AD Agencies
Eggfirst Chalo Rural India Conclave and Awards celebrates rural excellence and digital advertising
Mumbai: The 3rd edition of the Eggfirst Chalo Rural India Conclave & Awards, held at the Westin Goregaon, Mumbai, marked a historic milestone in the advertising and digital marketing landscape. The event, organised by Eggfirst, a prominent advertising and digital agency specialising in rural advertising, brought together over 500 industry leaders from more than 250 renowned brands for a transformative evening dedicated to exploring the vast potential, growth prospects, and digital advertising avenues in rural India.
A highlight of the event was the presence of Akash Jadhav and Santosh Jadhav, popular YouTube influencers known for their Indian Farmers channel, which boasts 18.2 million subscribers and serves as a valuable resource for millions of farmers across the country.
The Conclave featured two insightful panel discussions: ‘Rural India ki Kahaani, Brands ki Zubaani’ and ‘Badhte Bharat ki Nayi Kahaani,’ where leaders from top-tier companies including Bayer CropScience, Corteva, Fino Payments Bank, DeHaat, Ambuja Cement, Yes Bank, Del Monte, Parle, SBI General, and NABARD shared profound insights and experiences related to rural India.
Eggfirst CEO, founder and conclave’s curator Ravikant Banka expressed his enthusiasm, saying, “The response to the event has been absolutely exhilarating. Witnessing such a robust turnout of senior industry professionals at our event is nothing short of overwhelming. The wealth of knowledge that was shared and exchanged under one roof was genuinely phenomenal.”
The grand finale of the conclave was the awards ceremony, celebrating excellence in rural advertising, marketing, and digital. Notable winners included Fino, DeHaat, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Syngenta, and Corteva, who received gold trophies, while PNB Bank, ESAF Small Finance Bank, Simpolo, and Agrostar were honored with silver awards, and Greenstar, Tata Tiscon, and more received bronze recognition.
The event brought together delegates from rural tech startups, venture capital firms, FMCG giants, banks, government bodies, and agri-input companies who travelled from cities across India, underscoring the wide-reaching impact of the conclave.
Banka emphasised, “The conclave and awards turned out to be an event packed with insightful discussions and recognition of the best rural marketing campaigns across multiple categories. We are delighted to have hosted the event and are grateful to our esteemed panelists and delegates.”
The 3rd edition of the Eggfirst Chalo Rural India Conclave & Awards has ignited a wave of enthusiasm within the industry, encouraging discussions on the boundless opportunities in rural India.
AD Agencies
WPP appoints Hephzibah Pathak CEO of WPP Creative India
Ogilvy India chair takes charge of unified creative model in key market
NEW DELHI: WPP has appointed Hephzibah Pathak as chief executive officer of WPP Creative India, putting a local leader at the helm of its newly created creative operating model in one of its most important growth markets.
The move brings clarity to how WPP’s global restructuring will play out in India, weeks after the group unveiled WPP Creative as part of its Elevate28 strategy. The unit sits alongside WPP Media, WPP Production and WPP Enterprise Solutions, and is designed to simplify what the company previously described as an overly complex structure.
Pathak, who continues as executive chairperson of Ogilvy India, will represent all agencies under the WPP Creative umbrella in India. Her role centres on driving integration across brands, expanding capabilities and ensuring clients can tap into the network’s full talent pool without friction.
WPP said Pathak will work closely with agency brand CEOs to “enhance integration, expand capabilities, and ensure seamless client access”, while maintaining the distinct identities of its agencies.
The portfolio under WPP Creative includes leading networks such as VML, Landor, AKQA and Grey, along with Burson and its affiliated firms. Leaders across these agencies will now report into Pathak, even as each brand continues to operate independently within a unified system.
The appointment also formalises a dual-track strategy in India, preserving agency identities while accelerating collaboration. Pathak is expected to work closely with media leadership to align creative and media capabilities, reflecting growing client demand for integrated, multi-market solutions.
WPP Creative global CEO Jon Cook has described the unit as “not an agency” but an operating system that helps creative, design and PR brands work together more effectively. The group has been clear that it is not merging or phasing out legacy agency brands, instead aiming to reduce complexity on the client side.
Pathak brings nearly three decades of experience within the network, having joined in 1997 and held roles ranging from Mumbai office head to chief client officer. She made history in 2024 as the first woman to lead Ogilvy India in its 95-year presence in the country.
Her expanded mandate positions India at the centre of WPP’s Asia-Pacific strategy, with a focus on strengthening brand presence, deepening client relationships and unlocking growth in a fast-evolving market.
The appointment signals WPP’s intent to move beyond the traditional holding company model towards a more integrated, AI-enabled structure. With Pathak now steering WPP Creative India, the group appears set to test whether simpler structures can indeed deliver sharper creative outcomes.
