MAM
Sangeeta Chacko receives ‘Bharat Excellence Award’ and ‘Rashtriya Mahila Gold Award’
MUMBAI: Ms. Sangeeta Chacko, Head – Corporate Communications, Percept Limited, received the distinguished ‘Bharat Excellence 2014 Award’ and the ‘Rashtriya Mahila 2014 Gold Award’ at the India International Centre in New Delhi on March 29, 2014.
Ms. Sangeeta Chacko received the ‘Bharat Excellence Award’ for her exceptional contribution and excellence achieved in the domain of Brand Communications and Public Relations spanning multiple industries across India & South Asia over the past 2 decades.
The ‘Rashtriya Mahila Gold Award’ was also exclusively presented to Sangeeta Chacko acknowledging her unstinting efforts and achievements as a leading female protagonist in the Business Communications, Academic & Corporate Social Responsibility sectors in India.
The awards which carried a Citation, Gold Medal and a Certificate of Excellence, was presented by Shri Chaudhury Randhir Singh, Former Governor of Sikkim, at a National Seminar entitled ‘Economic Growth & National Unity’.
The ‘Bharat Excellence Award’ and ‘Rashtriya Mahila Award’ acknowledged Sangeeta Chacko’s vibrant and proactive role in the Communications domain and paid tribute to her versatile & pioneering styles of originality and creativity over the past 20 years. Her growing involvement and contribution towards the Educational sector, SME industries and CSR platforms served as further testimony to her growing impact and dedication to Social and National Welfare.
The ‘Bharat Excellence Awards’ is instituted by the Friendship Forum of India, a New Delhi based social & cultural organization focused on forging greater unity, integrity and collaboration among Indians across
Ms. Sangeeta Chacko, Head – Corporate Communications, Percept Limited, received the distinguished ‘Bharat Excellence 2014 Award’ and the ‘Rashtriya Mahila 2014 Gold Award’ at the India International Centre in New Delhi on March 29, 2014.
Ms. Sangeeta Chacko received the ‘Bharat Excellence Award’ for her exceptional contribution and excellence achieved in the domain of Brand Communications and Public Relations spanning multiple industries across India & South Asia over the past 2 decades.
The ‘Rashtriya Mahila Gold Award’ was also exclusively presented to Sangeeta Chacko acknowledging her unstinting efforts and achievements as a leading female protagonist in the Business Communications, Academic & Corporate Social Responsibility sectors in India.
The awards which carried a Citation, Gold Medal and a Certificate of Excellence, was presented by Shri Chaudhury Randhir Singh, Former Governor of Sikkim, at a National Seminar entitled ‘Economic Growth & National Unity’.
The ‘Bharat Excellence Award’ and ‘Rashtriya Mahila Award’ acknowledged Sangeeta Chacko’s vibrant and proactive role in the Communications domain and paid tribute to her versatile & pioneering styles of originality and creativity over the past 20 years. Her growing involvement and contribution towards the Educational sector, SME industries and CSR platforms served as further testimony to her growing impact and dedication to Social and National Welfare.
The ‘Bharat Excellence Awards’ is instituted by the Friendship Forum of India, a New Delhi based social & cultural organization focused on forging greater unity, integrity and collaboration among Indians across the globe. The Award recognizes the various achievements, excellence in business and outstanding contribution made by individuals and institutions towards Society and National Welfare. The awards are a testimony towards the proactive attitude, innovation, contribution and global perspective reflected by the recipient towards business and economy.
About 40 individuals from around the country were presented the Bharat Excellence Award for their contribution in education, social work, medicine, arts, science and entrepreneurship. Previous eminent awardees include Governor Khurasheed Alam Khan, Sunil Dutt, Justice P.N. Bhagwati, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Manik Dastoor, and Shri BKS Iyengar.
the globe. The Award recognizes the various achievements, excellence in business and outstanding contribution made by individuals and institutions towards Society and National Welfare. The awards are a testimony towards the proactive attitude, innovation, contribution and global perspective reflected by the recipient towards business and economy.
About 40 individuals from around the country were presented the Bharat Excellence Award for their contribution in education, social work, medicine, arts, science and entrepreneurship. Previous eminent awardees include Governor Khurasheed Alam Khan, Sunil Dutt, Justice P.N. Bhagwati, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Sunil Gavaskar, Manik Dastoor, and Shri BKS Iyengar.
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.
