Leading with purpose creates wins for consumers, community and country: Hina Nagarajan of Diageo India

'Largest employer in the world is inefficiency': CRED's Kunal Shah at Storyboard18 Global Pioneers Summit

Unheard tales of Maggi’s redemption: How poetry and nostalgia revived an iconic brand

Content creator Raj Shamani’s journey: Prioritizing substance over virality

MIB’s Ashwini Vaishnaw at Storyboard18 DNPA Conclave: Govt working for fair compensation for media houses

Nobody’s Perfect Retro Porsche Ad

In Conversation With Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard

Shahid Kapoor And Varun Ganjoo Speaks On PokerBaazi's Campaign

In conversation with IHCL’s Puneet Chhatwal & GroupM’s Kate Scott-Dawkins

Why are brands including e-sports in their sports marketing itinerary?

Storyboard18 x The English Nut: How to pronounce these 10 brand names

Experts' Take On Reinvention Of Ad Campaigns Through Technology

Experts Speak On Key Emerging Trends In Cannes Lions Entries

Leaders of the future have to be outstanding human beings: Nestle MD

In conversation with VMLY&R’s Hari Ramanathan

Reliance Foundation Chairperson Nita Ambani has exuded confidence that the 21st century belongs to India and added that women will drive growth and redefine it through innovation and leadership.

Nita Ambani, who was awarded the 'Outstanding Contribution to Brand India' award at CNBC-TV18’s 20th edition of the India Business Leader Awards 2024 asserted that the 21st century belongs to Bharat.

"India is where it all began. We are the cradle of civilisation. A land of timeless values and enduring wisdom. And today, India is also where the future is being shaped. We have the world's youngest population and the fastest-growing economy. In many ways, this is a defining moment in India's journey. I believe our time has come," she said.

The businesswoman said she at a very early age she was taught the values of loving and serving.

Reminiscing about her past, the spouse of billionaire Mukesh Ambani said, I grew up in a family where Indianness was a way of life. My maternal grandmother was a Gandhian and a freedom fighter. From a very young age, we were taught the values of loving our country, serving its people, and protecting its ideals. And then, I got married into a family that shares the same deep sense of pride in India".

Further, she said India is living proof that "ordinary people can dream extraordinary dreams".


About Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), she said, " I am proud to share that we have so far hosted over 6,000 artists and over 2 million guests at NMACC. Not only from India but around the world. In less than 2 years, NMACC has been named one of the top seven cultural spaces in the world".

Giving a boost to athletes, Nita Ambani announced that next year the company will take a bold step by presenting "India's bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games".

She urged everyone to re-dedicate themselves to building an India that "chases excellence, embraces innovation, and carries its cultural heritage into a future of infinite possibilities."

India to drive 21st-century growth, women to play key role: Nita Ambani

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, the role of AI in shaping social media strategies and digital marketing has become increasingly significant. Bullish on AI, Shubhranshu Singh, Chief Marketing Officer of Tata Motors CVBU, and Rohan Chincholi, Chief Digital Officer at Havas Media India, share their views on social media in an AI era with Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani. 

In this episode of Media Dialogues with Storyboard18, dig into how future-facing marketing visionaries and practitioners are looking at the integration of AI tools in media, the balance between automation and authenticity, and the future of AI-driven personalization. Also, explore the challenges, opportunities, and ethical considerations that come with leveraging AI in social media marketing.

Watch and listen. 

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Content is king, but distribution is kingdom: Media Dialogues With Storyboard18

In the ever-evolving landscape of marketing, the concept of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a pivotal game-changer. It's not just a buzzword but a transformative tool that is reshaping the way businesses connect with their audience. 

Marketers across the board are leveraging AI for more precise and impactful campaigns. MVS Murthy, CMO of Federal Bank, is one of them. On the sidelines of Storyboard18 Visionaries, he highlighted the shift towards more purpose-driven marketing, stating, "AI allows a marketer to be in an election kind of mode so it's not a campaign for a season but now I can strike a campaign for a reason." This approach enables marketers to craft campaigns with precision, resonating with their audience on a deeper level.

Udit Agarwal, Global Head of Marketing of Exotel, emphasized the need to humanize AI. He noted that while AI is a powerful tool, it is essential to imbue it with human-like qualities to ensure it can effectively mimic emotions and behaviors. Udit sees this as an exciting opportunity to teach AI the intricacies of marketing, paving the way for more personalized and engaging campaigns. He stated, "It's a very exciting trend that I'm looking forward to—how do we actually teach AI to do marketing?"

