Brands
Star India jointly wins client of the year Effie with Hindustan Unilever
MUMBAI: It's added another feather to its cap. And not very surprisingly it's for brand and media effectiveness. Star India has trumped the Advertising Club Mumbai's coveted Effie client of the year Award for 2020. It bagged this honour jointly with the marketing behemoth Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL).
The Advertising Club's EFFIE Awards for 2020 were hosted at Mumbai's Taj Lands Hotel last evening and were presented by Colors. The awards, which have become a benchmark of effectiveness and breakthrough brand and media strategies, also saw both McCann Worldgroup India and Ogilvy Group being annointed jointly with the agency of the year title. The Grand EFFIE was sweetly pocketed by EightyTwo Point Five Communications for its Bisleri Packaged Drinking Water – “Samajhdar Jante hai" campaign.
Said the Advertising Club president Partho Dasgupta : “I would first like to congratulate all the winners of the awards. Winning an EFFIE has always been a matter of great pride for every marketer and each of the winners are truly deserving of this recognition. EFFIE India Awards 2020 continues to be the highest honor in innovation and effectiveness and with this award we continue to be committed towards recognizing and rewarding thought leadership showcased by brands and advertisers.”
Added EFFIEs chairperson Mitrajit Bhattacharya: “Like every year, this year to we saw some of the best and game changing work being entered for the awards. The superior quality of work has led to the marquee award categories like client of the year and the agency of the year for the first time in the history of the EFFIE’s being won by not one by two winners each. We are sure that the continuous evolution of the awards to reflect the changing media landscape by adding new and relevant categories will ensure that the awards continue to stay relevant and highly coveted.”
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
