AgencyCon: Know the Jury Panel

In recognition of the often overlooked contributors in the industry who play pivotal roles behind the scenes to create successful campaigns, Social Samosa AgencyCon proudly presents its fourth edition. This event aims to celebrate and acknowledge the unsung heroes who contribute significantly to the success of campaigns.

Participating entries in this edition can compete in up to 31 agency categories and 21 individual categories. The evaluation process will be conducted by a distinguished jury panel comprising diverse and experienced minds from the advertising and marketing industry.

As the event comes close, let's delve into a more detailed examination of the esteemed jury panel, which is composed of seasoned individuals in the A&M sphere: 

Gaurav Mehta, Chief Marketing Office, Noise

A celebrated voice in the world of marketing, Gaurav Mehta is currently leading Noise’s marketing strategies as a Chief Marketing Officer, driving transformative initiatives and spearheading comprehensive campaigns to establish it as a formidable brand in the competitive market.

Swati Rathi, Head – Marketing, Godrej Appliances

In her current role at Godrej, Rathi oversees all aspects of marketing – communication and media, public relations, digital and ground presence, apart from driving conversions through Exclusive Brand Outlets and a force of 2000+ storefront customer advisors. She has been working with Godrej Appliances for 17 years.

Sujatha V Kumar, Head of Marketing - India and South Asia, Visa

Sujatha V Kumar has over 20 years of working experience in the field of Marketing. She is the Head of Marketing for Visa for the India and South Asia region.

She has worked extensively in all key areas, such as Brand Development, Launch Strategy, Category Management, Retail Strategy and Promotions, Creating Advertising, Media, Consumer Behaviour, Client Engagement, Market Research and In-market implementation of Programs.

Sneha John, Director - Brand Marketing & Social Swiggy

Sneha John started off as Senior Marketing Manager with Swiggy in 2017. Currently she heads Swiggy brand marketing and social division as director. Before joining Swiggy, Sneha has worked with The Hindu, and HT Media in senior marketing roles. Her experience and expertise lie in advertising, marketing, and brand management.

Rahul Dutta, Director - Marketing, Microsoft India 

Rahul Dutta is a marketing leader with over 21 years of experience in building and learning from some of the most celebrated brands in the world, including over 8 years as people manager leading high performing marketing teams. He has a rich experience in Brand Strategy, marketing transformation, integrated communications strategy, category management, product marketing, digital, ecommerce, channel and experiential marketing.

Pradnya Popade, Marketing Communications Head - Media & Communications, Samsonite South Asia Pvt Ltd

With over 23 years of experience in marketing communications, Popade is the Marketing Communications Head at Samsonite South Asia, where she oversees the brand building and media strategy for Samsonite, American Tourister, and Kamiliant. She is also a Google Squared Graduate, certified in digital and social media strategies, and developing and managing brand communication. She has worked with leading global and Indian brands in the FMCG, beauty, travel, and telecom sectors, and has contributed to their growth and awareness in the Indian and Middle East markets.

Krishnarao Buddha, Sr. Category Head - Marketing, Parle Products 

With about three decades of experience with Marketing Specialty, Buddha has developed a passion for creating new and profitable brands. He is currently leading charge of some big brands of Snacks, Confectionery, Bakery & Breakfast Cereals at Parle Products since 2001.He has worked earlier at Maxwell Apparels (a VIP group company), Uncle Chipps & Excelcia Foods (Nestle-Dabur venture) besides Gold Cross (OTC Pharma company) in various capacities in Brand Management.

Kiran Giradkar, Group CMO, BN Group

Kiran Giradkar is a seasoned marketing professional with over 20 years of learnings in the FMCG industry from Parle, Bajaj, Bisleri, Camlin, Storia and Nilon's. His expertise include Business Strategy, Brand Strategy and Positioning, Brand Architecture & Category Management, Advertising & Communication Development, Campaign Creation & Execution in Traditional & Digital Media, Media Planning among others. 

Charu Malhotra, Chief Brand Officer and Group Head of Marketing, APL Apollo Group

Malhotra has over 20 years of experience and success in conceiving, conceptualizing & implementing brand strategy to fuel market presence and drive revenue. She possesses an appetite for triggering brand growth with marketing campaigns. She has expertise in Brand Rejuvenation and brand transformation. 

Apoorva Maheshwari, Head of Marketing - India, Bestseller India

Apoorva Maheshwari is a seasoned marketer with rich and diverse experience across industries including FMCG, E-commerce, and Hospitality in India. She is currently heading marketing for BESTSELLER India, which is a part of BESTSELLER, a family-owned fashion company founded in Denmark, Europe in 1975.

Geetanjali Chugh Kothari, Chief Marketing Officer, Future Generali India Life Insurance

Geetanjali Chugh Kothari has over 17 years of experience in the marketing domain in BFSI, media, and retail. Before joining Future Generali as the CMO, she held the position of head of marketing and corporate communication at Bharti AXA Life Insurance. She has experience serving at Future Group, HT Media, and Mudra Max. 

Sumeet Singh, Group CMO, Info Edge India Ltd

A seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in the industry, Singh heads the marketing at Info Edge India Ltd, the parent company of Naukri.com. She served as the VP of marketing at Info Edge before taking on the role of Group CMO. She was the founder and executive director of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) in Delhi as well as the executive director of the Indian Venture Capital Association (IVCA).