MAM
Times Group’s Vineet Jain conferred lifetime media honour
Managing India award crowns four decades of expansion, ambition and cultural clout
NEW DELHI: Vineet Jain has picked up another trophy, and this one comes with a lifetime tag.
At the 70th foundation day and 20th national management day of All India Management Association in New Delhi, the managing director of The Times Group was conferred the “lifetime contribution to media” award, presented by education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The honour formed part of AIMA’s 16th managing India awards, themed “Transforming for tomorrow: growth with resilience”.
AIMA’s citation was expansive and effusive. It hailed Jain as a “future-ready leader and agile entrepreneur” who has turned a legacy newspaper business into a diversified media powerhouse. Since the late 1980s, it noted, he has revitalised print while pushing aggressively into television, radio, internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments across 35 markets.
“He did not just grow a newspaper company; he built a multifaceted media empire that dominates information and entertainment in India and shapes the nation’s political and commercial awareness,” the citation said. “From television and radio to internet, movies, music, sports, events, outdoor advertising, education and investments, his leadership has created influential brands across every platform.”
Under Jain’s stewardship, television brands such as Times Now, ET Now and Zoom have expanded the group’s broadcast heft, while their digital avatars have chased new audiences online. Radio Mirchi, Gaana, Times OOH, Times Music and Magicbricks have emerged as category leaders. Legacy titles such as Femina and Filmfare have been retooled for new generations.
The group has also ventured beyond media. Through Bennett University and TimesPro, it has pushed into higher and executive education, while a national pickleball league signals a foray into the world’s fastest-growing sport.
AIMA credited Jain with balancing mass entertainment and intellectual ambition, citing the reinvention of the Filmfare awards and the Femina Miss India pageant nearly three decades ago, as well as the launch of the Times litfest.
Accepting the award, Jain struck a collective note. “It is a huge honour to receive this award. I dedicate it to my colleagues who have worked tirelessly to make The Times Group, India’s largest multi media company.”
He reiterated the group’s appetite for scale. “The Times Group is number one in every media vertical it has launched, and we will continue striving for excellence,” he said.
Four decades on, the message is clear. In a media market being torn up by technology and attention spans, Jain is still betting on breadth, brands and being number one.
MAM
Bianca Guimaraes named Jury Chair of ABBY Awards 2026
Mischief USA ECD to lead Still Digital category at Goafest in Goa.
MUMBAI: Bianca Guimaraes just got handed the gavel for Still Digital because when the woman who turned Mischief into an awards magnet sits in judgement, even the shortlist starts feeling nervous. Bianca Guimaraes, founding partner and executive creative director at Mischief USA, has been appointed Jury Chair for the Still Digital category at the ABBY Awards 2026 Powered by The One Club / The One Show. The announcement was made ahead of Goafest 2026, where the awards will take place in Goa on 20–22 May 2026.
Guimaraes has built a reputation for culture-shifting work that has propelled Mischief USA from start-up to #1 independent agency of the year four times (Ad Age, Adweek, Campaign US and EFFIES). In just three years, her campaigns have secured over 100 international awards, including an Emmy. She previously spent six years at BBDO New York, was named Shots Rising Star in 2017, and voted Next Creative Leader by The One Show in 2016. WARC currently ranks Mischief USA as the world’s Most Effective Independent Agency.
A passionate advocate for women and diverse talent in advertising, Guimaraes has shaped the creative department she always wanted to join, blending bold ideas with measurable impact.
The ABBY Awards remain one of India’s most respected benchmarks for creative excellence, drawing entries across advertising, design, digital and branded content. Guimaraes’ appointment brings a global perspective to the Still Digital jury at a time when static digital work continues to push boundaries in storytelling and craft.
In an awards season where creativity is the real currency, the ABBYs didn’t just pick a chair, they picked the woman who’s spent years proving that the sharpest ideas don’t need motion to move people.
