MAM
Wadhwani Foundation’s new digital campaign inspires women entrepreneurs
Mumbai: Wadhwani Foundation has launched a special campaign dedicated to aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs in India and celebrating the indomitable spirit of women entrepreneurs. The campaign, branded as ‘From one Woman Entrepreneur to Another,’ shares inspiring and successful stories of women entrepreneurs from different industries and backgrounds, hence motivating women from all parts of the country to come forward and realize their entrepreneurial dreams.
This campaign features a series of video messages from five women entrepreneurs, sharing their entrepreneurial journey from starting a business, building their products and services, overcoming barriers, creating opportunities, and reflecting on what motivated them to start up.
“Encouraging and inspiring women entrepreneurs will have a significant impact on our economic progress. Of the 63 million MSMEs in India, only six per cent are led by women entrepreneurs, and these have mainly resulted from necessities and not opportunities,” said Wadhwani Foundation EVP of global marketing Atul Raja. “There is a need to unlock the massive untapped potential of women entrepreneurship in India which will provide a boost to job creation and allow social and economic independence for better outcomes at the community level.”
Below are excerpts of the inspiration provided by these five women entrepreneurs through video messages:
1. India Assist co-founder and director Moqierish Tak:
“We get defined by what we achieve, but before achieving, it’s more about how we survived. Entrepreneurship is all about surviving the challenges and not losing focus on the light at the end of the tunnel and eventually reaching there.”
2. Findmeashoe.com co-founder Shabari Raje:
“Women have always been enterprising, but now they are creating global impact beyond imagination. Proud & thrilled to be part of this entrepreneurial tribe.”
3. HerMoneyTalks founder Nisary Mahesh:
“Entrepreneurship is a journey by choice. But every choice you make in the journey shapes it.”
4. PickMyWork co-founder and CSO Kajal Malik:
“Even in the year 2021, there are biases. You will experience them too. Don’t let that stop you!”
5. Sirohi founder and director Gauri Malik:
“As women entrepreneurs, we all want to be Wonder Women. But it’s only much later in your entrepreneurial journey do you realize that it’s a mindset.”
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.