Anuradha Aggarwal, CMO of Amazon Pay, highlighted the trend of AI-driven dynamic marketing as a game-changer. She expressed excitement about the ability of AI to understand customer trends and behaviors, enabling personalized advertising. However, Anuradha emphasized the importance of ensuring that AI-driven marketing is implemented in a safe and consumer-friendly manner to maximize its potential. She expressed, "AI-driven dynamic marketing, making personalized advertising, that's something exciting."

These insights from industry leaders underscore the growing importance of AI in marketing. As AI continues to evolve, marketers need to embrace it as a tool to enhance customer experiences, drive engagement, and ultimately achieve business growth.

The AI revolution in marketing: Insights from top CMOs at Storyboard18 Visionaries

The Mumbai chapter of Storyboard18 Visionaries was an evening of celebration and comraderies, as leading marketers came together to share stories from their unwavering pursuit of building iconic and successful brands.

Industry leaders like Bharat Puri, MD, Pidilite, Santosh Iyer, CEO and MD, Mercedes Benz India and Prasoon Joshi, chairman APAC, McCann Worldgroup, and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India, shared anecdotes from their journeys of building iconic brands and on marketing, leadership and focus on consumers.

Storyboard18's Mumbai Chapter Chapter of Visionaries saw the congregation of brilliant marketing minds, which echoed the success of its Delhi debut in 2023, and the Bangalore Chapter in February, 2024.

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Procter & Gamble India's Chief Marketing Officer, Mukta Maheshwari is a celebrated marketer with strong roots in the FMCG space. Her business acumen and consumer insights-driven approach have fueled growth for the CPG behemoth's iconic brands in global markets including India. A marketing maestro powered by purpose, Maheshwari received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Salesforce Digital's country VP Nishant Kalra, Integral Ad Science's country manager Saurabh Khattar and Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani, at the Mumbai Chapter of #SB18Visionaries. 

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Director and CMO of Amazon Pay, Anuradha Aggarwal's leadership has enabled robust growth and heightened interactive and engaging user experiences for the brand. Bringing her incredible experience as a veteran marketer, she is reshaping the market dynamics for Amazon Pay, fostering growth and innovation. Aggarwal received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from auto major Mercedes-Benz India's CEO Santosh Iyer at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries. 

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Nitin Saini, VP - Marketing (CMO), Mondelēz International, has been instrumental in achieving stellar growth for the company's iconic brands in India and in global markets. His unwavering commitment to excellence and a customer-centric ethos makes him a visionary shaping the brand’s marketing and business. Saini received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Mercedes-Benz India's MD and CEO Santosh Iyer at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries. 


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Sujatha V Kumar, Head of Marketing, India and South Asia, Visa is a veteran marketer who has constantly pushed the envelope in brand marketing. Her vision in driving overall marketing strategy and execution including consumer, retail, and digital marketing initiatives for India and the emerging markets of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, and the Maldives has propelled VISA to greater heights. Here she is receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Mercedes-Benz India's MD and CEO Santosh Iyer at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries. 

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A CMO of Pidilite Industries Limited - the maker of brand Fevicol, Manish Dubey has taken the brand newer heights. Through ingenious marketing efforts, memorable marketing campaigns and a deep connection with consumers, Dubey has throughout his career built impactful initiatives driving brands forward. Here he is receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Mercedes-Benz India's MD and CEO Santosh Iyer at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries.

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Mayank Shah, Vice President at Parle Products is seen receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Mercedes-Benz India's MD and CEO Santosh Iyer at the Mumbai chapter of Storyboard18 Visionaries. 



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Amrit Raj, Director - Marketing, Corporate Affairs & Communication at Zetwerk is seen receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from poet, lyricist, writer and advertising industry icon Prasoon Joshi, at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries.



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Arpan Biswas, CMO, Reliance Ajio has helped establish the brand as a disruptor and a leader in a competitive and complex industry. Through strategic partnerships with leading properties and content creators, impactful contextual campaigns and innovative launches, Biswas has enabled Ajio to stay ahead of the curve, enabling brand differentiation and customer loyalty. Here he is receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from auto major Mercedes-Benz India's MD and CEO Santosh Iyer at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries. 


