Awards
ABBY Awards announces master jury for 2018
MUMBAI: The highly coveted ABBY Awards that recognises and rewards creative excellence is poised to set new benchmarks on scale and innovation with the upcoming 2018 edition. The apex industry award has for the first time announced the formation of a master jury.
It boasts of 15 illustrious, award winning creative giants who have consented to be the filter for the creative standards of the creative ABBYs.
The master jury is entrusted with the task of screening all the entries received, across all the categories and verticals, to identify those worthy of being short listed. It will then deliberate on which of the short lists is worthy of winning an ABBY. This jury will help ensure that the ABBYs 2018 will be the most sought-after creative awards in the industry.
ABBY 2018 chair of the awards governing council Ajay Kakar says, “We want the ABBYs to be the gold standard, recognising creative excellence for brands. It is a fact that an award is as good or reputed as the jury that judges it. So recognising this, we created a master jury for 2018. Adjudged by such a versatile and visionary jury means that only the most creative campaigns will emerge victorious, making the winning of an ABBY a career defining moment.”
The 2018 edition will also see the number of categories and sub categories being rationalised, to ensure relevance and effectiveness. Ajay Kakar elaborated, “We recognise that digital is not a medium, but a technology that supports communication. Keeping this and such realities at the core, as against the past years, the categories and verticals have been brought down from 15 categories and eight verticals i.e. 120, to eight categories and eight verticals i.e. 64.
Another highlight will be the reinstatement of the Agency of the Year award. This year will see the announcement of the creative agency of the year, design specialist agency of the year, digital specialist agency of the year, direct specialist agency of the year, PR specialist agency of the year, branded content and entertainment specialist agency of the year and media agency of the year.
Awards
Ajay Kakar to chair jury for ad:tech Honours Awards 2026
Industry leaders join jury as nominations surge for marketing tech awards
NEW DELHI: The ad:tech Honours Awards 2026 are gearing up for a bigger second edition, with Ajay Kakar, head of corporate branding at Adani Group, set to chair the jury for India’s technology-focused marketing awards.
Organised in partnership with the International Advertising Association India Chapter, the awards celebrate the growing influence of technology in shaping modern advertising and marketing outcomes. This year’s edition has drawn a strong response from across the industry, signalling rising momentum around innovation in marketing technology.
The organisers say the nominations reflect a wide range of ideas and approaches, highlighting how brands and agencies are increasingly leaning on platforms, tools and data to sharpen their campaigns and connect with audiences more effectively.
Leading the evaluation process, Kakar will head a jury made up of senior leaders from across brands, agencies and technology platforms.
The jury panel includes Amaresh Godbole, CEO, digital technology business at Publicis Groupe; Bishwajeet S, head of marketing and PR at Volkswagen India; Carol Goyal, executive director at Rediffusion and CEO of Aesthetic Intelligence Lab; Kushal Sanghvi, director at Komerz; Lara Balsara, executive director at Madison World; Rana Barua, group CEO India, sea and North Asia; Deepak Oram, senior vice president growth marketing and martech; and Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi, head of marketing and creative solutions at Amazon Ads India.
The ad:tech Honours Awards aim to recognise not just creative campaigns but the smart use of technology that delivers measurable impact and business results. Categories this year reflect the rapidly evolving digital landscape, covering areas such as artificial intelligence, data-driven marketing, content ecosystems, automation, martech and adtech integration, and commerce-led marketing.
The winners will be announced on 17 March 2026 at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in New Delhi during ad:tech New Delhi 2026. The event is expected to bring together leaders from brands, agencies, platforms, creators and technology partners for an evening celebrating the ideas and innovations shaping the future of marketing.iconductor industries.
