The International Advertising Association’s India Chapter hosted its 13th Leadership Awards on August 7 in Mumbai, honouring standout leaders across business, advertising, media and entertainment under the theme “The Power of Balance.”
Sun Pharmaceutical’s Dilip Shanghvi took home Business Leader of the Year, while Hungama’s Neeraj Roy earned a spot in the IAA Hall of Fame. Actor Sidharth Malhotra was named Brand Endorser of the Year, and NDTV’s Rahul Kanwal picked up Media Person of the Year. VML’s Babita Baruah and Omnicom Media’s Kartik Sharma led the agency-side honours, while veteran adman Sam Balsara received the Force for Good Award.
Sector-specific winners spanned major Indian corporates – Mahindra & Mahindra, Amul, Godrej & Boyce, Dabur, TVS Motor, and Red Bull India all had senior leaders recognised for category-defining work.
Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma attended as chief guest, speaking on how AI and data-driven marketing are reshaping consumer engagement while stressing that advertising must stay rooted in transparency and ethics.
The event drew over 250 industry leaders, with a jury led by Colgate-Palmolive India’s Prabha Narasimhan evaluating the winners across categories.
