AD Agencies
Praful Akali and Ashish Khazanchi appointed as jury chairs for Abby Awards 2024
Mumbai: Medulla managing director and founder Praful Akali and Enormous, founder and chief creative officer Ashish Khazanchi join as jury chairs for Health category and Still Print category respectively, at The Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show.
Medulla managing director and founder Praful Akali has been appointed Jury Chair of Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show in the newly created Health category.
Praful is among the most awarded healthcare creative professionals globally since 2015. He has had close to 50 shortlists and over 20 awards including a Grand Prix at the leading global awards Lions Health, Clio, Global, London Festival, and Spikes.
As one of the few creatively renowned professionals that has also worked as a client, last at Pfizer, Praful demonstrates how creativity and effectiveness work together.
In 2016, the Last Words campaign was published in the Gunn Report as one of the only 15 campaigns globally that won gold at the Lions and a marketing effectiveness awards show like the Effies. In 2017, Medulla repeated the feat with Last Laugh work which won a Grand Prix at Clio and two Gold at the APAC Effies.
Praful has led Medulla to win the Healthcare Agency of the Year in 2016 at Cannes Lions. Medulla has been the only agency globally to feature in the top three agencies of the year, each of the first three years of Lions Health. Medulla is also the only healthcare specialist agency in the list of the World’s Leading Independent Agencies 2018.
Praful has served as a jury member at Cannes Lions, LIA, Clio, Effies and the Global Awards. He has been a speaker at Cannes and other forums and his opinion pieces have appeared in several advertising and business publications.
In 2018, he spoke on the motto of Lion’s Health, life-changing creativity on the Lions Health Inspiration stage.
Enormous founder and chief creative officer Ashish Khazanchi has been appointed Jury Chair of Abby Awards 2024 powered by One Show in the Still Print category.
Ashish has worked in most of the major agency networks and on some of the biggest global, and Indian brands. He has taken Enormous from a startup to one of the leading independent creative agencies in the country. Ashish led Enormous to become the first independent agency to win a Grand Effie in the country this year.
Prior to this, Ashish was the National Creative Director, at Publicis Ambience. An MBA graduate from IIM Bangalore with over 30 years in advertising, he has created the iconic Jingalala campaign for Tata Sky and many others.
He has won over 300 awards with many international ones like the One Show, D&AD, Spikes and Cannes.
Ashish has held leadership roles in agencies like Y&R, Ogilvy, McCann and Publicis.
The Abby Awards powered by One Show will be held on the 29, 30, and 31 of May during Goafest 2024.
AD Agencies
Advertising Rocks Season 4 returns to Goafest 2026 with musical flair
Industry talent takes centre stage as music meets creativity at Goafest
MUMBAI: The spotlight is back on music and marketing as Advertising Rocks Season 4 gears up for a high-energy return at Goafest 2026, promising a louder and more vibrant celebration of creative talent within the industry.
Now in its fourth edition, the platform continues to carve a niche as a space where professionals from advertising, media and marketing step beyond boardrooms to showcase their musical side. Open to solo and duet performers, the competition will unfold across multiple rounds before culminating in a live finale at the festival. Shortlisted participants will also receive complimentary access to Goafest, adding to the appeal.
Each category will feature four finalists, with winners decided through a mix of jury evaluation and audience votes, making the experience interactive as well as competitive. The stakes are equally compelling, with cash prizes ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 1,00,000 across categories.
Reflecting on the journey so far, BBH former CEO Subhash Kamath said, “This will be the 4th edition of Advertising Rocks and every year, it’s become better and better. We have some amazing musical talent in our industry and what better stage to perform than at Goafest. I hope we get more entries this time and I’m really looking forward to hearing some fabulous talent.”
Echoing the sentiment, Havas Media Network India chief executive officer Mohit Joshi said, “Season 4 of Advertising Rocks perfectly captures the spirit of our industry, where creativity doesn’t end at the workplace, it finds expression in many forms. At Goafest 2026, we are excited to bring back Season 4, bigger and more vibrant, giving professionals a platform to showcase their musical talent.”
Registrations for the competition are currently open, with entries accepted until April 30. Participants are invited to submit their performances and take a shot at the stage.
Co-hosted by the Advertising Agencies Association of India and The Advertising Club, Goafest 2026 will be held from May 20 to 22 in Goa. With Advertising Rocks returning to the lineup, the festival is set to strike a chord that goes well beyond advertising, blending ideas with rhythm and a touch of showmanship.
