MAM
Abhishek Malik joins Virtue Worldwide as associate creative director
Mumbai: Virtue Worldwide, the agency powered by VICE Media Group, proudly announces the appointment of Abhishek Malik as associate creative director (Copy) for Virtue India. This strategic move underscores Virtue India’s commitment to enhancing its creative leadership with forward-thinking and culture-driven talent. Abhishek Malik’s journey in the advertising industry began in 2017 at DigitalLB Delhi, working on clients such as Canon, Tinder, Fortis, Comedy Central, and MTV Beats.
Taking a break from advertising in 2018, Abhishek embarked on a storytelling tour across 20 cities with Foundonallfours, an artist collective. During this time he created more than 20 spoken-word pieces, poems, podcasts, and theater scripts, that were performed in diverse settings such as streets, cafes, living rooms, art galleries, classrooms, and boardrooms. Notably, he spent a month in Gunehar, Himachal Pradesh, as part of an artist residency, where he ran a storytelling workshop called ‘Kahani Ki Dukaan,’.
Returning to advertising in 2019 with Schbang, Abhishek started as a Sr. creative strategist and swiftly rose to become a group creative manager in 2022, working on brands such as Fevicol, Ashok Leyland, Amazon Prime, Castrol India, and Dabur. In 2023, Abhishek Malik was recognized as one of the winners of Impact’s “TOP 30 under 30” young agency professionals in the A&M space.
Virtue India creative head Hayden Scott shared his thoughts on Abhishek’s appointment, stating, “Abhishek, or Toto as we fondly call him, is exactly the kind of talent we hope to nurture at Virtue India. He understands India and Bharat with an intuitiveness that is incredible. I’m certain that his diverse experience as a storyteller across formats will help bring a unique nuance to the stories we create for our clients. I am so excited to have Toto on board and I can’t wait to see how his own story unfolds here at Virtue.”
In response to his new role, Abhishek Malik, commented, “As a part of the VICE network, Virtue applies a distinctive cultural approach to building brands. This coupled with my own keen interest in Indian culture and insights, offers me the chance to create work that not only distinguishes itself but also tells stories that matter.”
MAM
Paras Health launches #ProudWomenOfIndia campaign
Over 500 women share inspiring stories of courage and resilience.
MUMBAI: Paras Health just turned Women’s Day into a mic-drop moment because when real women step up to share their stories, even the hospital starts applauding. Paras Health has launched #ProudWomenOfIndia, a powerful Women’s Day 2026 campaign celebrating women who chose themselves and took bold steps to shape their lives while inspiring others. The initiative invited women across India to share defining moments changing careers, stepping away from limiting situations, prioritising health, starting anew or standing up for themselves through a digital form and social media.
Over 500 women from diverse backgrounds doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs, social workers and professionals participated, sharing deeply personal journeys of resilience and transformation. Many highlighted how their choices not only changed their own paths but uplifted families and communities.
Key stories include Keya Sen from Patna, who rebuilt her life after losing her father days before her wedding and her husband while raising a young son. From corporate roles to a tea cart business and baking during the pandemic, her reinvention shows how adversity can fuel opportunity. Jatinder Pal Kaur from the Tricity region stepped away from business due to health issues, pivoting to social work and NGO collaborations to drive community change.
The campaign kicked off with “The Way She Thinks” at Fabindia’s Vasant Kunj centre, where Dr Kanchan Kaur (senior director, Breast Cancer, Medanta Gurugram) spoke on early breast cancer detection. Awareness cards with QR codes linking to doctor-led videos were distributed, and outreach will extend to Fabindia’s artisan communities.
Activations across Paras Health units include health camps, talks, storytelling sessions and felicitation ceremonies honouring women whose journeys reflect courage and impact.
Paras Health GCOO Vineet Aggarwal said, “Women play a crucial role in shaping families, communities, and the nation. Through #ProudWomenOfIndia, we wanted to create a platform where women can share their inspiring journeys and celebrate the moments when they chose themselves.”
In a world quick to celebrate women once a year, Paras Health quietly reminds us that the real tribute is listening every day because when women’s stories are heard, the whole country grows stronger, one brave step at a time.
