MAM
Supraja Srinivasan appointed VP and Head of Corp Comms at Publicis Groupe
MUMBAI: Publicis Groupe South Asia has brought seasoned communicator Supraja Srinivasan into the driver’s seat as vice-president and head of corporate communications for the region. She will report to Anupriya Acharya, CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia, and take charge of internal and external communications while shaping the company’s brand reputation and B2B narrative across markets.
Srinivasan arrives with more than 16 years of experience in communication strategy, brand building and business journalism across India and international markets. She joins from BookMyShow, where she spent seven years leading PR and corporate communications across India, Southeast Asia and the UAE.
Before stepping into the communications world, she held senior editorial roles at The Economic Times, Bloomberg TV India and CNBC-TV18, earning recognition for her skill in shaping public narratives.
Welcoming her to the fold, Anupriya Acharya said the Groupe is entering a fresh phase of growth after five years of strong performance. She added that Srinivasan’s strategic clarity and dynamic approach will be vital as the company sharpens its focus on differentiated solutions built on data, content and AI-led capabilities.
Reacting to her appointment, Srinivasan said she was excited to join the Groupe at a moment ripe with possibility. She highlighted the power of the Groupe’s integrated model, combining creativity, data, technology and media to deliver high-impact solutions. She noted that she looks forward to shaping narratives that reflect this energy, strengthen thought leadership and deepen engagement with clients, partners and teams as brands navigate the fast-evolving marketing landscape.
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.
