CEO Charlie Baillie stated, “We are thrilled to welcome Sona Mazumdar as the GM of our marketing solutions vertical. A seasoned professional, Sona has a proven track record in crafting impactful campaigns and building robust client relationships. Her expertise aligns perfectly with our vision to revolutionize brand engagement within and beyond the gaming community in India.
With Sona’s strategic vision and extensive experience, we are confident in our ability to set new standards in marketing excellence and drive our ambitious growth objectives, creating a lasting impact in this dynamic market.”
An industry veteran in media and entertainment, Sona is also known for her role as an evangelist, combining gaming and entertainment to showcase this powerful medium for brands to reach millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha. She specializes in creating, proposing, and developing medium-term brand alliances and partnerships with CMOs and brand leaders across multiple gaming, esports, and digital entertainment sectors.
“The gaming industry has always captivated me with its limitless potential for creativity and connection. I see immense potential in India to enhance how brands connect and engage with Gen Z and Gen Alpha through gaming,” remarked Sona Mazumdar. “My focus will be on building strong partnerships, leading innovative initiatives, and implementing
strategies that will redefine engagement in this dynamic market. Ampverse DMI’s established ecosystem and commitment to innovation provide a solid foundation to bring global best practices and localized strategies to our clients.”enabling us to provide them with a one stop shop solution for reaching out to the TG”
Sona’s leadership is extended to a honorary role as the National President of the Gaming, Esports and Digital Entertainment Council at Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI), where her role is to include more women professionals in this fast-growing gaming industry, laying out key action points and organizing industry-expanding discussions.
Sona is one of the founding members of COGS (Changemakers of Gurgaon@Scale), where she works with the community to create transformation projects, including efforts to convert Gurgaon into one of the world’s top 50 most sustainable cities.
As part of the core team, Neha Sethi Mehta will be leading sales, based in Gurgaon. Neha brings a wealth of experience from her previous role as the regional lead for Kidzania for seven years being a key contributor for the organization.
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
