MAM
Lynn and Meenakshi launch Social Access
MUMBAI: Media veterans Lynn de Souza (former Lintas Media Group chairman and CEO) and Meenakshi Menon (media audit company Spatial Access founder and chairperson) have joined hands to launch a one of a kind initiative named Social Access – India‘s first a communications firm to focus solely on the social sector.
The core objective of the company is to use strategic communication and creative ideas to re-orient society towards the social sector by building channels among the four key players – NGOs, corporates, government bodies and the society.
De Souza said, “The vision behind Social Access is to use the power of communications to help ideas travel across cultures, consumers and corporates to build a more equitable society with informed and involved participation from all constituents.”
Menon added, “Through our core values of equality, responsibility, sustainability and collaboration, Social Access aims to become the bridge between the corporate and the social sector. Monitoring and impact assessment will be a critical component of our offering”.
The launch of Social Access took place Radio Club in Mumbai on 11 April through an event themed ‘Bee the Change‘ and saw participation from the stakeholders of the company.
The event had international achievers seeking to inspire audiences with real action. These included Lt Cdr Abhilash Tomy, the first Indian to circumnavigate the oceans solo, nonstop and unassisted, Mark Inglis, the only double amputee in the world to scale Mount Everest who is also Para Olympic silver medallist in cycling and cancer and avalanche survivor Sarah Wilson. The three spoke about overcoming their limitations and ways to battle their fear.
The event was attended by over 300 guests including 50 children who participated in the demonstration, NGO representatives, corporate head honchos and media.
Social Access‘ launch event found quite a few supporters like Aquasail (sailboats), Radio Mirchi (venue and radio campaign), Mercury Integrated (alliances), Sound Corporate Communications (PR and media relations) Catalyst (event management), Foxymoron (digital communications) and National Geographic Traveller (clothing).
De Souza was the face of LMG till she quit the organisation in November 2012. She had a successful run at Lintas having served in various capacities and roles while at the group. The office will be based out of Khar and currently Social Access has a team of five people, with more likely to join in the near future.
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.
