Awards
Punit Goenka receives ‘ET – ‘40 under Forty’- India’s Hottest Business Leaders Award’
MUMBAI: ZEEL MD & CEO Punit Goenka has received the prestigious ‘The Economic Times’40 under Forty’ – India’s Hottest Business Leaders Award 2014’. The award ceremony was held on 29 April at a glittering function held at the Four Seasons, Mumbai.
The award was presented to him by HDFC executive chairman Deepak Parekh. The list of the 40 winners was finalised by a study conducted by The Economic Times and Spencer Stuart to identify India Inc’s upcoming leadership.
Out of the original list of 2000 leaders, the final 40 were identified based on a combination of quantitative business results (growth, margins and turnaround) as well as qualitative attributes (innovation, reputation, people leadership, and contribution to the ecosystem). The jury was chaired by Deepak Parekh. The members on the panel were Spencer Stuart India managing director Anjali Bansal, Tata Communications chairman Subodh Bhargava, Boston Consulting Group, Asia Pacific chairman Janmejaya Sinha, Hindustan Unilever COO, Unilever and Non-executive chairman Harish Manwani, PepsiCo India chairman and CEO D Shivakumar and Info Edge India CEO and co-founder Sanjeev Bhikchandani.
Other notable names who received the honour are Flipkart co-Founder & CEO Sachin Bansal, Parle Agro CEO Schauna Chauhan, IndiGo Air president Aditya Ghosh and The Walt Disney Company India MD Siddharth Roy Kapur.
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.
