AD Agencies
Vanaja Pillai to head of diversity, inclusion and impact at DDB Mudra
Mumbai: DDB Mudra Group has announced the elevation of Vanaja Pillai as head of diversity, inclusion and impact, underscoring the company’s commitment to embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in its people and business strategy.
Pillai was the driving force behind the Phyllis India Project, a comprehensive and intense leadership development program to help prepare DDB’s women talent for leadership.
“Vanaja’s work on the Phyllis India program has been applauded across DDB’s borders and is a brilliant example of senior leadership driving actionable change in advancing DEI within the DDB family,” stated DDB Worldwide chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer Nikki Lamba. “We are excited about her taking on this larger mandate and bringing DEI to the heart of our business, people and product strategies in India.”
In her expanded role, she will work closely with CEO and MD Aditya Kanthy and HR head Rita Verma on initiatives to grow a diverse and inclusive workplace, including talent acquisition, retention, training and outreach to talent in underrepresented communities. Pillai will also lead the creation and delivery of effective growth and development opportunities rooted in the company’s purpose and growth strategy, said the statement.
“To compete in our times, we need to take a critical view of every aspect of our business. Our approach to talent and culture included,” commented Aditya Kanthy. “There is much to do in this area, and Vanaja is just the right person to lead us to success. This work, with the Group’s effort as a global network, will bring in diverse voices to help shape workplace culture and brand communication of the future.”
“It has been an exhilarating journey, from the intent of creating an India chapter for the Phyllis Project, to having the first batch graduate last week,” Vanaja Pillai said, speaking on her extended role. “The bar has been set high for every challenge we pick up from hereon. Over the next year we will focus on a select set of DEI goals and approach them with the same rigour and passion that made the Phyllis India Project what it is today. From an overall talent perspective, the pandemic made us even more aware of the need for constantly focusing on people and their growth.”
AD Agencies
AdTrust Summit 2026 to examine trust, AI and Gen Alpha in advertising
Two-day summit in Mumbai to explore ethics, regulation and the future of advertising trust
MUMBAI: At a time when advertising is navigating a delicate trust deficit, the Advertising Standards Council of India is preparing to bring the industry to the table. On 17 and 18 March, the body will host the inaugural AdTrust Summit 2026 in Mumbai, a two-day gathering designed to spark conversation around responsibility, regulation and credibility in modern advertising.
The summit, to be held at the Jio World Convention Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex, will bring together leaders from advertising, media, technology and policy to examine how brands can build trust in a marketplace increasingly shaped by algorithms, influencers and artificial intelligence.
In an age of deepfakes, dark patterns and blurred lines between content and commerce, the question is no longer just how brands capture attention, but whether audiences believe what they see. The AdTrust Summit aims to unpack that challenge.
Day one will turn its attention to the youngest digital natives. Titled Decoding Gen Alpha, the session will unveil ‘What the Sigma?’, a study by ASCI and Futurebrands Consulting that explores how children growing up in a hyper-digital environment encounter advertising and commercial messaging.
The report presentation will be delivered by Santosh Desai, founder and director at Think9 Consumer Technologies and a social commentator known for his insights into consumer behaviour. The discussion that follows will attempt to decode how Gen Alpha consumes media, interacts with brands and navigates the growing overlap between entertainment and marketing.
In a move that mirrors the subject itself, two Gen Alpha students will also join the conversation, offering a rare perspective from the generation advertisers are trying to understand.
The second panel of the day will shift the focus from observation to implication, asking what the report’s findings mean for brands, agencies and society. Speakers include Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant; Preeti Vyas, president at Mythik; and Abigail Dias, associate president planning at Ogilvy. The session will be moderated by Sonali Krishna, editor at ET Brand Equity.
Day two moves from insight to regulation. Under the theme From Compliance to Trust, ASCI will release its Ad Law Compendium, a comprehensive guide to India’s advertising regulations.
The day will open with a keynote by Sudhanshu Vats, chairman at ASCI and managing director at Pidilite Industries, followed by a chief guest address by Sanjay Jaju, secretary at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
Legal experts from Khaitan & Co., including Haigreve Khaitan, senior partner, and Tanu Banerjee, partner, will present an overview of the current advertising law landscape in India and examine whether existing frameworks are equipped to deal with emerging technologies and formats.
Subsequent panels will explore issues increasingly shaping the industry’s ethical compass. Conversations will range from the limits of persuasive design and the rise of dark patterns, to the growing scrutiny brands face from digital creators and consumer watchdogs.
One session will also feature Revant Himatsingka, widely known online as the Food Pharmer, whose critiques of packaged food brands have sparked debate around transparency and corporate accountability.
Later discussions will turn toward media literacy among Gen Alpha, asking how children can be equipped to navigate a digital world where gaming, content and commerce are becoming indistinguishable.
The summit will conclude with a final panel on the future of advertising, bringing together voices from agencies, legal circles and technology platforms to discuss how innovation, intelligence and integrity can coexist.
For an industry built on persuasion, trust has always been its quiet currency. But as audiences grow more sceptical and digital ecosystems more complex, that currency is under pressure.
Events like the AdTrust Summit suggest the advertising world knows it cannot afford to take credibility for granted. The real challenge now is turning conversation into commitment.
