MAM
Jishnu Sen promoted as Grey Group India president & CEO
MUMBAI:Jishnu Sen has been promoted as the president and CEO of Grey Group India.
In his new role, Sen will continue to report to Grey Group Asia Pacific chairman and CEO Nirvik Singh.
Sen joined Grey India four years ago as the head of its Mumbai office. Under his stewardship, Grey Mumbai grew significantly to establish itself as the flagship office in India.
In 2009, Sen was appointed COO of the entire Grey India operation.
According to Singh, “Jishnu is an exceptional leader. With his forward thinking, sharp mind and deep passion for the industry, I am confident he will continue to strengthen Grey Group India’s position in the marketplace. With this team, Jishnu has already built a terrific new business track record which includes wins such as Reliance Communications, Ferrero, Honda and Fox International Channels, to name a few.”
Over the last year, Sen has made a number of key appointments to raise the leadership, creative and strategic planning mettle of Grey India. With his support, Grey Digital India also won the Digital Agency of the Year at the first ever Indian Digital Media Awards.
Sen said, “I am excited by the possibilities that lie ahead for Grey Group India. The agency has earned a solid reputation particularly in recent times, and I stay committed to the company’s vision of delivering truly famous and effective work for our clients. I firmly believe that with Grey Group India’s formidable talent and integrated communications offering, we are well poised to continue to deliver superior results which our clients need to succeed in today’s increasingly competitive environment.”
Prior to joining Grey Group India, Sen held various positions with JWT and Y&R across India, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States. His diverse portfolio includes brands such as Colgate, Pepsi, Pizza Hut, ITC, GlaxoSmithKline, ESPN, STAR Sports and the Indian Army.
Grey Group offers a total communications approach in India through Grey (advertising), Grey Digital, Grey Public Relations and G2rams (activation).
The agency has clients such as Reliance Communications, Honda, Volkswagen, Adani, Bharti AXA, Britannia, Deutsche Bank, Ferrero, Godrej Sara Lee and GlaxoSmithKline.
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.
