MAM
Mahindra Lifespaces appoints Viral Oza as chief marketing officer
MUMBAI: Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd, the real estate and infrastructure development arm of Mahindra Group, today announced that it has appointed Viral Oza as chief marketing officer (CMO). In his new role, Oza will play a pivotal role in the journey of all the Company’s brands, building deep market understanding and strengthening customer insight capabilities. Viral will steer this transformation, crafting, and leading marketing and growth programs across the Company’s residential and industrial businesses.
Mahindra Lifespaces MD and CEO Designate Arvind Subramanian said, “The addition of a seasoned leader like Viral to our management team will significantly add to Mahindra Lifespaces’ strengths as one of India’s most trusted real estate companies. Viral brings a perfect mix of organisational leadership, marketing innovation expertise and global brand-building experience that will strengthen the effectiveness of our sales efforts and partnerships, while driving customer experience excellence.”
Oza added, “I am thrilled to join Mahindra Lifespaces’ executive team, especially at a time when the Company is poised for strategic growth in its key markets. I look forward to being a part of the growth journey of all the Company’s brands that have created a space in the minds and hearts of both retail and corporate customers.”
Viral joins the company with over 28 years of experience across FMCG, telecom, media and real estate, spanning several countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Through his global career journey, he has developed strong business, management and leadership skills through building and growing diverse teams in companies including Unilever, Nokia and Microsoft. Prior to joining Mahindra Lifespaces, Viral was the chief marketing officer at Lodha Group, where he was responsible for driving marketing excellence, building customer eccentricity, and shaping organizational culture and talent.
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.
