Digital
Leading with purpose creates wins for consumers, community and country: Hina Nagarajan of Diageo India
“Ram Ram Sir , mil lo is haftey” these were the last words I got on whatsapp from Sidharth this past Monday. I had no clue he meant this was the last we had to meet. Gone away too soon.
I got to know Sidharth Rao a couple of years ago. He was a person full of ideas and, instinctively, his mind thought in terms of value creation. He was a genuine entrepreneur - willing to go “all in” and optimistic no matter what his cards.
He also had a wonderful external orientation and meeting him for a couple of hours meant getting many examples of value creation across industries. He invited me to address his team, to his farm at Karjat and to meet in Mumbai - none of which could materialise due to our respective schedules.
A bon vivant, he wasn’t one for the high society party circuit and never lost his connection with real India.
He always wrote back on my weekly columns and urged me to finish the books I have WIP.
He was an energetic and committed entrepreneur who would have done much in his second innings. RIP Sidharth.
About Sidharth Rao
Sidharth Rao, who co-founded one of India’s first and finest digital agencies Webchutney passed away on Friday evening. He is survived by his parents and wife. Colleagues and industry executives are taking to social media platforms to mourn the loss.
Rao founded digital agency Webchutney 23 years ago when taking a bet on the internet was being done by very few. Rao built the agency from the ground up and it was acquired by Dentsu in 2013.
It created India's most-awarded campaign ever at Cannes Lions 2022.
At the Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave 2025, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw spotlighted the critical role of traditional media in an evolving digital landscape. He emphasized that such gatherings can aid the govt in formulating more effective policies for a balanced and sustainable media ecosystem.
Read MoreFrom the chiefs of Nestle, Diageo, Colgate, PepsiCo, Zetwerk and CRED to AI visionaries, marketing mavens, top creators, ad legends and leading global agencies' CEOs, the brightest minds converged at the Storyboard18 Global Pioneers Summit for an action-packed day of meaningful dialogues on creativity, commerce and culture.