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A key figure in Spotify India's launch team, Neha Ahuja has built the brand from ground-up in one of the world's most competitive markets. She has made a significant mark in the industry with her groundbreaking strategies that have led Spotify to unparalleled heights. Ahuja, Director, Head of Marketing, Spotify India, received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Mercedes-Benz India's MD and CEO, Santosh Iyer, at the Mumbai chapter of hashtag#SB18Visionaries. 


<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/04/Protean.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-30100" />

Gaurav Ramdev, CMO, Protean eGov Technologies has been instrumental in driving growth for the company that recently listed. Under his leadership, the brand launched its first-ever brand campaign, has already won many accolades and built a strong loyal community. Here he is receiving the recognition from Salesforce Digital's country VP Nishant Kalra, Saurabh Khattar, country manager, Integral Ad Science and Storyboard18's editor Delshad Irani, at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries.


<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/04/Angel-One-2.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-30102" />

Prabhakar Tiwari ~ PT, chief growth officer, Angel One, has played an instrumental role in making one of India's leading retail full-service broking houses into a digital powerhouse and fueling the fintech growth engine. As the Chief Growth Officer of Angel One, he has led the business and brand to new heights, achieving exponential growth. Here he is receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from poet, lyricist, writer and advertising industry icon Prasoon Joshi, at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries.

PHOTOS: Storyboard18 Visionaries - Mumbai Chapter: Honouring top minds in marketing - Part 2

The Mumbai chapter of Storyboard18 Visionaries was an evening of celebration and comraderies, as leading marketers came together to share stories from their unwavering pursuit of building iconic and successful brands.

Industry leaders like Bharat Puri, MD, Pidilite, Santosh Iyer, CEO and MD, Mercedes Benz India and Prasoon Joshi, chairman APAC, McCann Worldgroup, and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India, shared anecdotes from their journeys of building iconic brands and on marketing, leadership and focus on consumers.

Storyboard18's Mumbai Chapter Chapter of Visionaries saw the congregation of brilliant marketing minds, which echoed the success of its Delhi debut in 2023, and the Bangalore Chapter in February, 2024.


<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/04/Dhil.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-30085" />

Harman Dhillon, Executive Director, Beauty & Wellbeing, Hindustan Unilever, is a true visionary. With a distinguished career at Unilever spanning global markets, she has led large businesses, crafted robust campaigns, and spearheaded the growth of various brands in HUL's iconic portfolio. Her deep understanding of consumers and the personal care and beauty categories, has resulted in several path-breaking marketing initiatives with stellar brand and business results. Harman received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from industry stalwart and Pidilite Industries Limited's managing director Bharat Puri at the Mumbai chapter. 

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/04/Saloni-2.jpg" alt=" " width="1280" height="720" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-30080" />

Saloni Shah Javeri received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from industry stalwart and Pidilite Industries Limited's managing director Bharat Puri at the Mumbai chapter of hashtag#SB18Visionaries. As L'Oréal India's Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, Javeri has been instrumental in powering L’Oréal’s digital-first brands to drive accelerated growth across platforms and strengthening the company’s future-ready digital capabilities.


<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/2024/04/Pidilite.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-30081" />

The man who strengthened UltraTech Cement’s brand presence and made it a household name. The company's President and Head Marketing, Ajay Dang, has cemented the brand's position as a leader, through effective business and marketing strategies, and an endearing and contextual presence led by insightful communication and interesting integrations, which has helped it stand apart from the rest. Ajay's strategic thinking, strong execution focus and innovation makes him a visionary and a force to reckon with. He received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Bharat Puri, managing director of Pidilite Industries Limited, at the Mumbai chapter. 

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Ankit Kapoor, Head of Marketing and International Business, Parle Agro Pvt Ltd, has helped build iconic brands at companies like Nestle and ITC, and now he is already propelling Parle Agro into a global beverage powerhouse. Armed with strategic vision to drive growth and revenue, Kapoor is a true marketing maven. Here he is receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from poet, lyricist, writer and advertising industry icon Prasoon Joshi at the Mumbai chapter Storyboard18 Visionaries. 

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Tushar Malhotra, Director - Sales & Marketing - Bisleri is seen receiving the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from poet, lyricist, writer and advertising industry icon Prasoon Joshi at the Mumbai chapter Storyboard18 Visionaries. 


