AD Agencies
Alchemist Marketing acquires brand Triton Communications
MUMBAI: When Ali Merchant turned 80, he didn’t blow out candles on a cake—he handed over the keys to a kingdom. Triton Communications, the agency he co-founded in 1991 with Munawar Syed, has been acquired by Alchemist Marketing Solutions, India’s real-estate marketing heavyweight. The deal isn’t just a transaction; it’s a resurrection.
For three decades, Triton was the creative engine behind India’s most memorable campaigns. “Aah se aaha tak” for Moov. “Very very sexy” for SetWet. “Paani ka Doctor” for Aquaguard. These weren’t just taglines—they were cultural artefacts. Triton worked with titans: Eureka Forbes, Vicco, Adani Wilmar’s Fortune, Yes Bank, even state tourism boards. Then came the pandemic. The market shifted. The agency stumbled.
Enter Alchemist, a 15-year-old integrated marketing communications group with 200 employees, four offices and an appetite for empire-building. Having dominated real-estate and healthcare marketing, Alchemist wants more. Much more. With Triton, it plans to storm into FMCG, durables, direct-to-consumer brands and corporate communications. “We are not just acquiring a name; we are revitalising a legacy,” says Alchemist group managing director Manish Porwal.
The strategy is cheeky: keep Triton’s creative soul, inject Alchemist’s agile, performance-driven machinery. Alchemist director Rajkumar Remalli puts it bluntly: it’s about “taking that foundational creative soul and powering it with the pace and performance-driven mindset that defines the Alchemist Group today.” Director and chief executive (digital) Anujita Jain sees an opportunity to rebuild Triton as a “fresh, new-age offering” for the post-pandemic world.
Merchant, who recently celebrated his milestone birthday, is philosophical. “The industry has evolved rapidly,” he reflects. “It was crucial for me to hand over the baton to a group that not only understands the ‘Triton spirit’ but has the structural strength to future-proof it.” In Alchemist, he’s found both respect for the past and hunger for the future.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Alchemist isn’t installing a chief executive—it’s hunting for a co-founder. Someone with entrepreneurial fire who can run Triton as an independent agency under the Alchemist umbrella, enjoying start-up autonomy backed by big-group muscle. It’s a bold gamble: can you bottle lightning twice?
Alchemist’s sprawling empire already includes Clay (real estate), Dotwise (digital), Aurange (healthcare and financial services), Auntourage (celebrity tie-ups), Crew (film production) and a clutch of theatre festivals in Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Now, with Triton in the fold, it’s betting that old magic and new energy can brew something extraordinary.
The alchemists, it seems, are turning base metal into gold. Again.
AD Agencies
ABBY Awards 2026 names 3 jury chairs across digital, PR and publisher
Aditiya, Dharmaraj and Puri to lead key categories at Goafest 2026
MUMBAI: The Ad Club has announced the appointment of PG Aditiya, Deepshikha Dharmaraj and Pavita Puri as jury chairs for the Digital, PR and Publisher categories respectively at the ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show.
The awards are set to take place during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, bringing together some of the biggest names in advertising and marketing.
PG Aditiya, founder and CCO at Talented, will chair the Digital jury. A former chief creative officer at Dentsu Webchutney, he now leads Talented, an employee-owned independent agency known for its unconventional structure and award-winning work for brands such as Meta, Google, Britannia and Tanishq. The agency has also been recognised as a global ‘Best Place to Work’ by Campaign magazine for two consecutive years.
In the PR category, Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO at Burson Group India, brings over three decades of experience in public relations and integrated communications. She oversees multiple entities including Burson Genesis, GCI Health India and Hill & Knowlton India. Known for her strategic counsel and leadership, Dharmaraj has also served as president of industry bodies such as PRCAI and PAFI, and has been a jury member at global platforms including Cannes PR Lions and D&AD Awards.
Pavita Puri, chief brand and marketing officer at The Indian Express Group, will chair the Publisher category. With over 15 years of leadership experience, she has been instrumental in driving the group’s transition into a digital-first media powerhouse, overseeing brands such as The Indian Express, Financial Express, Loksatta and Jansatta. Her earlier stints in advertising include roles at Rediffusion and Lowe India, where she handled marquee clients across sectors.
The appointments reflect a strong mix of creative, communications and media expertise, underscoring the awards’ focus on recognising excellence across evolving industry segments.
As the industry gears up for Goafest, the ABBY Awards 2026 promise to spotlight standout work, with seasoned leaders at the helm of jury deliberations shaping the benchmark for creative excellence.
