MAM
Arun Nanda appointed to Young & Rubicam’s global governing body
MUMBAI: Diwan Arun Nanda, chairman and MD of Rediffusion DY&R brand communications and co-chairman Dentsu Young & Rubicam/Wunderman, Asia-Pacific, has been appointed to the global leadership council of Young & Rubicam Advertising, one of the world’s top ten agencies.
An official release announcing the appointment quoted Mike Dolan, chairman and CEO of Y&R Advertising, as saying that Y&R is flattening its organisational structure around the world, cutting across geography and hierarchy to make a completely client-centric agency.
A group of senior managers, which forms the new global leadership council, will now govern the agency globally.
“Y&R Advertising is organising to reflect the way we do business today,” said Dolan. “In the past, agencies managed themselves geographically and hierarchically. That’s no longer enough. The focus of the council will be squarely on delivering the best of the agency to clients, wherever they do business. As such, the council’s charter is to cut across all traditional organisational lines on behalf of our clients,” he continued.
“The global leadership council importantly gives many of its participants a new voice in determining the direction of the agency. This infusion of new blood in our management circle will invigorate us and help us keep our clients front and center,” Dolan stated. “The members of the council have uplifted their clients’ brands, and each has a proven ability to work across communications disciplines. What’s more, they live the principle of teamwork every day. They know that putting together diverse talents in a free exchange of ideas makes us stronger collectively and individually,” Dolan stated.
MAM
Raghu Rai passes away at 83, leaves behind iconic legacy
Padma Shri-winning photographer documented history across 5 decades.
MUMBAI: The lens may have stilled, but the stories it captured will never fade. Raghu Rai, one of India’s most celebrated photojournalists, passed away on April 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He breathed his last at a private hospital in New Delhi after battling cancer and age-related health issues.
His son, Nitin Rai, revealed that Rai had been diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago, which later spread to the stomach and, more recently, the brain. Despite multiple rounds of treatment, his health had declined in recent months.
Born in 1942 in Jhang, Punjab (now in Pakistan), Rai entered photography in his early twenties, inspired by his elder brother, photographer S. Paul. Beginning his career in the mid-1960s, he went on to build a body of work that spanned more than five decades, contributing to global publications such as Time, Life, GEO, Le Figaro, The New York Times, Vogue, GQ and Marie Claire.
His global recognition took a decisive leap in 1977 when legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson nominated him to join Magnum Photos, placing him among the world’s most respected visual storytellers.
Rai’s lens chronicled both power and poignancy. He photographed towering figures such as Indira Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Bal Thackeray, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa, while also documenting defining moments like the Bhopal gas tragedy later captured in his book Exposure: A Corporate Crime.
Over the years, he published more than 18 books, building an archive that blended journalism with artistry. His contributions were recognised early when he was awarded the Padma Shri in 1972 for his coverage of the Bangladesh War and refugee crisis. In 1992, he was named “Photographer of the Year” in the United States for his work in National Geographic, and in 2009, he was honoured with the Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.
Rai is survived by his wife Gurmeet, son Nitin, and daughters Lagan, Avani and Purvai. His last rites will be held at Lodhi Cremation Ground in New Delhi at 4 pm on Sunday.
With his passing, Indian photojournalism loses not just a pioneer, but a patient observer of history, one frame at a time.