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Lance Bennett, VP - Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India has been instrumental in growing the Mercedes AMG business and brand in global markets. He is now helping redefine the future for the luxury German auto behemoth in India as the brand is also looking to optimise and break into the EV space in the country.


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Veteran marketer and Mahindra Group's chief brand and customer officer Asha Kharga received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from Pidilite Industries Limited MD Bharat Puri, at the stellar Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries.


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Chandramohan Mehra, CMO of Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, received the Storyboard18 Visionaries recognition from industry stalwart and Pidilite Industries Limited's managing director Bharat Puri at the Mumbai chapter of #SB18Visionaries.

PHOTOS: Storyboard18 Visionaries - Mumbai Chapter; Honouring top minds in marketing - Part 1

At the third edition of Storyboard18 Visionaries in Mumbai, top marketers across some of the biggest brands in the country were felicitated for the deep impact that they have made through their work which has catapulted their respective brands and companies to unparalleled success. The third chapter featured not just felicitations but also included important discussions from industry stalwarts that shed light on the dos and don’ts of building successful brands. 

Bharat Puri, managing director at Pidilite Industries, the maker of Fevicol shared some key tips and tricks that a marketer should keep in mind when building a brand that can stand the test of time. 

“I’ve spent close to 40 years across three iconic brands. I started at Asian Paints and spent a considerable amount of time there before I decided that I wanted to move to a tastier product and chose chocolate. I spent another 17 years in Cadbury and then finally Pidilite,” he said. 

Puri emphasised that amongst a successful group of brand leaders like the one at The Visionaries, it makes no sense for him to share success mantras on inspirational positioning and creative briefs, etc. Instead he chose to focus on what some of the rules and principles were that helped him steer the brands associated with him along their journeys.

“I always believe that good brands begin and end with the consumer,” he said “The answer always lies with the consumer. A lot of times the word ‘insight’ is misused and lost. We confuse any observation as insight,” he added. 

Sharing a story about Cadbury, Puri said that Cadbury’s 5 Star sales had plateaued many years ago. Back then they tried a lot of things - they changed the advertising, did a relaunch, etc. But it wasn’t really working. When they discussed internally, everyone spoke about how the brand needs refreshment and a fresh positioning. “Our teams went out and met the consumers. We did this research in Madurai and in Lucknow, and the consumer said that 5 Star is Cadbury’s most heat-hardy product i.e it lasts the best in the heat. But our technical guys, in the process of making the product more heat-hardy every year, didn’t realise that it was now getting stuck in people’s teeth. And no market research was picking that up.”  

All we did then was re-did the old product, came up with new advertising - ‘Johnny Johnny’ and “Muh Mein Ghul Jaaye’. Sales in two years went up by 20 percent. It didn’t need any other change, no rejuvenation, no refreshment. This is the power of good consumer insight,” Puri shared. 

He said, “My advice to marketers is that when people tell you that brands are tired and categories have matured, normally it’s the manager who is tired. Start with the consumer.” 

He shared a second piece of advice as well. “Superior products always win,” he said. “New and improved is normally just new and improved for advertising purposes. Consumers are very smart.” 

He shared another example of Cadbury Silk. Back then, one of the most frustrating sights used to be when people brought back bags of chocolate from abroad, Puri said. “When we did research, consumers said that the taste of chocolate is different abroad than it is in India.”

The brand did blind taste tests and we were testing our own product against our own. A UK Cadbury vs an Indian Cadbury. The result was the launch of Silk. 

“Everyone said, how can you launch a product at a minimum price point of Rs.50? Ten years later, Silk is now a four digit crore brand and has not impacted the mother brand at all,” Puri said. 

Lastly, Puri also emphasised on the importance of effective communication. “The only thing that changes consumer behaviour is great communication,” he said. 

There are a couple of rules that he shared in this regard. “One, respect your creative partners. All agencies are as good or as bad as their client lists. The same agency makes great work for one client and not so great work for another client. I believe in the power of long-term relationships. In all the companies I’ve worked for, our agency relationships have been a minimum of thirty years old. Then the agency has a similar level of ownership for the brand.”

“For Fevicol, Piyush and Prasoon Pandey will be rejecting more work before it even reaches the client than we do. That’s the sense of ownership they have.”

Another example he shared was that 20 year ago, people used to not gift chocolate in India. Today, chocolate beats all other categories in gifting. In those 20 years, apart from a good product, what worked was good communication, Puri said. 

