Indian advertising professionals seem to be taking the world by storm. Close on the heels of the Pandey brothers becoming the first Asians ever to receive the Lion of St Mark Award (the highest honour at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity), we now hear of yet another Industry doyen breaking the proverbial glass ceiling. Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman of the R K SWAMY HANSA Group will take over as the Chairman and World President of the illustrious International Advertising Association (IAA), the first Indian ever to do so.
Sundar, as he is called by his friends, will lead a team of 25 Executive Committee members from a host of countries including India, USA, UK, Austria, Italy, Poland, Ghana, UAE, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Netherlands, Kuwait, Iran and Nepal. He takes over from the legendary advertising professional Felix Tataru from Romania on October 4, 2018 at a glittering function to be held in his honour at Bucharest.
The International Advertising Association is an 80-year old institution and considered the most prestigious advertising body of its kind in the world. The IAA is acknowledged as the world’s most influential network of marketing and communication leaders, aimed at representing the common interests of all the disciplines across the full spectrum of marketing communications – from advertisers to media companies to agencies to direct marketing firms, as well as individual practitioners. Its activities involve professional development of marketing communication practitioners, protecting freedom of commercial speech, advertising self-regulation, protecting consumer interest, training and education.
With Gita Gopinath appointed as the Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund, Nikki Haley as the United States Ambassador to the UN, the Pandey brothers and now Sundar Swamy, more and more Indians are making their mark on the world stage heralding definitely ‘acche din’ for Indian professionals on the international arena. Let’s hope the trend continues and our best wishes to Sundar Swamy.