AD Agencies
IAA’s second ‘Voice Of Change’ summit on gender sensitisation in media
Mumbai: Following the ground-breaking inaugural summit in 2022, the International Advertising Association (IAA), India chapter is now set to host the second edition of the ‘Voice of Change’ movement on gender sensitisation in Media, on 9 November, 2023 at Four Seasons Hotel, Worli, Mumbai. Augmenting the purpose of gender-sensitive advertising and communicating positive gender norms in media, across all types of short-form and long-form content, IAA will bring together creative powerhouses and industry stalwarts to put the spotlight on how to effectively ‘Break the Bias’ together. While the previous edition highlighted gender portrayal in advertising, the 2023 Summit will unveil the findings of the first-of-its-kind Google AI-powered research study on demographic representation in scripted Indian television, led jointly by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media (GDI), the Signal Analysis and Interpretation Laboratory (SAIL) at the University of Southern California (USC) as the academic advisor, and the IAA as media studies advisor.
Committed to a tangible, evidence-based change for positive gender portrayals across the media spectrum, the 2023 edition is all set to continue to build the momentum, sustain and develop the dialogue in favour of right benchmarks for gender equitable portrayals on screen. With presenting event sponsor Google India, the Geena Davis institute on Gender in Media, Knowledge Partner UNICEF and Associate Partner TVS Raider, the summit will elevate the resolution to an all-embracing perspective on all content formats, across all multiple platforms available to today’s consumer. The event will also witness the felicitation of Gender Warriors, visionaries who inspire the world with their extraordinary dedication to the cause, despite all odds. The second edition is expected to be graced by industry powerhouses, like Khushbu Sundar, Dia Mirza, Sameer Nair, Aparna Purohit, Renzil D’Silva, Manasi Salvi, Raj Kamble, Sumukhi Suresh, Anuradha Sengupta, Mansha Tandon, Neha Barjatya, Gaurav Banerjee, Prasad Sangameshwaran, and more creative leaders to further galvanise the movement.
IAA India Chapter president Avinash Pandey commented, “As the foremost industry body, we at IAA, are proud to champion the cause of gender-sensitive and inclusive communication across all platforms. The Voice of Change movement was established as a definitive forum to sensitize and educate stakeholders on inclusive gender depiction in media. Additionally, we have conducted country-wide summits, workshops and conferences that reinforce our commitment. As we return this year, we are honoured to have the support of eminent personalities who believe in the cause, and rally with us as agents of change.”
At the anvil of the second edition of ‘Voice of Change’ summit, IAA Women Empowerment Committee co-chair and IAA India Chapter Immediate Past president Megha Tata said “IAA spearheaded the need for collective change for equitable and culture-sensitive gender portrayals across all media forms. We are proud to be at the forefront of this imperative conversation, as we bring together industry leaders to inspire this much-needed change. We’re thankful to Google India, UNICEF, and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, for being our partners in this endeavour.”
IAA Women Empowerment Committee chairperson Nina Elavia Jaipuria said, “In today’s world, we must recognise our role as co-creators of narratives that actively challenge stereotypes. With the latest edition of the ‘Voice of Change’ initiative, we aim to drive a collective cultural shift, dismantle biases, and empower all stakeholders to make way for a steady revolution of gender-equitable advertising and content creation. It’s time our content begins to reflect the progress and aspirations of an inclusive society.”
The journey that began in partnership with UNICEF with the 2021 study by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, was the genesis of the dynamic endeavour, the ‘Voice of Change’ movement. The inaugural summit saw trailblazers like award-winning actor Vidya Balan; Poonam Mahajan, MP North Central Mumbai; Santosh Desai, MD FutureBrands Consulting; Zainab Patel, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, Pernod Ricard; Deepika Warrier, CMO, Diageo and more, engage in revelatory discussions. IAA has further expanded its footprint to conduct pan-India interventions at the grassroot level, for reinforcing the message of being the ‘Voice of Change’. This includes a series of multi-city roundtables in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai in leading creative agencies like Leo Burnett, Havas, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi and RK Swamy, and a panel discussion at the most popular industry event Goafest 2023. Additionally half-day summits in Hyderabad and Chennai saw participation from policymakers like the Governor of Telangana – Tamilisai Soundarajan and Shikha Goel, IPS – head Telangana Police’s Women Safety Wing as well as renowned industry voices like the Madras Management Association, actor Sidhharth and Manasa Varanasi – Miss India 2020.
Ranging from advertisements and short-form videos to full-length movies and more, across multiple platforms, the effort aims to create a collective paradigm shift. A game-changing catalyst, the second edition of IAA: Voice of Change summit is set to be an inspiring day of debates, discussions, and dialogues, for policymakers, advertisers, brand custodians, content creators, communication specialists, students, to recognise their power in driving balanced and inclusive portrayals of gender roles in media for enduring change.
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