“My final piece of advice is before you read the lyrics, please listen to the song. A lot of times, we’re so busy with our checklist, we forget to listen to the song and see if it makes an impact or not.”

“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. As leaders, one of our greatest abilities is our ability to create  a culture where people are not afraid of making mistakes. A lot of French philosophers said that a great characteristic of any leader is that they know where they are going. But they’re leadership quality is their ability to persuade others to go with them,” he said. 

Good brands begin and end with the consumer: Pidilite's Bharat Puri

At the third edition of Storyboard18 Visionaries in Mumbai, top marketers across some of the biggest brands in the country were felicitated for the deep impact that they have made through their work which has catapulted their respective brands and companies to unparalleled success. The third chapter featured not just felicitations but also included important discussions from industry stalwarts that shed light on the dos and don’ts of building successful brands. 



Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz India spoke about what it takes to build a successful automotive brand in India. 



“We spoke about how we need to keep consumers at the centre. When I was a hardcore sales guy, I used to measure everything on hardcore sales numbers. Is it going to generate revenue, is it going to have any impact?”



“When I was looking after marketing, JWT Nepal was looking after Asian Paints. I thought, let me go to the best agency, maybe that’s the secret sauce for coming out with the best campaigns. JWT Nepal accepted us as a client and there was a set of briefs and campaigns in front of me. I was puzzled. I didn’t know how to select a good campaign, or how to differentiate. The entrepreneur there told me to put myself in the consumers shoes and decide. Since that day, any valuation, any content that comes up, I try to see if it has any meaning from a customer’s POV.” 



Iyer shared another learning from his time at Toyota. When the Innova was launched, it didn’t do well. Everyone was wondering if the problem was pricing, product or marketing. “For me the biggest learning at the time was to challenge the status quo and not look at just a piece of communication. You have to think beyond marketing. You have to think of distributors, the teams, the overall ecosystem - how do you energise it and how do you make use of your resources other than communication to make communication successful,” he said. 



One piece of advice that Iyer learnt after joining Mercedes-Benz that he shared with everyone was “Don’t be a cost centre. A lot of marketing organisations tend to be cost centres in the company and whenever there is a crisis, the first cost to be cut is marketing, followed by GMA. The key issue here is not being able to deliver revenue to the company. You need to be a revenue driver.” 



Iyer emphasised on the importance of partners like agencies. The brand's vision needs to be aligned with that of the company’s. 



Mercedes-Benz is the only brand in India to adopt a D2C retail model. Most people adopt the push model. You go to buy a car, the dealer tries to sell you what’s in stock - the red car or the blue car, etc. Then consumers negotiate discounts, play around with partners to try and get the best deal possible. In this process, retailers don’t end up making money and have to then do so in the after-sale service. 



Mercedes’ new model solves this issue. “You have to be the creator and destroyer yourself. You need to challenge the status quo,” Iyer said. 



“We invented the car, we continue to reinvent it and will reinvent it again in the future,” he added. 

Don't be a cost centre, be a revenue driver: Mercedes-Benz's Santosh Iyer

Mumbai's hustle couldn't keep a good crowd away. On April 26, at the Four Seasons in Worli, the city's marketing elite gathered for Storyboard18 Visionaries. Forget dusty rulebooks - these visionaries quoted their own success stories. From iconic brands to cutting-edge AI, the room buzzed with builders of household names and tomorrow's marketing marvels.


Construction, traffic, sirens, even the Friday night club pull - none of it mattered. This wasn't just about networking, it was about celebrating marketing excellence, in all its messy and marvellous glory.


Shampoo, music, makeup, glue, artificial intelligence, biscuits, even fixed deposits - the range of celebrated brands spoke volumes about the boundless creativity in the room.


The Mumbai chapter of Storyboard18 Visionaries was a night of shared stories, sharp minds, and the unwavering pursuit of success.


Industry stalwarts like Bharat Puri, MD, Pidilite, Santosh Iyer, CEO and MD, Mercedes Benz India and Prasoon Joshi, chairman APAC, McCann Worldgroup, and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India, shared anecdotes from their journeys of building iconic brands and on marketing, leadership and focus on consumers.


“When people tell you brands are tired, it's never true, it's just the managers who are tired,” said Puri while explaining how sometimes brand managers need to step out of their comfort zones and meet the end user to revitalise a product.


