MAM
ISA elects Marico’s Saugata Gupta as chairman
MUMBAI: The newly elected executive council of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) met on 11 September and elected Marico’s managing director Saugata Gupta as its new chairman.
He takes over from Hemant Bakshi as he relocates to Unilever Indonesia as the CEO.
Gupta has been lending his support to the ISA for a long time as his colleagues from senior levels in marketing and media have been active in different committees of the ISA. An MBA from IIM Bangalore, Gupta has rich FMCG experience of over two decades having worked through ascending career rung in Cadbury (India & UK), ICICI Prudential & Marico. Currently, MD of Marico, he believes in an empowering work culture that would create ownership and make a difference in to the entire business ecosystem.
Gupta said, “Our focus would be on making industry partnership stronger and in particular to extend all support that is needed to help BARC come up as soon as possible with industry wide accepted and accurate TV audience research data representing viewers across the country. I am looking forward to the exciting times ahead for Advertisers, industry partners and fraternity associations to work as a stronger team to harness overall growth of advertising which in turn will help grow businesses and the Indian economy.”
The ISA has advertiser members from across industries who contribute to over two-thirds of the country’s national non-governmental ad spends. ISA, which is member of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), continues to partner with other industry bodies that connect to the advertisers such as initiating the formation of BARC.
Other members of the Executive Council are:
Tata Services Group Corporate Communications Corporate Affairs VP Atul Agrawal
Thomas Cook (India) Marketing and Service Quality head and chief innovation officer Abraham Alapatt
Agro Tech Foods director Narendra Ambwani
Bajaj Corp Business Development director Jimmy R Anklesaria
Infogain India director JC Chopra
Raymond strategic advisor Paulomi Dhawan
Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care brand director Sonali Dhawan
Aditya Birla Management Corporation Group Corporate Services and Strategy director Rajiv Dube
Godrej Consumer Products chief operating officer – Sales, Marketing & SAARC Sunil Kataria
Bajaj Electricals vice president & head advertising and brand development Beena Leji Koshy
Tata Global Beverages managing director and CEO Ajoy K Misra
Anisha Motwani, Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd.
Mondelez India Foods Chocolate Category and Media director Siddhartha Mukherjee
Birla Sun Life Asset Management independent director Bharat V Patel
ITC divisional chief executive Sanjiv Puri
Nestle India Communication head Chandrasekar Radhakrishnan
Polycab Wires vice chairman, joint MD and group CEO R Ramakrishnan
Hindustan Unilever Personal Care Products executive director Samir Singh
Hawkins Cookers chairman Brahm Vasudeva
MAM
Bianca Guimaraes named Jury Chair of ABBY Awards 2026
Mischief USA ECD to lead Still Digital category at Goafest in Goa.
MUMBAI: Bianca Guimaraes just got handed the gavel for Still Digital because when the woman who turned Mischief into an awards magnet sits in judgement, even the shortlist starts feeling nervous. Bianca Guimaraes, founding partner and executive creative director at Mischief USA, has been appointed Jury Chair for the Still Digital category at the ABBY Awards 2026 Powered by The One Club / The One Show. The announcement was made ahead of Goafest 2026, where the awards will take place in Goa on 20–22 May 2026.
Guimaraes has built a reputation for culture-shifting work that has propelled Mischief USA from start-up to #1 independent agency of the year four times (Ad Age, Adweek, Campaign US and EFFIES). In just three years, her campaigns have secured over 100 international awards, including an Emmy. She previously spent six years at BBDO New York, was named Shots Rising Star in 2017, and voted Next Creative Leader by The One Show in 2016. WARC currently ranks Mischief USA as the world’s Most Effective Independent Agency.
A passionate advocate for women and diverse talent in advertising, Guimaraes has shaped the creative department she always wanted to join, blending bold ideas with measurable impact.
The ABBY Awards remain one of India’s most respected benchmarks for creative excellence, drawing entries across advertising, design, digital and branded content. Guimaraes’ appointment brings a global perspective to the Still Digital jury at a time when static digital work continues to push boundaries in storytelling and craft.
In an awards season where creativity is the real currency, the ABBYs didn’t just pick a chair, they picked the woman who’s spent years proving that the sharpest ideas don’t need motion to move people.
