Prasoon Joshi joins IAA Leadership’s Hall of Fame

At a time when AI and human creativity are increasingly intertwined, the 12th IAA Leadership Awards held in Mumbai on 7 August 2025 illustrated which leaders have earned the right to define that intersection. Two names from the evening—Prasoon Joshi and Mohit Joshi—stood out for pointing the way forward in different but complementary dimensions of the industry: enduring creative legacy and media innovation.

The event, hosted at the Taj Lands End Court, adopted a fitting keynote of technological synergy: robots presented trophies in place of human hostesses. The symbolic gesture, reflecting the theme of AI, underscored the awards’ underlying narrative—leadership today demands not just fluency in emerging tech, but an ability to retain the human core amid algorithmic progress. Over 300 top-tier professionals from marketing, advertising, media, and business sectors gathered to witness honours that spoke as much to past achievements as to evolving expectations.

In a year of shifting parameters, Prasoon Joshi’s induction into the IAA Hall of Fame stands as a benchmark for creative leadership sustained through decades. He is the CEO and chief creative officer of CCO of McCann Worldgroup India, with additional responsibility as chairman McCann Asia Pacific.

Joshi’s recognition was awarded “for his extraordinary contributions as an industry leader, cultural commentator, and voice of purposeful storytelling in India and beyond.” This encapsulates a multi-faceted career that spans advertising, cinema, music, literature, and public service. His oeuvre includes campaigns for Indian icons—Air India, Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Mastercard, Nestlé, J&J, Reckitt, Microsoft, and Dabur—alongside impactful national efforts in polio eradication, malnutrition awareness, and the Clean India Mission.

Reflecting on this induction, Joshi said, “This industry was built by giants, and it’s their brilliance that continues to attract talent and elevate the craft. As we enter a new era shaped by AI, let’s not forget—there’s nothing truly artificial in artificial intelligence. It’s born of our human experiences, our emotions, our stories. The future will be defined not just by data, but by the yet-unexpressed brilliance within us. That is where humanity will continue to shine.”  

This statement threads two critical insights: a defence of emotional storytelling as the anchor of creativity, and a reminder that emerging technologies serve, rather than replace, the human spirit. For agency leaders and brand marketers, it restates a timeless tension: innovation must never dilute intent. The induction—and Joshi’s framing of it—casts creativity as both resilient and adaptive in an age of automation.

While Joshi’s achievements mark a legacy, Mohit Joshi, CEO of Havas Media Network India, earned his IAA Media Agency Head of the Year award as a signpost of integration and execution in today’s media environment. He was felicitated by Jaideep Gandhi, vice president of IAA Inda Chapter and Megha Tata, past president of IAA India Chapter.

These recognitions were embedded within a rigorous selection framework. Nandini Dias, chairperson of the IAA Leadership Awards, explained that the process spanned over 2,000 companies across 14 categories.  

“As I look back, it’s clear—we are spotlighting individuals who are not only leading India but are destined to leave a mark on the global stage. Our data selection process this year was both expansive and exacting covering more than 2,000 companies across 14 categories. A wealth of data was studied and debated by an eminent panel, with the top 10 emerging through a rigorous analysis of performance indicators such as growth, market share, CAGR, brand equity, creditworthiness, ESG benchmarks, and beyond," Das stated.

She acknowledged the all-CEO jury led by Prabha Narasimhan of Colgate Palmolive, who were chosen for their breadth of industry insight and evaluated the findings. "To safeguard objectivity, all scoring parameters were pre-set and locked before the jury accessed the results,” Das added. This layering of data-driven vetting with narrative recognition marks a maturation in how industry leadership is assessed.

Abhishek Karnani, President of IAA India Chapter, broadened the awards’ remit beyond recognition, noting that leadership involves responsibility—towards stakeholders, the nation, and the planet. The event itself was carbon-offset, and new initiatives around skilling and AI readiness were launched, signaling an intent to bind cultural capital with concrete, future-facing programming.

 The rest of the winners—like Senthil Kumar, for creative agency leadership, or Kartik Aaryan and Tripti Dimri as brand endorsers, or the slew of sector-specific figures—complement these central narratives. But it is the symbolic and strategic weight of the Hall of Fame and Media Head awards that offers most for the discerning ad industry practitioner.

Winners of  IAA Leadership Awards 2025