“Spend time with the consumer, don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” Puri added. A good brand starts and ends with the consumer, said the legendary marketer who has built Asian Paints, Cadbury and Fevicol. 


MVS Murthy, CMO of Federal Bank, also spoke at length about not being afraid to make mistakes. According to Murthy, “If you are not living on the edge, you are occupying too much space.”


The amount of knowledge shared in the room on Friday night could easily fill pages of a book on marketing. 


Mercedes Benz’s Iyer, who started his journey in sales followed by marketing and later became the German auto major's first-ever Indian chief for the market, summed up his key takeaway from the journey succinctly: “Don’t be a cost centre. Whenever there is cost cutting, marketing is the first money that is cut. To prevent that from happening, be a revenue driver." 


The Visionaries who were recognised in the Mumbai Chapter included Mukta Maheshwari, Chief Marketing Officer at P&G; Neha Ahuja, Director and Head of Marketing at Spotify; Sujatha V Kumar, Head of Marketing for India and South Asia at Visa; Nitin Saini, VP Marketing at Mondelez International; Harman Dhillon, Vice President, Haircare at Unilever; Lance Bennett, VP Sales and Marketing at Mercedes-Benz India.


The list doesn’t end with Bennett though. They were Ajay Dang, President and Head of Marketing at Ultra Tech Cement; Ankit Kapoor, Head of Marketing and International Business at Parle Agro; Arvind Iyer, CMO of Piramal Finance; Asha Kharga, Chief Customer and Brand Officer of the Mahindra Group; Gaurav Ramdev, CMO of Protean Egov Technologies; Manish Dubey, CMO of Pidilite; Tushar Malhotra, Director of Sales and Marketing at Bisleri International Private Limited; Rathin Lahiri, Head of Marketing and CSR at SBI General Insurance; Udit Agarwal, Global Marketing Head at EXOTEL; Vaibhav Mehrotra, Head of Marketing at CashFree; Anuradha Aggarwal, Director and CMO of Amazon Pay; Chandra Mohan Mehra, CMO of Bajaj Allianz; Vaishali Iyer, Country Head, Communications at Novartis, Amrit Raj; CMO of Zetwerk; Prabhakar Tiwari, Chief Growth Officer at Angel One; Arpan Biswas, Head of Marketing at Ajio; Mayank Shah, Vice President at Parle; and Saloni Shah, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, L’Oréal India. 


The pièce de résistance for the night though was a conversation with Prasoon Joshi. Joshi’s signature wit, poetic flair, and marketing knowledge were on full display, but this time he added another dimension – a song.


Before Joshi set the stage on fire humming ‘Mile Sur', he dropped some ad wisdom too. He said, “I don’t write ads, I write short stories. I am a storyteller.”


Its election season and the night didn’t end without discussions on political visionaries.


Did you really think we'd wrap up the evening without diving into some NaMo pe charcha? Of course not.


For the uninitiated, Joshi has been working with the Bharatiya Janata Party on their Lok Sabha elections’ campaigns.


When asked about brand Modi, the creative mastermind Joshi summed it up perfectly. ”From hope to trust, asha se vishwass tak, that’s the Modi brand story." 


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/indias-leading-marketers-to-meet-at-storyboard18-visionaries-mumbai-chapter-29962.htm">India’s leading marketers to meet at Storyboard18 Visionaries - Mumbai chapter</a>

Storyboard18 Visionaries - Mumbai chapter: An epic evening of celebrating marketing masterminds

The Visionaries - Mumbai Chapter kicks off with a stellar line-up of leaders who are reimagining the future growth of their organizations through a progressive approach and purpose-led strategies. After two blockbuster editions in Delhi and Bangalore, the next Visionaries edition in Mumbai spotlights the power of building enduring brands and accelerating 'good growth' in India's decade. All from the financial and creative capital of India - Mumbai. India Inc leaders and leading marketers will come together to celebrate the growth engine that is Marketing and the people driving brands and businesses forward.

The conversations at Storyboard18 Visionaries will be led by industry stalwart Bharat Puri, MD of Pidilite Industries, Santosh Iyer, CEO and MD of Mercedes-Benz India, Nishant Kalra, vice president, Salesforce Digital, and Prasoon Joshi, chairman APAC, McCann Worldgroup, and CEO & CCO McCann Worldgroup India. From FMCG juggernauts to BFSI icons, marketing and growth leaders across a spectrum of companies and industries will gather at the Storyboard18 - Visionaries Mumbai edition on April 26. These include companies such as Mondelez, HDFC, SBI, Hindustan Unilever, P&G, Mahindra Group, Aditya Birla Group, L'Oreal, Parle, and Amazon. 

