MAM
MindShare takes ‘mostest’ at Emvies 2005; Sony adjudged best marketer
MUMBAI: It was Champagne popping time for Group M’s MindShare, which swept the most awards by far at the Emvies 2005 that were held in Mumbai this evening. It was crowned Media Agency of the Year with a total of 70 points bagging five golds and four silvers.
Second in command were Lodestar Media and O&M with 30 points each. The former bagged two golds and three silvers, while the latter notched three golds.
Group M South Asia CEO Ashutosh Srivastava said, “The agency has truly been recognised for the depth of its work. A lot of people say that since we have the highest volume of business, we would tend to be the agency of the year but it’s interesting that there were a couple of agencies, which had more entries than MindShare.”
MindShare had a total of 50 entries while Madison had 60. The total number of entries that the Ad Club received were 264, out of which 37 were shortlisted. MindShare laid claim to 11 of the 37 shortlisted entries. Even more heartening was the fact that nine out of the 11 won awards.
An elated MindShare South Asia managing director Vikram Sakhuja says, “Clearly this victory is for the MindShare team, with the activation, ATG, Digital and various other units functioning in perfect synergy. I know how difficult team work is and when it happens it is truly commendable.”
When queried by Indiantelevision.com as to how they managed to make a clean sweep, Sakhuja candidly retorts, “We prepared very hard. Our written and oral presentation this time round was excellent. Last year, we didn’t pay attention to detail, which we ensured this year.”
He further added, “It is good clients that lift our game. It is only with their support and proactivity that quality can take an upper hand.”
Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India and Living Media India Ltd were adjudged the best media marketers of the year. SET India business head and executive vice-president Tarun Katial says, “It’s a credit to a great team including our agencies – Euro RSCG, Mediacom and Genesis. Also due credit goes to Sunil (Lulla now with the Times group) and Albert (Almeida business head of Max). We hope to keep this going and raise the bar each year.”
The Grand Emvies was bagged by Mediacom. The agency also bagged the Gold for the Best Media Research Award for Aviva Life Insurance and the Tam Award for the Best TV Research.
Madison Communications clinched the Best Case Study presentation (People’s Choice Award) for Nirvana Plus – The End of Reach.
For Best Media Strategy, in the category Best Media Innovation – Never Used Before Media; Lodestar Media won for the Club Mahindra (Mobile Holiday Rajdhani Express).
Interestingly, Starcom and Madison figured nowhere in the Top 8 agencies rated by the Ad Club. Lintas Media Group, on the other hand, didn’t participate in the Emvies this year.
The Awards were charged with enthusiasm, excitement and energy with hooting, drumrolls and live sirens. Building the tempo for the anxious media professionals was the emcee for the evening – the very suave and eloquent radio jockey Brian Tellis. With his energetic style he managed to lead the crowd of media professionals into a frenzy.
With a tally of 15 points, rmg David stood fourth, whereas SET India, Living Media India LTD, Mediacom and Maxus were all tied at the fifth spot with 10 points each.
Two acts were also performed at the Emvies, the first being a play called – Two to Tango produced by Rael Padamsee, which was a comedy revolving around the life of a married couple and the complexities of male and female incompatibilities. The second act was ‘apna’ Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant who made the audience croon to his tunes.
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
