MAM
Mallikarjundas joins as media director, Rangnekar as account group head Starcom
MUMBAI: The prodigals return. Two executives who’d left Publicis Groupe owned Starcom Worldwide for other opportunities have “returned to the fold.”
CR Mallikarjunadas, currently with Asian Paints as media manager, is coming aboard as media director. Nikhil Rangnekar joins as account group head in the Mumbai office.
That Starcom is on an aggressive head-hunting drive is borne out by the fact that some more executive appointments are expected to be announced soon.
Talking about the new appointments, Ravi Kiran, managing director, Starcom Worldwide, India-West & South, said the fact that people wanted to return to the company was indicative of the heightened value proposition Starcom offered in today’s competitive market.
Mallikarjundas will head one of Starcom’s seven key business units in India and will look after the media portfolio of clients such as Heinz, Sony Columbia Tristar AOR, SPE Films of India AOR and Parle Bisleri. Currently heading the media function at Asian Paints, he has also handled diverse functions that include market research, marketing PR and corporate initiatives. Mallikarjundas is expected to join Starcom next Monday (4 August).
“Malli has been very active in many industry research and technical bodies and he will certainly help us consolidate and grow our strategic planning and research capabilities, working closely with Puneet Arora, our director, research.”
“As part of our brain trust and head of one of our key business units, Malli will play an important role in our new business efforts and will be an active contributor to Starcom’s future in India.”
In his capacity as media director, Mallikarjundas will also oversee at least one agency function, the details of which are expected to be decided shortly.
Rangnekar, meanwhile, will look after the media portfolio of accounts such as the Balsara AOR, the Principal Group, Raymond Apparels and Hitachi Home and Life Solutions amongst others. Rangnekar will report directly to Kiran.
Rangnekar left Starcom in June 2000, to take a break from media and joined his brother in his family business.
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.
