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IPSHITA CHOWDHURY

Seasoned marketing leader with 18 years of experience in building brands and communication leading to solid impact on consumer and B2B businesses. Have led high performing teams across breadth of functions like marketing intelligence, marketing communications, digital marketing, retail marketing, brand activations, CRM and loyalty programs, media planning and sponsorships management.

The above of course is the relatively easier part of my life, being a mum to a 7-year-old boy has been by far the most challenging and complex assignment, that only gets more interesting by the day! It ensures I am always at the top of my game – physically, emotionally, intellectually as well as technologically. Open and conscious about responsibly expressing myself socially on variety of topics. An avid reader and follower of tennis, I try to pack in as much as I can!

With me, what you see is what you get. I am always up to an honest and intellectually stimulating discussion on many of my passions, including consumers, brands, communication, parenting, politics, sports and any other issue of relevance and topicality.

My professional mantra has always been that the ‘what and how’ are equally important in anything I do, if ever I would need to make a choice between the two – I would perhaps prioritize the ‘how’.

I genuinely believe we as marketers are witnessing the most fascinating phase of our careers with the ever-dynamic consumer and brands landscape. Gen Z is about to join the workforce soon and millennials are approaching 40, rules of the game need to be unlearnt and devised again. This is what perhaps keeps me going and makes me a better professional with each passing day.

Brief profile of nominee including career graph (About 200 Words)*

An Economics graduate from SRCC, my love for impacting consumers’ lives and decisions via marketing and communications led me to MICA (Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad) post which I started out as a media planner with Lintas Media Group working on marquee brands like Maruti Suzuki, Sony, ITC among others creating several breakthrough campaigns and media innovations, some of which became industry benchmarks. The career tipping point came in 2008 with the opportunity to lead media and sponsorships for one of the most loved brands of our times – Nokia. Taking Nokia to become the most trusted brand of India (ET Brand Equity Survey) for 3 years in a row (2008-2010), a first for any non FMCG brand would perhaps go down as one of the biggest and most gratifying achievements of my career. It only got better with the addition of a Cannes Media Lion in 2010 (again a first for an Indian brand) for Nokia in addition to be the most awarded brand at Emvies and all other noted advertising and media award platforms in India for several years in a row. Currently, leading marketing initiatives for another iconic brand in the consumer and B2B lighting space – Philips, truly transforming lives by taking lighting beyond illumination for a brighter and better world. Extremely gratifying to further build and nurture this brand through breakthrough campaigns establishing the differentiated proposition of eye comfort and foraying into new categories like smart connected lighting through a digital and content marketing focus. Today, Philips is the leader in the connected lighting space illuminating smart homes and transforming Indian heritage icons like Rashtrapati Bhawan, Gateway of India, Varanasi Ghats to name a few. The Gold at the 8 th Indian Digital Awards 2018 (ad tech) was only a reaffirmation of the truly innovative work in this domain.

Panelist at the Content Marketing Summit Asia 2017 – Edition 4

The Westin, Gurugram (Delhi NCR)

https://www.contentmarketingsummit.org/past-editions.aspx

Awarded Social Media Superwoman by Social Samosa – 2019

Awarded ‘Exceptional Woman of Excellence’ by Women Economic Forum – 2019

NEEL PANDYA

For Neel, the biggest leap is to put India on the global map for AI and innovation in marketing and business growth. He aspires to equip brands with robust AI capabilities to help them effortlessly scale their marketing growth. Having had extensive experience working in the FMCG, Telecom, Marketing, and Advertising industries with global brands such as L’oreal, Vodafone, and Unilever, he’s able to accurately identify the pressing brand pain points that can be alleviated with AI.

With over half a year of stepping into the role of the Chief Executive Officer (Europe & APAC), at Pixis – a global AI infrastructure start-up in 2021, he has been able to cast a high impact disruption in the way the organization breathes, thinks, and operates at a micro and macro levels. He’s been playing to his strengths and driving growth across Europe & APAC, spearheading product innovations and integrations, and building a strong community of AI experts within Pixis. Looking forward to many more achievements!

