IAA Leadership Awards honour India’s business and creative icons

MUMBAI: The International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter hosted the 13th edition of the IAA Leadership Awards on 7 August in Mumbai, bringing together more than 250 leaders from business, advertising, marketing, media and entertainment.

Held under the theme ‘The Power of Balance’, the awards recognised leaders for navigating complexity, embracing change and balancing business performance with purpose, technology with creativity and data with inclusion.

The event was attended by Maharashtra Governor Jishnu Dev Varma as the chief guest.

The evening’s top business honour, the IAA Business Leader of the Year 2026, was presented to Dilip Shanghvi, founder and managing director, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, for his leadership in building a global pharmaceutical company and expanding access to affordable medicines.

Shanghvi said his approach to leadership centres on creating an environment that attracts and retains talent while recognising the contribution of teams.

“All businesses succeed because people work effectively as a team,” he said.

Creative industry veteran Neeraj Roy, founder, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, was inducted into the IAA Hall of Fame for his contribution to advertising, digital and creative industries.

Actor Sidharth Malhotra was named IAA Brand Endorser of the Year 2026, with the award recognising his brand associations and influence among younger audiences.

The awards also recognised leaders across advertising, media and marketing.

Rahul Kanwal of NDTV received the IAA Media Person of the Year award, while Babita Baruah of VML was named IAA Creative Agency Head of the Year.

Kartik Sharma of Omnicom Media received the IAA Media Agency Head of the Year award for his contribution to media innovation and client-focused solutions.

Industry veteran Sam Balsara received the IAA Force for Good award for his contribution beyond the marketing communications industry and efforts to create wider social impact.

The awards also recognised leadership across several major industries.

Nalinikanth Gollagunta, CEO, automotive division, Mahindra & Mahindra, received the IAA Leader of the Year – Auto Passenger Vehicles (EV + UV) award.

Other sector winners included:

• Jayen Mehta, managing director, Amul (GCMMF) – IAA Leader of the Year – FMCG (Food)
• Anil G. Verma, executive director and CEO, Godrej & Boyce – IAA Leader of the Year – Consumer Durables
• Mohit Malhotra, global CEO, Dabur India – IAA Leader of the Year – Pharma (Consumer Health)
• Aniruddha Haldar, senior vice president – marketing, TVS Motor Company – IAA Leader of the Year – Auto (Two Wheelers + EV)
• Sunil Dhar, CEO, Red Bull India – IAA Leader of the Year – FMCG (Beverages)

Nandini Dias, chairperson, IAA Leadership Awards, said the ability to manage competing priorities has become increasingly important as leadership evolves.

She said balance should not be viewed as compromise, but as the ability to hold opposing priorities while making decisive choices.

Abhishek Karnani, president, IAA India Chapter, highlighted AI, skilling and conversation as three key priorities for the industry.

He said the IAA would focus on helping the industry understand and use artificial intelligence, developing skills for the next generation of marketers and creative leaders, and creating platforms for conversations around the future of the industry.

The awards were evaluated by a jury chaired by Prabha Narasimhan, managing director and CEO, Colgate-Palmolive (India), with senior leaders from business, marketing and media forming the jury.