MAM
Sonal Dabral starts second innings at Ogilvy India
MUMBAI: Ogilvy India has announced apointment of Sonal Dabral as the group chief creative officer and vice-chairman.
Ogilvy south Asia executive chairman and creative director Piyush Pandey said, “This is a first-time designation at Ogilvy & Mather in keeping with Sonal’s stature. Sonal was my first partner in building the creative reputation of Ogilvy India as it stands today. I am sure we will have a great partnership again to take Ogilvy to even greater heights.”
Dabral worked at Ogilvy India from 1991 to 1999. He then took over as the Creative Head of Ogilvy Malaysia and within three years made it the No. 1 Creative Agency in that country. Thereafter he took on the reins of creativity in Ogilvy Singapore as its leader and raised the flag even higher, after which Ogilvy India wooed him back to India as the chairman India and regional creative director for Bates Asia-Pacific. He then took on the responsibility at DDB Mudra as Chairman and Chief Creative Officer.
Pandey added, “As my partner in the 90s, he hired more creative talent than I have done in my life. He not only hired them, but inspired them and gave them wings to fly on their own. Sonal is a popular speaker around the world and a favourite jury member on every international award show. There is so much to Sonal’s achievements, that if I write them all, his joining us will get delayed.”
This appointment is welcomed and celebrated by John Seifert, Chairman & CEO of Ogilvy Worldwide, ThamKhai Meng, Worldwide Chief Creative Officer and Co-Chairman of Ogilvy Worldwide, Kent Wertime, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific and Eugene Cheong, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific. The Ogilvy leadership looks forward to Sonal injecting additional energy to the creative powerhouse for which Ogilvy India is well known around the world.
Brands
Uidai partners with Google to help users locate Aadhaar centres
Verified Aadhaar centres to appear on Maps with services and access info
MUMBAI: Finding an Aadhaar centre may soon be as easy as finding your favourite café. In a move aimed at making public services more accessible, the Unique Identification Authority of India has partnered with Google to display authorised Aadhaar centres on Google Maps. The feature, expected to roll out in the coming months, will allow residents to locate verified centres quickly and confidently.
More than 60,000 Aadhaar centres, including state of the art Aadhaar Seva Kendras, will be mapped. When users search on Google Maps, they will be directed to authorised facilities rather than unverified listings, helping curb misinformation and confusion.
The listings will do more than drop a pin. Users will be able to see the nature of services offered at each centre, whether it is adult enrolment, child enrolment, or limited to address and mobile number updates. Details such as operating hours, parking availability and divyang friendly infrastructure will also be shown wherever applicable.
Uidai CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar, said the collaboration is part of the authority’s continued effort to improve ease of living for Aadhaar holders by making authorised centres simpler and faster to navigate.
The partnership will deepen in its next phase, with Uidai using Google Business Profile to manage information and respond directly to public feedback. Looking ahead, the two organisations are also exploring the option of enabling appointment bookings through the Google Maps interface, potentially allowing residents to plan their visits with greater efficiency.
Google India country head, strategic partnerships Roli Agarwal, said integrating verified Aadhaar centres would help millions access trusted services with confidence, bringing essential government infrastructure closer to the people who need it most.
If all goes to plan, a routine Aadhaar update may soon begin not with a queue, but with a search bar.
