The Experiential CMO Awards 2025, presented by Laqshya Media Group, took centre stage as part of the 16th edition of WOW Awards Asia—an initiative by EVENTFAQS Media, in association with EEMA, powered by Inventum Global and Rixos Hotels, and co-powered by Xprtx, L-ISA, and Bahrain Tourism. The ceremony took place at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, on June 20, 2025. It was an afternoon that brought together India’s sharpest marketing minds—visionaries leading the charge in creating deeper, more human brand experiences.
The evening was formally opened by Satyabrata Das, Group President – Strategic Alliances and Corporate Communications, Laqshya Media Group followed by Yuvrraj Agarwaal, Chief Strategy Officer at Laqshya Media Group. Anchors Sahitya and Mitin then took over, energising the room and spotlighting the vital shift in India’s marketing narrative—from transactional campaigns to emotional, experience-led storytelling. This transition was recently echoed by the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, who acknowledged the growing impact of concerts, festivals, and live brand experiences in shaping India’s cultural and economic momentum.
Sabbas Joseph, Co-Founder and Director of Wizcraft International Entertainment, presented a compelling perspective on “The Age of Experiences.” Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy brought timeless insight through an on-stage interaction, followed by a rapid-fire Q&A with actor Abhishek Banerjee, who added his unique flair to the occasion.
The ceremony began with the Rising Experiential Star Awards, honouring young professionals who are pushing creative and strategic boundaries in experiential marketing.
Rising Experiential Star Award Winners
- Amee Desai – Deputy Vice President, Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited
- Amrit Baid – General Manager – Marketing and Customer Experience, Mercedes-Benz India Private Limited
- Ankit Shah – Chief Marketing Officer, