MAM
Jahangeer Khan joins Garage Group as AVP – new business and client servicing
Mumbai: Garage Group, a full-service digital creative agency, has appointed Jahangeer Khan as assistant vice president (AVP) for new business and client servicing. Before joining Garage Group, he held notable positions at POKKT, Network18 Digital, HT Media, Sify, and Times Internet bringing a wealth of experience in business sales and revenue management.
In his newly assumed position, Khan will assume a significant responsibility in fostering prospects across Garage Group’s diverse verticals, encompassing the Corporate, Government, and E-Content sectors. Furthermore, he will assume the duty of managing and nurturing the existing client portfolio across multiple markets.
Khan is enthusiastic about his new position and stated, “As the newly appointed AVP, New Business and Client Servicing at Garage Group, I am honored to take on a pivotal role in driving business growth across all verticals within the company. Garage Group is renowned for its exceptional creativity in crafting emotionally compelling brand concepts that resonate deeply with audiences. I am excited to contribute to our mission and collaborate with a team renowned for its disruptive creativity as we embark on this exciting journey of expansion, making a significant impact on all facets of our business.”
Garage Group co-founder and managing partner Anjali Chauhan expressed her confidence in Khan’s abilities saying, “It’s with great pleasure that we welcome Jahangeer Khan as our AVP New Business & Client Servicing at Garage Group. His appointment marks an exciting chapter in our journey towards achieving even greater heights. His appointment marks an exciting chapter in our journey towards achieving even greater heights. We have full confidence in Jahangeer’s ability to spearhead our market expansion and new business acquisition and contribute significantly to the growth of our diverse portfolio. His expertise and strategic vision will undoubtedly elevate our creative endeavors and deepen our connections with audiences. We’re eagerly anticipating a future filled with innovation and prosperity under his leadership.”
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.
