AD Agencies
Draftfcb+Ulka’s Star One building future leaders
MUMBAI: On the back of some new client wins and growth in existing businesses, Draftfcb+Ulka has brought on board trainees from some of the management, communication, art and design schools in the country through their Star One programme.
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Elaborating on the programme, Draftfcb+Ulka Mumbai COO Nitin Karkare said” Star One is not just about talent. It is about nurturing a culture and a value system which is unique to this agency. We are delighted that the program is now in its 23rd year and growing from strength to strength.”
The agency Star One is the advertising industry’s most comprehensive entry level training programme. The trainees are put through an intensive two-month training of which the first month is classroom sessions conducted by senior managers from the company.
Draftfcb+Ulka vice president Anita Gokral was a part of the Star One 1995 batch sharing her own experience of Star One programme she said, “Star One guided me into the organisation’s culture, its approach to the business and exigencies of the real world. One could have picked this up on the job but the program gives you space to absorb, appreciate and develop a perspective without getting overbearing. It puts forward the Agency’s confidence and commitment which are critical to managing enthusiasm and morale in the initial years.”
Similarly, Draftfcb+Ulka vice president HR Savita Mathai said, “The fact that this programme has been running consistently for 23 years now is testimony to the Agency’s commitment to growing and nurturing talent. For us it is not just about talent acquisition; it is about creating a culture that grows leaders.”
AD Agencies
Publicis Brazil’s creative chief Mauro Ramalho lands the jury chair at Abby Awards 2026
Mauro Ramalho brings 25 years of global advertising firepower to the new creative commerce, use of data and B2B category at Goafest
GOA: The Abby Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show, has appointed Mauro Ramalho, chief creative officer of Publicis Brazil, as jury chair for its newly launched creative commerce, use of data and B2B category. The announcement, made on 18 March, signals the awards’ intent to bring serious international muscle to a category that sits squarely at the intersection of creativity and commercial performance.
Ramalho is not a name that needs much introduction in global advertising circles. Over 25 years spanning three countries, he has worked at some of the industry’s most creatively restless addresses. At AKQA in San Francisco, he worked across McDonald’s, Nike, Fox, Target, Kraft Foods and GAP, and helped lead “The Lost Ring” for McDonald’s, one of the first alternate reality campaigns and among the most awarded projects of its era. He later moved to Organic in Toronto, bridging the Detroit and Toronto offices on Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler, before spending over a decade building CUBOCC into one of Brazil’s most iconic and innovative independent agencies, which subsequently joined the IPG network.
A stint at FCB followed, where Ramalho led integrated work bridging online and offline, before he joined R/GA São Paulo as vice-president and executive creative director, stitching together the São Paulo office with New York, London, Portland and California on global clients including Verizon, Google, Meta, Samsung, American Express and Heineken. He now heads Publicis Brazil as its chief creative officer.
His trophy cabinet includes Clios, Effies, TikTok awards and MMA Smarties, and he has served on juries at the Andys, TikTok and the Lisbon Awards.
The Abby Awards 2026 is scheduled to take place at Goafest 2026 on 20, 21 and 22 May in Goa.
For Indian advertising, landing a jury chair of Ramalho’s calibre for a category built around data-driven creativity and commerce is a statement of ambition. Goafest just raised its own bar.