ANAND BHADKAMKAR

He is a CA (Chartered Accountant) and CMA (Management Accountant) by profession and also holds post graduate diploma in digital business, with experience over Twenty-Three years including 5 years in auditing firms and over 19 years’ experience in Media / Advertising & Communications industry. Before being elected as the CEO, Anand was with the network as CFO- South Asia and COO- India. He is also a member of the Dentsu Aegis Network India Executive Board and Greater South Executive Board.

He has been instrumental in growth of DAN India over past 10+ years. He has played a major role in building Dentsu Aegis Network India from a setup of 64 employees in 2 cities in 2008 to over 3700 employees in 9 cities with more than 23 brands in the group and now the 2nd largest Advertising and Marketing Communications Group in India. He has played a key role in acquisition and integration of 13 entities in DAN India and Sri Lanka. He is actively involved in identification and negotiations with potential acquisition prospects.

Prior to this, Anand was a part of Lintas India as Vice President- Finance. He was with Ernst & Young India for 5 years handling various statutory, Management Reporting, Internal & Taxation Audits. He is currently Overseeing the business & operations and additionally driving HR, IT and Admin functions in his new role as CEO, Dentsu Aegis Network India.

Anand’s notable achievements as the CEO of Dentsu Aegis Network include the prestigious Adam Smith award for Best in Class Treasury Solution in India and ‘CEO with HR Orientation’ award by Asia Pacific HRM Congress 2019.

Sumeet Singh

Sumeet Singh is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Info Edge, a seasoned marketing leader with over two decades of experience in brand building, digital marketing, and data-driven strategies.

As a key member of Info Edge’s executive leadership team, she oversees marketing across flagship businesses like Naukri, 99acres, Jeevansathi, and Shiksha. Her role encompasses branding, martech, strategic insights, digital marketing strategies and corporate communication.

Her strategic vision, innovative marketing approach, and commitment to fostering a collaborative work culture make her a pivotal figure in the industry.

She is also a pioneer in performance marketing and predictive analytics, having embraced data-led marketing as early as 2005. Under her leadership, Info Edge has seen some of India’s most iconic campaigns, including the unforgettable Hari Sadu ad to the more recent Fan-in-Chief for Naukri – setting an incomparable benchmark in employer branding.

Beyond her corporate achievements, Sumeet is a recognized thought leader at the intersection of marketing and technology, frequently featured among India’s most influential marketing professionals. Recently, she was honored by IMPACT’s Top 50 Most Influential Women, awarded the Storyboard18 Visionaries honor, and named as one of BusinessWorld Marketing World’s Most Influential Women of 2025.

She also keenly mentors and guides women entrepreneurs and professionals, helping them navigate leadership and growth challenges. Outside of work, she is a mother of two and enjoys traveling, cooking, music, and spending time with her pets.

DEEPA KEDOOR

Deepa joined LinkedIn as the Senior Content Marketing Consultant in February 2019. In the time that she has been with LinkedIn, she has consulted with a host of clients like HCL Technologies, Zoho, Wipro, IBM, Lenovo, Infosys, Upgrad, ISB and many more on optimising their digital presence and ROI by developing a strong content approach in their marketing.

Before LinkedIn she was with IBM India, where she worked for over 11 years as an integral part of their Marketing leadership team. Her experience spreads across IBM’s Citizenship, Advertising, Brand and Performance Marketing teams where she held roles of Brand Leader – IBM India, Social Leader – IBM India and Performance marketing lead for IBM Cloud and IBM Services amongst others.

Deepa brings with her a deep knowledge of Brand and Marketing and understands how to leverage content as a key driver in the success of any business. She is the recipient of 7 industry awards for the campaigns she designed and executed during her stint at IBM. She was also recognized as one of the Top 100 content marketeers in India by the World Marketing Congress in 2019.

Before IBM, she was at Nike India & Paramount Cosmetics. She is an Economics Graduate and has completed specialized marketing courses from Nanyang Technological University, Columbia University & Duke University.

VISHAL MISHRA

Vishal leads Programmatic Technology for P&G India, prior to this he has worked with startups & agency (Merkle Sokrati, Dentsu Aegis Network) in multiple roles across digital strategy, consumer analytics & media.

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