MAM
Sports management firm Stellar Management signs up rising driver Karun Chandhok
MUMBAI: Sports management firm CSS Stellar Management has signed a rising motor racing star from India Karun Chandhok.
Chandhok who is the lead driver for India’s A1 Grand Prix campaign as well as currently driving in the World Series by Renault, joins a select group of high-profile sportspeople managed by the firm. They include McLaren F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, IRL champion Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti, World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, the England Football team and Sir Bobby Robson amongst others. CSS Stellar established their reputation in Motorsport through the successful management of the careers of two of Formula One’s all time greats Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.
The sports management side of the CSS Stellar group is headed by executive deputy chairman Julian Jakobi and Tim Sice who is the MD of the sports ralent management division. Speaking on their latest signing Sice said, “We are delighted to sign Karun as a client. We have identified him as one of the leading young talents in motorsport and we firmly believe that he has a very promising future ahead of him. We hope to have a long and successful partnership together and help Karun to achieve his potential as a racing driver.”
Chandhok said “I have heard so much about Julian over the years, especially from his days when he managed Senna and Prost, and I feel very privileged that he and Tim have chosen me to be a part of their portfolio of clients. CSS have a tremendous history in Motorsport and I do believe that they will be a great benefit in guiding my career path from here onwards. They specialise in working with race teams from Formula One, Indycars and in the various levels of racing found on the path to the top and their experience in this area is something which will be crucial for me as I work towards my goal of reaching the top of the ladder of Motorsport.”
MAM
India wins big at the 2025 Global Best of the Best Effie Awards
The Womb and McCann India take home Global Grand Effies, putting Indian advertising on the world map
MUMBAI: Indian advertising just had its moment. At the 2025 Global Best of the Best Effie Awards, the most rigorous test of marketing effectiveness on the planet, two Indian agencies beat out campaigns from over 130 markets to claim Global Grand Effies, the sport’s equivalent of a world championship medal.
The Womb won for Piramal Finance with a campaign called “NEEYAT: India’s Real Credit Score,” a purpose-led push that took direct aim at systemic bias in the credit sector and reframed how creditworthiness is measured. McCann India won for ESAF Small Finance Bank with “Saving Her Savings,” a campaign centred on financial inclusion for marginalised women. Both wins came from a shortlist of 47 contenders, all of whom had already won gold or grand prizes in their home markets. Only 11 Global Grand Effies were handed out across seven markets. India got two.
The highest honour of the night, the Iridium Effie, awarded to the single most effective marketing campaign in the world, went to eos Products and Mischief @ No Fixed Address for “Women’s Shave.” Remarkably, it was their second consecutive year taking the top prize.
Other global winners included Oreo and Mondelez International for “Oreo Codes” in commerce and shopper marketing, Flamin’ Hot and PepsiCo for “Poker Face” in experiential marketing, and ALDI Australia for “Shop ALDI First” in retail.
The Best of the Best is no ordinary awards show. Entry is restricted to campaigns that have already won a gold or grand Effie at a national level, making it, in effect, a champions’ league of marketing effectiveness. Indian agencies are no longer just brilliant at cracking local markets. They are now setting the global standard.
The world’s best advertisers had better start paying attention.
