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Kevin Shah climbs the comms ladder as SGA names him managing director
MUMBAI: Strategic Growth Advisors (SGA), one of India’s fastest-growing integrated communications consultancies, has announced the elevation of Kevin Shah to the role of managing director. Shah, who previously served as executive director, has been instrumental in the firm’s transformation from a specialist investor relations outfit into a full-service communications powerhouse.
A second-generation leader, Kevin brings a unique mix of sharp strategic thinking and emotional intelligence. Over the past decade, he has spearheaded SGA’s diversification into three new verticals corporate reporting, public relations, and brand & design each now a critical pillar of the firm’s operations.
SGA founder & chairman Samir Shah said, “Kevin’s elevation marks a significant milestone in SGA’s journey of evolution and growth. It reflects the trust he has earned and the value he has brought to the organisation over the last 13 years”.
With a style that balances purpose with performance, Kevin has championed a culture of collaboration and client-first thinking. His approach has earned SGA the trust of some of India’s most respected brands.
Commenting on his new role Kevin Shah Stated, “Stepping into the role of managing director at SGA is both an honour and a profound responsibility. From the early days of the firm, my journey has been one of continuous learning and growth, guided by the principles instilled by my father and the collective wisdom of our team.”
“Our evolution from a specialized investor relations advisory to a full-spectrum communications powerhouse is a testament to our own learning, collective efforts and unwavering dedication to growth and value addition. As I embark on this new chapter, my focus will be on nurturing people, deepening client partnerships, and driving innovation across our service offerings. Together, we will strive to uphold SGA’s legacy of excellence in the communications landscape,” Kevin Shah added.
With a strong team behind him and an eye on the future, Kevin Shah’s appointment signals a fresh era for SGA, one that blends legacy with new-age leadership.
NATIONAL: Amazon Ads has laid out a sharply tech-led vision for the advertising industry in 2026, arguing that artificial intelligence, streaming TV and creator partnerships will combine to turn brand building into a more precise, performance-driven business.
At the heart of the shift, the company says, is the fusion of AI with Amazon’s vast trove of shopping, browsing and streaming signals, allowing advertisers to move beyond blunt reach metrics to campaigns designed around real customer behaviour.
“The future of advertising is not about reaching more people, but the right people with messages that resonate,” said Amazon Ads India head and vice president Girish Prabhu. “By combining AI with deep customer insights, we help brands move from broadcasting campaigns to having meaningful conversations wherever audiences spend their time.”
One of the biggest changes, according to Amazon Ads, will be the collapse of the wall between media planning and creative development. Retail media, powered by first-party data, is increasingly shaping everything from brand discovery to final purchase, pushing marketers to design campaigns around audience insight rather than internal instinct.
AI is also moving from a support tool to a creative engine. Agentic AI, which automates and accelerates production, is expected to make high-quality creative accessible even to small businesses, compressing weeks of work into hours and giving challengers the ability to compete with larger brands on speed and scale.
Behind the scenes, AI-driven analytics will take on a bigger role in campaign optimisation, identifying patterns, spotting opportunities and recommending actions that would previously have required teams of analysts.
Streaming TV is another big battleground. With India’s video streaming audience now above 600 million and connected TV users at 129.2 million in 2025, advertisers are set to treat streaming not just as a branding channel but as a performance engine, measured increasingly by sales, sign-ups and bookings rather than just reach.
Finally, Amazon Ads sees creators and contextual advertising reshaping how brands tell stories. Creators will act less like influencers and more like long-term partners, while scene-aware ads on streaming platforms will allow brands to insert hyper-relevant offers into the flow of what viewers are watching.
Taken together, Amazon Ads argues, these shifts mark a move towards advertising that is both more human and more measurable, where AI handles the complexity, and creativity does the persuading.
