Here are the movers and shakers, the super-achievers of the Advertising, Media & Marketing domain this year... A shortlist of 11 that will be brought down to a list of six nominees for the IMPACT Person of the Year 2016 award by November. Who will wear the crown at the gala award ceremony on December 7?
Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog
A true patriot is one who synergises bright ideas with dedicated efforts towards serving the national interest, and Amitabh Kant has spearheaded initiatives for this cause. As CEO of Niti Aayog, and under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, the IAS officer has taken charge of several national programmes aimed at catalysing India’s economic growth. While Make in India and Digital India may be the front-running initiatives of the present administration, Kant has also imparted his services to the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion.
Baba Ramdev & Acharya Balakrishna, Patanjali
If anyone has disrupted the industry this year, it is Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balakrishna with Patanjali. Capitalizing on the swadeshi sentiment that has escalated in recent times, Patanjali has managed to position itself as a brand which values the national interest at the top of its marketing pitch. With revenues touching Rs 5,000 crore in the previous fiscal, it has disrupted India’s competitive FMCG business, giving established players a run for their money. While Baba Ramdev is the face of Patanjali, it is Acharya Balakrishna who is the brain behind the brand’s success story. He owns almost 94% of Patanjali’s assets and is among the fastest to reach India’s elite club of billionaires with personal fortunes worth Rs 25,600 crore.
Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder & CEO, OLA Cabs
It’s because of success stories like Ola Cabs that we have a vibrant start-up culture, with budding entrepreneurs ready to take risks at an early age. With continuous breakthrough innovations, at a time when foreign competition is looking to steamroll local businesses, Ola and Bhavish Aggarwal have managed to stay at the top of their game. From getting the right overseas investors to introducing categorized services, and strategic tie-ups with leading Indian businesses, Bhavish Aggarwal has done it all.
Kartikeya Sharma, MD, ITV Network
Running a news corporation amidst stiff competition requires nerves of steel, and Kartikeya Sharma has plenty of it. Not just for stepping into a territory new to him, but taking measured risks to expand market-share. Since its launch in 2007, iTV has grown steadily with strategic acquisitions of The Sunday Guardian and NewsX along with creative digital manoeuvres to keep pace in an ever-dynamic industry. The credit for iTV’s success is attributed to Sharma for the enthusiasm he shows in taking challenges head on, putting innovation into action.
Markand Adhikari, Vice-Chairman and MD, SABGroup
Despite being one the oldest media houses in the country, the SABGroup believes in reinventing itself, and its recent de-merger, led by the group’s Vice-Chairman and MD, Markand Adhikari, is testimony to the conglomerate’s future vision. At a time when big industry players were fighting it out for mainstream TV viewership, SABGroup created a playing field of its own in the regional category. Channels such as Masti, Dabbang and Maiboli have garnered unwavering loyalty in their respective areas of operation.
Prasoon Joshi, CEO, McCann WorldGroup India
The CEO of McCann WorldGroup India is also an active ambassador of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and is passionately lending his expertise to the cause. From writing lyrics for the campaign’s anthem song – ‘Swachh Bharat ka Irada kar Liya Hum ne’ - to getting client Dettol to charter the ‘Banega Swacch India’ campaign, Joshi has been an active contributor to the cause. Additionally, the ad guru has also contributed to campaigns for women’s emancipation.
Raj Nayak, CEO, Colors
Raj Nayak took charge of Viacom’s general entertainment brand, Colors, in 2011, and since then has worked zealously to take Colors to the zenith in the GEC category. After gaining both, the confidence and votes of some of the biggest veterans in Indian advertising, he has been re-elected as President of the Advertising Club for a second consecutive term. Nayak also sits on the board of the International Advertising Association (IAA) and is constantly working towards engaging India’s robust advertising community to scale greater heights.
Rajat Sharma, Chairman & Editor-in-chief, India TV
Launched in 2004, under the chairmanship of Rajat Sharma, India TV today has an average viewership crossing 100 million. Hard hitting interviews with top politicians by Sharma in India TV’s flagship show ‘Aap ki Adalat’ have helped the Hindi news broadcaster to gain a firm foothold in the industry. Recipient of a Padma Bhushan, Sharma still continues on his voyage to make an impact in the news media business.
Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands India & CVL Srinivas, CEO, GroupM, South Asia
Both Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Mediabrands, India, and CVL Srinivas, CEO of GroupM South Asia, believe in the traditional forms of advertising while being at the forefront of the push to Digital in the organizations they head. Both have been actively associated with industry bodies such as the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) and Media Research Users Council (MRUC), and continue to think of ways and means to improve the measurement metrics for both broadcasters and readers of Print. They have been strong proponents of policy ideas to enhance TV viewership and Print readership.
Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman, RK Swamy Hansa Group
Srinivasan Swamy manages to fit both Advertising and philanthrophy comfortably in one sentence. Along with serving on the board of some of the most prestigious advertising bodies in India and overseas, Swamy is involved in running hospitals and schools for the less privileged. He participates holistically in improving the quality of Indian advertising. He has many successes to celebrate this year – the Lifetime Achievement Award from AAAI, chairmanship of ASCI and elevation to a global leadership role as Senior Vice-President of the International Advertising Association.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Founder & CEO, Paytm
Paytm is a behemoth in India’s blooming e-commerce industry today, and all credit for it goes to the company’s founder, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, for getting the right associations at the right time. Driven by a fat investment worth $575 million from Alibaba, Paytm’s expansion in the e-comm space has fast-tracked exponentially. Paytm will be the first e-commerce company in India to have a payments bank under its belt this Diwali.
