Bobby Sista to be honoured with AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2015

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced the chosen one to be honoured with the 2015 AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award. Receiving the honour this year will be advertising veteran and prominent social worker Shambhu Venkatrao Sista, popularly known as Bobby Sista. 

 

"Bobby Sista has been one of the stalwarts of Indian advertising. Known for his professional integrity, he constantly fought to ensure ethical business practices in a fiercely competitive profession. In 1970, after brief stints in Suhrid-Geigy and Readers Digest, he took charge of Sista's Private Ltd, an agency founded by his father, the late Venkatrao Sista, a pioneer of Indian advertising and one of the first Indians to establish a full-fledged advertising agency, in 1934.

 

"Always committed to the growth of the advertising profession and its image, Bobby Sista has held important offices in many industry bodies. He was vice-president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) for two terms. During his association with AAAI, Bobby played an important role in liaising with the government on numerous industry matters.

 

The 2015 AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award recipient has been associated with a variety of social causes like ActionAid (UK-based charity and the parent of Partners in Change); Sukhi Pariwar  (integrated health services and family planning programme working successfully in Pune district); and Citizens Council for a Better Tomorrow (CCBT), Mumbai. He is an executive committee member of the Council for Fair Business Practices (CFBP), Mumbai. He also helped to set up the first Jaipur Foot Centre outside Jaipur. This was under the aegis of the Anga Karunya Kendra in Bengaluru of which he is the founder-trustee. Currently, as an executive trustee of Population First, he is actively pursuing the task of enhancing the communications component of government programmes and mobilising the communication industry and media to create a people’s movement for social development and gender sensitisation through the ‘Laadli’ campaign.

 

Dr MG Parameswaran, President, AAAI, said, “Bobby Sista is an industry veteran whose agency did some truly pioneering work in the 1970s, '80s and '90s. It is admirable that even after leaving the advertising business he has tirelessly worked for numerous worthy causes for social development. He is an inspiration to all of us!” 

 

The award will be presented to Sista on 31 July 2015 in Mumbai