AD Agencies
IdeateLabs promotes Porus Jose as CCO
MUMBAI: IdeateLabs has recently appointed two senior creative directors to their team – Sajid Dadarkar and Ashwini Vyas. Among their various other responsibilities, the duo will be instrumental in charting a creative strategic roadmap for the agency and transforming the communication approach for its accounts.
The duo would be reporting to Porus Jose, who has been promoted to the role of CCO for the agency. Jose has been with IdeateLabs for more than 4 years and has driven creative practice with a team of more than 110 people reporting into him.
Both Dadarkar and Vyas come with close to 15 years of experience each, in leading creative teams in some of the top advertising agencies. The innovative concepts, ideas and impact of the campaigns that they’ve worked on bear testimonials. Some of these campaigns were widely recognized across the Advertising & Marketing sectors.
Porus Jose said: “Experimentation is the cornerstone of great creative work. It’s one of the beliefs that Ash and Sajid share. The freshness of their thinking and their approach towards work will not only go a long way in bolstering the brands we work with, but will also bring cohesiveness in the team and boost the spirit. It is also an exhilarating time for the agency with a whole host of new initiatives and client wins. I am excited to be leading this team as we go marching into the digital-first future.”
IdeateLabs director Vrutika Dawda said: “Team IdeateLabs has always been the hub of creative professionals. Porus is an integral part of the think tank at IdeateLabs and has contributed immensely to the growth of the agency. Adding Ash and Sajid to the team will up the ante of our creative offerings. The idea is to make them the brand custodians, and inculcate the sense of ownership, accountability and responsibilities in the creative function. They will be the driving force in taking our clients from ‘satisfied’ to ‘delighted’. I’m sure, the team will benefit immensely from this senior leadership, led by Porus”.
Having worked on a diverse set of brands such as HUL, Lenovo, MRF, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Tata Motors, Vodafone amongst others, Ashwini strives to deliver maximum ROI for the brands with his creative energies. His mantra is to lend the x-factor to all the work his team delivers. Ashwini has the expertise in all those areas that IdeateLabs was looking for.
Sharing his reasons for joining IdeateLabs, Vyas said, “Over these years, I have been collecting creative experiences at some of the best advertising agencies in India. My aim is to uplift the art and groom my team for award-worthy ideas by providing them accurate direction. I am excited to work with this fun-loving bunch of people in the creative team. I plan to land some award-winning campaigns in the current year and make that a practice”
Sajid comes with a rich advertising background across agencies, spanning two countries. Having worked with vast and diverse portfolios from chocolates, baby care to automobile and airlines, he comes with a keen insight into the consumer’s mind and the way he/she behaves. He has worked with clients such as Fair & Lovely, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Parle-G, Pepsodent, Standard Chartered Bank, Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines, and Nissan, to name a few.
Dadarkar said, “I’m glad to be a part of the robust team at IdeateLabs. The kind of freedom I see in this Company is something I haven’t seen in many places. I plan to put my myriad experiences in the industry, working on a large spectrum of categories. Also, it will be a great opportunity to put this knowledge to use for the young and coming generations of creative minds”.
AD Agencies
ABBY Awards 2026 names Rajdeepak Das, Khazanchi, Ramaswamy jury chairs
Top creative leaders to steer judging across film and direct categories
MUMBAI: The Ad Club has announced the appointment of three of India’s most prominent creative leaders as jury chairs for the ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club.
Rajdeepak Das, chief creative officer, South Asia, Publicis Groupe and chairman, South Asia, Leo Burnett, will chair the AV Film (TV) category. Ashish Khazanchi, managing partner at Enormous, will lead the AV Film (Digital and OTT) jury, while Anupama Ramaswamy, managing director and chief creative officer at Havas Creative India, takes charge of the Direct category.
The trio brings a mix of creative firepower and industry experience to the judging table. Das is known for blending creativity with technology to solve real-world problems, with landmark campaigns such as Whisper’s “Touch the Pickle” and “Missing Chapter” helping reshape conversations around menstrual health. His work has earned top honours at global platforms including Cannes Lions and The One Show.
Khazanchi, meanwhile, has built Enormous into one of India’s leading independent agencies. Best known for creating Tata Sky’s “Jingalala” campaign, he has played a key role in shaping brand narratives for both legacy companies and startups, picking up hundreds of awards along the way.
Ramaswamy’s appointment rounds off the leadership trio with a strong focus on culturally resonant creativity. Her campaign “Ink of Democracy” became one of the most awarded works globally in 2025, earning multiple honours across Cannes Lions, Clio and Spikes Asia. Over the years, she has built a reputation for work that not only wins awards but also shapes public discourse.
The appointments come as the ABBY Awards continue to sharpen their global positioning, with backing from The One Club adding international heft to the platform.
The awards will be held during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, bringing together the industry’s top creative minds for what promises to be a closely watched showcase of ideas.
With heavyweight jury chairs in place, the stage is set for a high-stakes celebration of creativity where craft, culture and commerce collide.