What makes Visionaries by Storyboard18 truly exceptional are the insightful discussions, surfacing winning strategies for forward-thinking marketers. Through candid conversations and dialogues at the Visionaries' chapters, our industry leaders share their views on how to reshape the marketing landscape. Their wisdom offers invaluable insights into what lies ahead, shaping the aspirations of industry and inspiring the marketing and advertising leaders of tomorrow. The Visionaries’ evenings are a unique opportunity to witness the convergence of brilliant minds, all focused on one goal – mapping how enduring brands are built and how to make India’s marketers future-ready.  

About The Visionaries program

The Visionaries initiative recognises leading lights who have transformed our approach to media, marketing and advertising. They are women and men scripting some of the most exciting chapters in Indian marketing, media and advertising. They are marketing leaders with responsibility for a category, brand or innovation-led practice within their organisation. They also exhibit a purposeful approach to building sustainable businesses and enduring brands, using the new bottomline, People-Planet-Profits, as their guide.

Storyboard18’s The Visionaries program presents opportunities for the sharpest minds in the brand marketing ecosystem to convene, celebrate excellence and exchange ideas that power growth. In addition to the recognition programme, which honours individuals driving marketing, media and advertising excellence, Visionaries chapters across cities feature curated dialogues, spotlighting key issues and surfacing winning strategies.

The Visionaries programme for CXOs and executives provides an unparalleled view and deep insights into how the best and brightest function in complex times. So, meet us at the point where cutting-edge ideas and visionary leaders who are changing our approach to media, marketing and advertising, converge to power transformation.

India’s leading marketers to meet at Storyboard18 Visionaries - Mumbai chapter

The marketing industry plays a dynamic role in influencing consumer behaviour and fostering economic growth. After the grand success of the first two editions of Storyboard18 Visionaries, held in Gurugram and Bengaluru, the program is now gearing up to be in the city of marketing and creative excellence, Mumbai. 


The third edition of Visionaries to be held on Friday, April 26th will witness some of the biggest names in brand marketing come together to celebrate the brilliance of marketing mavens.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/sustainability-at-heart-and-purpose-defines-the-path-diageos-hina-nagarajan-24779.htm">Sustainability at heart and purpose defines the path: Diageo India's Hina Nagarajan</a> 


Storyboard18 Visionaries celebrates luminaries from the world of brands and marketing who have disrupted and revolutionised the way we approach media and advertising. The Visionaries is a one of its kind platform that presents opportunities for the sharpest minds in the business to convene, celebrate excellence and exchange ideas that power growth. It is a night of gala celebration shaping the future of marketing in India.


The city chapters of Visionaries aim to bring together meaningful conversations, spotlighting path-breaking achievements and future gazing strategies.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/storyboard18-visionaries-britannias-varun-berry-shares-leadership-lessons-24840.htm">Storyboard18 Visionaries: Britannia's Varun Berry shares leadership lessons</a> 


The Mumbai event promises to be an evening to remember, with the coming together of iconic leaders and new-age marketers. The event will feature a keynote address by Bharat Puri, CEO, Pidilite Industries and a special address by Santosh Iyer, MD and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India Pvt Ltd. The evening will spotlight leading marketers from a wide-range of brands including HDFC Bank, P&G, Mercedes, Hindustan Unilever, Visa, L'Oreal, Mondelez, Spotify, UltraTech and Mahindra Group, among others. It will also feature engaging conversations with Nishant Kalra, Country Vice President, Salesforce, and MVS Murthy, CMO, Federal Bank, among others. The Visionaries programme for CXOs and executives brings a ringside view into ways of shaping consumer behaviour.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/quantum-brief/storyboard18-visionaries-bengaluru-chapter-blockbuster-celebration-of-marketing-brilliance-24771.htm">Storyboard18 Visionaries - Bengaluru chapter: Blockbuster celebration of marketing brilliance</a> 


The Visionaries programme for CXOs and executives provides unparalleled insights of how the best and brightest function in complex times. So, meet us at the point where cutting-edge ideas and visionary leaders who are changing our approach to media, marketing and advertising, converge to power transformation.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/the-visionaries">The Visionaries</a>

THE VISIONARIES