MAM
Vistara’s Robot wins big at ICMG Global Architecture Excellence Awards 2018
MUMBAI: Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier, has bagged the prestigious ICMG Global Architecture Excellence Awards 2018 at the Architecture World Summit 2018 recently held in New York, USA. Vistara’s Robotics Program – of which the airline recently introduced India’s first robot designed to assist travellers at airports – was adjudged the winner in two categories – Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Enabled Solution and Customer Centricity & Excellence categories, by an eminent jury panel led by Mr. John Zachman, known as the Father of Enterprise Architecture. Vistara’s robot won against innovations from some of world’s biggest organizations operating in diverse sectors.
Winners of the coveted ICMG Global Architecture Excellence Awards are selected through an elaborate, stringent process of four rounds that requires showcase of technology expertise, deep domain understanding, overall vision for the industry and a case study presentation at Architecture World Summit.
Expressing his delight, Mr. Leslie Thng, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are happy to receive this recognition for an innovation that truly reflects Vistara’s steadfast focus on transforming the experience for air travellers.”
Mr. Ravinder Pal Singh, Chief Information & Innovation Officer, Vistara, said, “For us, Vistara’s robot is a remarkable ‘Make in India’ story, and for it to be recognized at a global platform against world leaders in technology, makes this award so special. At Vistara, we are very upbeat about leveraging AI and other technologies to drive innovation that would make air travel a truly seamless and joyful experience.”
In the last 12 years, ICMG Architecture Awards have become the most prestigious global award program honoring excellence in the Enterprise and IT Architecture, with the leading companies from over 30 countries participating every year.
Vistara’s robot was also recently awarded by ET NOW for ‘Excellence in Leveraging IT for Business Performance. As part of its futuristic technology framework, Vistara introduced the first-of-its-kind robot earlier this year and ushered in a novel innovation in the form of an indigenously built robot that assists travellers in the airline’s lounge at New Delhi’s Terminal 3, Indira Gandhi International Airport, addresses their queries and also entertains them. It is built on a chassis of four wheels, enabling it to rotate 360 degrees, and has three in-built cameras for cognitive interaction. At present, the robot is equipped to perform functions such as scanning boarding passes, providing useful information about the terminal, departure gates, weather conditions of the destination city, real time flight status, play songs, games, etc. The robot’s capabilities are being enhanced and it is being upgraded to perform more complex tasks in the near future, to assist travellers in many more ways.
As the highest-rated Indian airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and winner of several ‘Best in Industry’ awards, Vistara has consistently raised the bar for operations and service delivery in the Indian aviation industry in a short span of less than four years. The airline today serves 22 destinations with over 800 flights a week and a fleet of 22 aircraft, and has flown over 12 million customers since launch.
About Vistara (TATA SIA Airlines Limited): TATA SIA Airlines Limited, known by the brand name Vistara, is a joint venture between Tata Sons Limited and Singapore Airlines Limited (SIA) with Tata Sons holding the majority stake of 51% in the company and SIA holding the remaining 49%. Vistara brings together Tata’s and SIA’s legendary hospitality and renowned service excellence to launch the finest full-service carrier in India aimed at creating memorable and personalized flying experiences for its customers. Vistara commenced its commercial operations on January 9, 2015 with an aim to set new standards in the aviation industry in India.
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.
