MAM
Byju’s bolsters tech team with two key appointments
Mumbai: Ed-tech major Byju’s on Thursday announced the appointment of Mani Bansal and Maneesh Agrawal to lead key technology functions, in an effort towards strengthening its tech vertical and further drive innovative and impactful learning experiences.
Bansal will take on the role of vice-president – engineering and Agrawal joins as vice-president – reliability, security & cloud engineering. “Both executives will work on a group level towards catalysing critical technologies to augment Byju’s tech prowess and define the future of learning,” said the statement.
“At Byju’s, we are enriching our technology vertical by leveraging the vast pool of skilled technology talent in India and abroad, further enabling us to push boundaries, create value, and build more impactful learning programs for students,” said Byju’s president – technology Anil Goel. “I am thrilled to have Mani and Maneesh joinus on this journey, helping us strengthen our innovation backbone and redefine learning for the next generation.”
Mani Bansal will lead the content engineering platform across the group, along with working closely with the Byju’s Lab team to build AI/ML capabilities to set the benchmark for the future of personalised learning, the company said.
A tech leader with more than two decades of rich experience, Mani has been leading cross-functional engineering teams to deliver world-class products for millions of customers globally. With a rich career spanning 20+ years, the Hyderabad-based tech leader is an Amazon veteran, having donned multiple global technology leadership roles in Amazon Prime and Amazon Logistics. “I am thrilled to be joining the Byju’s family and embark upon an exciting new journey of bringing tech-driven learning to students everywhere. As someone who grew up in a small town, I recognise the immense power of education and look forward to further building Byju’s into a tech-first organisation,” he said.
Maneesh Agrawal commands over 22 years of experience with strategic thinking across design, implementation and operational excellence. He will play a pivotal role in driving the company’s reliability engineering, security & cloud engineering.
Formerly with Adobe, Olacabs, InMobi, Yahoo and Indiamart where he delivered strategic vision across IaaS, PaaS, SaaS & Cloud efficiency. With Data Security at core of Byju’s, Maneesh’s appointment will further accelerate the company’s investment in this area. “Education has the potential to transform the world, and I am excited to be a part of Byju’s endeavor to make it accessible, personalised, and engaging for all. I look forward to capacity building and creating innovative learning environments for students around the world,” he commented.
MAM
Ad:tech honours 2026: Full list of winners announced
Expanded awards spotlight winners across 22 categories as industry doubles down on intelligent automation
NEW DELHI: Marketing’s tech elite took the spotlight as the ad:tech honours 2026 returned with a sharper focus on AI, data and immersive media, signalling how deeply technology now underpins brand strategy. Held at Yashobhoomi on March 17, the second edition drew industry leaders to celebrate innovation that is reshaping engagement and performance.
Presented with the International Advertising Association India chapter and new partner Huella, the awards expanded from 8 to 22 categories, tracking the rapid convergence of creativity, automation and analytics.
The winners’ list reads like a snapshot of marketing’s future. In affiliate and partner marketing, Lyxel & Flamingo – Boat and Paytm Ads – Giva took silver. Mobavenue Media Private Limited struck gold in AI-driven dynamic creative optimisation, alongside a silver for Laqshya Media Limited.
Creative AI collaboration saw Rediffusion Brand Solutions Private Limited win gold, with Saltinc Consulting Private Limited securing silver. Laqshya Media Limited continued its strong run, taking gold in AI conversation agents and adding multiple wins across categories, including silver in GenAI-led creative and both gold and silver in interactive DOOH campaigns for Tanishq and Tata Coffee.
Predictive AI honours went to Strong Metrics and Tyroo, both silver, while Orient Bell Limited picked up silver in immersive retail tech. In GenAI-led creative, Laqshya Media Limited, Salt – Kotak and Sumimoto each secured silver, reflecting the crowded race in generative creativity.
Publicis bagged silver in influencer management and gold in performance marketing, where it shared the stage with Arm Worldwide and The Trade Desk, both silver. Glad U Came Private Limited stood out with gold in influencer measurement and analytics.
Marketing automation saw CereOne Media Pvt. Ltd. and Globale Media win silver, while ADMOTT Private Limited claimed silver in OTT innovation.
Programmatic media categories highlighted the shift to advanced targeting and connected screens. Mobavenue Media Private Limited clinched gold in connected TV advertising, with Animmoov Digital Media Pvt Ltd – Asus and Lyxel and Flamingo taking silver. Cheggout Services Private Limited won silver in retail media advertising, while Paytm Ads – Versuni secured gold.
On social platforms, Vayner Media India took gold in community and UGC engagement, with Under 25 – Oppo winning silver. Segumento rounded off the list with silver in the innovation category.
Jaswant Singh, country managing director at ad:tech India, underscored the momentum, saying generative AI and data-driven decision-making are now central to marketing impact. Neena Dasgupta, IAA mancom member and chief executive and founder at The Salt Inc Consulting, added that the awards celebrate not just technology, but “the people, the creativity, and the relentless effort behind it.”
Backed by Comexposium Group, ad:tech New Delhi has long tracked digital disruption. Now, with the honours, it is rewarding those who are not just adapting to change but engineering it.
In an industry racing towards automation, the message from 2026 is unmistakable. The future of marketing will be written not just in ideas, but in algorithms.
