MAM
Edit Kovács joins Accedo as VP Emea & Latam
Mumbai: Global video solutions provider, Accedo has appointed proven media industry leader, Edit Kovács, as vice president of Emea & Latam. Reporting to Martin Sebelius, CEO, of Accedo video solutions, she will lead teams in eight locations across Europe and LatAm, serving customers across the region with a combination of customer-centric services and software.
Edit brings over 15 years of experience in developing and managing successful products and services across technology companies in the media, finance and energy sectors. Most recently, as CEO of InPlayer, she successfully led its acquisition by JW Player. During her time with the company, she led the development of a video streaming platform for broadcasters. Edit’s career also features impactful roles at Amazon Prime Video, Revolut and Shell, where she played a key role in enhancing the user experience for millions globally.
Emea and Latam VP Edit Kovács commented, “I am excited to join Accedo, a company with such a rich history of innovation and leadership. By leveraging our innovative solutions, deep industry expertise, and the exceptional talent of our team, we are well-positioned to address both the evolving challenges of the industry and to expand more into offering OTT managed services. I look forward to contributing to Accedo’s continued success and growth.”
Accedo video solutions CEO Martin Sebelius added: “Edit Kovács has many years of valuable media tech experience and will be able to lead our Emea & Latam business unit into a future characterised by OTT managed services. She brings a mix of solid people leadership, agility, and industry knowledge that will help Accedo meet complex customer challenges.”
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
