MAM
Roopa Badrinath curates ‘Pathways to Inclusive Leadership’
Mumbai: HR veteran and ex-chief talent officer of Wunderman Thompson South Asia, Roopa Badrinath who launched her diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) consultancy – Turmeric Consulting in August has curated a bespoke program ‘Pathways to Inclusive Leadership’. The program looks at the merits of a diverse workforce that is resilient, operates fearlessly, and recognises and harnesses the potential of everyone under an army of inclusive leaders across the organisation. While giving some pointers to interrupt biases, the program shines the light on the importance of acknowledging privilege and power and deploying it for the good of under-represented people. It delves into why people take mental shortcuts and how some daily workplace decisions in the employee lifecycle are impacted by unconscious biases leading to exclusionary practices. Gleaning from her vast experience in the A&M industry in helming the talent function for about 15 years across two large multi-national communications conglomerates, Roopa will be curating a series of programs that will benefit the A&M industry immensely.
The uniqueness of this program is its ability to help the leaders connect the disparate dots into a cohesive narrative. The program helps leaders establish the link between business success in a VUCA world and DEI; how DEI and ESG are indelibly connected; reflect on the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) DEI Charter for change, Global Media Charter, Planet Pledge, Sustainable Marketing 2030, UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and World Economic Forum’s audience representation maturity framework. The program also sheds light on the role of biases, identity, intersectionality, identity-based stereotyping, privilege, and power in pursuing inclusive leadership.
Commenting on the uniqueness of the program, Turmeric Consulting founder and principal consultant Roopa Badrinath said, “Just having a diverse workforce without embedding inclusion into the DNA of the organization is like putting the cart before the horse. The dividends of having a diverse workforce can be reaped only with an inclusive culture. Creating an inclusive culture requires the ongoing commitment of employees at all levels more so the leaders to drive a cultural shift.
‘Pathways to Inclusive Leadership’ aspires to rouse the collective conscience of all people leaders in creating an inclusive culture where diversity and equity thrive, creating a sense of belonging and leading to deep employee engagement which in turn results in positive business outcomes.
“While the industry has been conscientiously working on improving representation across levels, it might be missing out on a critical aspect to make diversity thrive. And that is Inclusion. Inclusion fosters an environment of mutual respect where differences are valued and welcomed. On the other hand, Equity ensures that all individuals have access to the same opportunities while being treated fairly,” added Badrinath.
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.
