AD Agencies
APAC Effie Awards 2016 names Omnicom’s Cheuk Chiang as awards chairman
MUMBAI: Asia Pacific Effie Awards has named Omnicom Media Group CEO, Asia Pacific Cheuk Chiang the 2016 Awards chairman.
Chiang oversees the global media and communications network in Asia Pacific, with brands like OMD, PHD and M2M that have been built on strong cultures of creativity and innovation.
Chiang’s career to date spans across account management, strategy planning and agency management roles in creative, direct marketing, digital and media agencies over the past 23 years.
Prior to joining Omnicom Media Group, Chiang had a long spell as the managing director of CumminsNitro in Australia and was recognised as one of the top executives in the region. He joined PHD as CEO for Asia Pacific in 2008 and had led the agency in achieving numerous milestones and awards year-on-year. Chiang was subsequently appointed as CEO, Asia pacific for Omnicom Media Group in 2013. Under his leadership and vision, OMD and PHD continues to grow progressively.
“It is an honour to be invited to chair the APAC Effie Awards this year. Having been involved in the APAC Effie, I am very impressed with the efforts Effie has in place to uphold and celebrate high standards in marketing effectiveness. APAC Effie is indeed the gold standard when it comes to recognising and rewarding marketing effectiveness in the region. Effectiveness is arguably the most important factor when it comes to judging the success of a campaign and something we always strive to achieve. I am excited to work with my peers in the industry to continue driving marketing effectiveness in the Asia Pacific region,” said Chiang.
Speaking on the appointment, APAC Effie Committee chairman Jarek Ziebinski added, “We are pleased to have Cheuk Chiang on board as the chairman for the upcoming awards. Cheuk’s credentials and expertise in the field will be invaluable to APAC Effie in championing the most effective works in the region.”
APAC Effie 2016, the third edition of the Awards, continues to celebrate the most effective marketing communications efforts in Asia Pacific. Call for Entry will begin in the coming weeks.
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
