AD Agencies
Concept PR hires biz journo Apurv Gupta, Lifestyle specialist Charu Benegal
MUMBAI: Seeking to strengthen its teams, Concept PR, announced the appointment of two senior communication professionals –financial journalist Apurv Gupta and lifestyle PR specialist Charu Benegal.
While Apurv will head the IPO PR vertical, Charu has been appointed to lead the Lifestyle & Entertainment practice.
Apurv Gupta is an experienced financial journalist having worked with premier media houses. He comes with significant exposure to the financial services and capital markets and has also been a capital markets lawyer with leading law firms. Prior to joining Concept PR, Charu Benegal worked as India Practice Chair (IPC), Brand and Consumer Practice for WPP’s Genesis Burson Marsteller. Her international exposure in New York at Star TV has furthered her professional development.
Welcoming the duo on board, Concept PR, CEO & Director, Ashish Jalan said, “Both Charu and Apurv bring with them rich experiences in their verticals. We are confident that our client servicing capabilities will now acquire a new dimension. With a string of successes in client acquisitions, the timing of these two veterans joining us could not have been better.”
Charu Benegal said: “I am looking forward to the business growth of the lifestyle and entertainment vertical in line with Concept’s strategy. Our endeavour will be to provide direction and ensure high quality of service, delivery and customer satisfaction.”
Apurv Gupta said: “It is a new challenge as well as an opportunity for me as I take this plunge from journalism and law to public relations. I look forward to exciting times as Concept PR is posed for a new era of growth.”
Concept PR, the multi-award winning agency, is headquartered in Mumbai with offices in New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Nagpur, Kochi, Ranchi and Pune employing over 250 professionals. In addition, the agency has a strong stringer network across 35 cities in India.
Though agnostic to any special industry or segment, Concept PR has a significant and growing presence in the domains such as Diversified Corporates, Auto, Engineering, Power, Oil & Gas, Education, Healthcare & Pharma, Sports, Entertainment, Media, Lifestyle, Telecom and IT, Aviation, BFSI, Real Estate, Infrastructure, apart from its acumen in managing crisis communication.
Concept PR boasts of one of the finest media presence in the industry with journalists and PR professionals heading media relations in every centre. It is also a fully integrated PR agency in the true sense offering a full spectrum of services including Corporate PR, Online Reputation Management, BTL activities, Business Intelligence, Financial PR, Investor Relations, Sports, Entertainment and Lifestyle PR and Crisis Communication.
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.
