MAM
Inclusivity makes a strong business case for media companies
MUMBAI: In the last few years, diversity and inclusion have caught heightened attention in organisations across the world. Although diversity is less of a concern for media companies, inclusion is what needs to be addressed. The motive behind this should its relevance today and the impact it has on business.
At the recently concluded Media HR Summit hosted by Indiantelevision.com, a panel discussion moderated by D&I evangelist and founder and MD Vividhataa, Diversity Hiring Consultants Ratnaprabha Sable revolved around the issues regarding D&I. Voices of Inclusion author Deepa Shankar, Mondelez International diversity and inclusion lead (independent consultant) Priyadarshini Gupta, NeoSeven Solutions global HR expert Monika Navandar took part in the discussion.
Gupta explained that diversity is about having diverse perspectives, thoughts and viewpoints on the table while innovating something or creating a new product, service or working together, collaborating. According to her, having diverse thought processes on the table is important.
Talking about the need for diversity in an organisation, she also said that a diversity agenda should have a business case for it. She gave the example of an American KPO that was investing a high amount of money in training employees in the age group of 22-25 who would end up leaving the organisation in less than a year. Instead, it started recruiting retired people with the necessary skill sets for whom skipping jobs or moving high or quickly in their career did not matter. As a result training cost reduced significantly impacting topline and bottom line of the organisation.
“Inclusion is about what I am doing in order to help a talent who has been brought back into the system to make them feel they belong to the organisation and the person thrives and grows,” Shankar commented. She also added that inclusion is also about policies which support the diversity agenda.
Navandar contradicted a point from another session where panellists made a point about having tech and analytical skills. According to her, people should play to their strengths as there are so many other jobs.
While there’s a common tendency of discussing only on gender-specific issues, it came out during the discussion that diversity moves beyond this. The panel also discussed the issue of unconscious biases which even sometimes affects recruitment processes.
In the context of the media and entertainment industry, it was agreed that diversity is not a big concern there but inclusion needs to be worked upon such as accepting smokers and non-smokers, people who have alcohol vs those who don’t have. More importantly, Sable highlighted the need for backward integration. She contended the importance of creating jobs for people with disabilities, acid attack victims and mental health issues. According to her, organisations need to identify jobs where these people can be placed in or trained for.
The media industry has the advantage of having different sets of people compared to other industries. Moreover, multicultural workforce brings out multicultural content making the business case strong for diversity agenda. However, looking at supplier, product and service delivery diversity along with consumer diversity is also important while working. Hiring a diverse slate of people and recruiting from different industries, not just from media will also enhance diversity.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
