This is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for his/ her outstanding contribution to the Advertising Industry
Mumbai: The Advertising Agencies Association of India today announced that the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024 will be conferred on media colossus Vikram Sakhuja. This is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for his/ her outstanding contribution to the Advertising Industry.
Vikram Sakhuja, an IIT Delhi and IIM Calcutta alumnus, has nearly 40 years of experience with industry giants like P&G, Coca-Cola, Star TV, WPP, and Madison. He began his career as a DCM Management Trainee in 1984 and after his MBA joined P&G in 1988 handling marketing research and media, he moved to Coca-Cola, where he managed brand marketing for five years. He later joined Star TV as EVP Marketing before joining the WPP group in 2001, eventually becoming the first Indian Global CEO of a global advertising and media agency. Currently, Vikram is the Equity Partner and Group CEO of Madison, India’s largest independent media agency group, probably the first career professional to get this opportunity.
His leadership roles have included leading Mindshare and GroupM South Asia, chairing FICCI’s Advertising & Marketing Committee, and serving on the boards of key industry bodies like BARC and AAAI. He has also been a prominent figure in the media industry, frequently recognized in the Economic Times’ list of most influential people and invited to speak at prestigious forums like the World Economic Forum. Vikram has been instrumental in driving business growth and innovation throughout his career. His leadership at GroupM resulted in the introduction of innovative practices in mobile, social media, and content. Vikram has been pivotal in launching iconic brands like Ariel, Sprite, and IPL, and spearheading research initiatives like BASES and the Conversion Model. His efforts transformed GroupM into an award-winning industry leader, consistently winning more than 50% of industry awards. Vikram’s influence extends to his contributions in setting up India’s first Media AOR and pioneering numerous media practices that have shaped the country’s advertising landscape.
On Vikram’s selection as this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award winner, AAAI President Prasanth Kumar said, “”On behalf of the entire industry, it is a profound privilege to present Vikram Sakhuja with the AAAI Lifetime achievement Award 2024. It’s a pleasure to celebrate this moment as well as express gratitude to Vikram Sakhuja’s contributions to media and advertising industry. Vikram’s visionary leadership and relentless pursuit of innovation have continuously helped media agencies to shape progressively. Having worked closely with Vikram, his remarkable journey, from cutting edge marketing strategies to driving transformative industry change, continues to inspire professionals across the board. This recognition is a testament to his commitment and immense efforts that has reflected invaluable impact he has had on the industry.
Anupriya Acharya, Chairperson, AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award Selection Committee added,“Vikram’s unparalleled three-decade contribution has revolutionized our industry. His exceptional expertise in media, marketing, and advertising, combined with his relentless pursuit of excellence, sets him apart. His leadership skills are unmatched, as he mentors and inspires the next generation of industry leaders. It has been an absolute honor to work with him closely both at work as well as in the industry forums. And I am thrilled, proud, and eagerly anticipate Vikram being awarded this highest honour of our industry, recognizing his extraordinary influence and lasting legacy.”
The AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has been a practitioner of advertising for twenty-five years and had been in the top management position; has been or continues to be an active participant in industry bodies and or made significant contributions in shaping the industry priorities which enabled the advertising industry to grow, prosper and become more professionalized; individual known for his integrity, ethical practice and leadership qualities; contributed to his Company/Companies growth by innovative thinking and taking them in newer directions; involved in projects of social consequence which is seen as a role model for the industry at large and had been an industry veteran.
Some of the past winners of this award include Subhas Ghosal, Alyque Padamsee, Mike Khanna, R K Swamy, Piyush Pandey, Sam Balsara, Prem Mehta, Roda Mehta, Ram Sehgal, Madhukar Kamath, Arvind Sharma, Colvyn Harris, Shashi Sinha and others.
The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) is a not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed trade association of advertising agencies, formed in 1945, to promote their industry interests so that they continue to make an essential and ever-increasing contribution to the nation. The AAAI today is truly representative, with a very large number of small, medium and large-sized agencies as its members, who together account for almost 80% of the advertising business placed in the country.