AD Agencies
VMLY&R India appoints Ajay Ravindran as Director – Strategy and Planning
Mumbai: VMLY&R India, an award-winning digital marketing, advertising and transformation agency has appointed Ajay Ravindran as Director – Strategy and Planning. Ajay will work closely with Saurabh Mathur (Head of Strategy & Planning) and Anil K Nair (CEO), to drive strategy and growth of the agency.
Ajay will head the brand planning function for VMLY&R in India. His mandate is to ensure that strategic thinking is at the core of all the offerings of the agency – across all verticals including Brand Stewardship (Campaigns & Content), Commerce, and Experience & Technology. Additionally, he will spearhead the Brand Advisory practice here.
Commenting on this, Anil K Nair, CEO, VMLY&R India, stated, “Ajay will be working at the intersection of Brand Strategy and Technology, so that VMLY&R is at the forefront of defining how brands would need to evolve in this new, emerging, complex, post-digital world. Having helmed senior roles, Ajay will be a trusted advisor for our clients- current and potential – a responsibility I am sure he will cherish!”
Speaking on his new role, Ajay Ravindran, Director- Strategy & Planning, VMLY&R India said, ‘In their eagerness to become the agency of the future, I feel most agencies are forgetting being the agency of the present. At VMLY&R, I saw not just an agency but a holistic marketing services firm – with cutting edge solutions encompassing content, commerce and platforms. It seemed to me that it could answer all the questions clients are seeking answers to TODAY, but don’t know whom to ask.’
He further added, ‘But beyond all this was an X factor that escaped words – the palpable chemistry with the team, the richness of conversations and the vibe of the place itself. The more I interacted and learned, the more urgent was the question, “OK, so when do we start?” ’
Ajay has around 14 years of work experience across Media Planning, Market Research and Account Planning, and hence brings a holistic view to brand strategy. He has handled blue chip clients including: Britannia (Marie Gold, 50-50, Nutrichoice, Cake and Rusk), Unilever
(Kissan, Knorr, Annapurna, PureIt), Zee Group, Flipkart, TVS (Scooty, Radeon), Titan (Skinn, Sonata), 3M (Scotch Brite), Aditya Birla Group (Louis Philippe), Tanishq and Gold Plus.
Some of his campaigns have gone on to win awards, including EFFIE (Tanishq & Flipkart), INDIAA Awards (Dell & Scotch Brite) and CMO Asia Marketing Awards (Dell). He has also been a finalist at WARC (for Britannia Cake).
Ajay’s last assignment was with Lowe Lintas, Mumbai, where he was Vice President – Strategic Planning, leading the brand strategy mandate on Zee, PureIt, Unilever Foods and Setu. Previously, he led the same mandate for Flipkart, Britannia, TVS, Titan at Lowe Lintas Bangalore. He has also worked with Ogilvy, JWT, Grey, and L&K Saatchi & Saatchi.
He is an MBA from NMIMS, Mumbai; a leading Indian B-School. Apart from work, Ajay loves reading, quizzing, motorcycling and is an aspiring author.
AD Agencies
ABBY Awards 2026 names 3 jury chairs across digital, PR and publisher
Aditiya, Dharmaraj and Puri to lead key categories at Goafest 2026
MUMBAI: The Ad Club has announced the appointment of PG Aditiya, Deepshikha Dharmaraj and Pavita Puri as jury chairs for the Digital, PR and Publisher categories respectively at the ABBY Awards 2026, powered by The One Club and The One Show.
The awards are set to take place during Goafest 2026 from May 20 to 22 at Taj Cidade de Goa Horizon, bringing together some of the biggest names in advertising and marketing.
PG Aditiya, founder and CCO at Talented, will chair the Digital jury. A former chief creative officer at Dentsu Webchutney, he now leads Talented, an employee-owned independent agency known for its unconventional structure and award-winning work for brands such as Meta, Google, Britannia and Tanishq. The agency has also been recognised as a global ‘Best Place to Work’ by Campaign magazine for two consecutive years.
In the PR category, Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO at Burson Group India, brings over three decades of experience in public relations and integrated communications. She oversees multiple entities including Burson Genesis, GCI Health India and Hill & Knowlton India. Known for her strategic counsel and leadership, Dharmaraj has also served as president of industry bodies such as PRCAI and PAFI, and has been a jury member at global platforms including Cannes PR Lions and D&AD Awards.
Pavita Puri, chief brand and marketing officer at The Indian Express Group, will chair the Publisher category. With over 15 years of leadership experience, she has been instrumental in driving the group’s transition into a digital-first media powerhouse, overseeing brands such as The Indian Express, Financial Express, Loksatta and Jansatta. Her earlier stints in advertising include roles at Rediffusion and Lowe India, where she handled marquee clients across sectors.
The appointments reflect a strong mix of creative, communications and media expertise, underscoring the awards’ focus on recognising excellence across evolving industry segments.
As the industry gears up for Goafest, the ABBY Awards 2026 promise to spotlight standout work, with seasoned leaders at the helm of jury deliberations shaping the benchmark for creative excellence.
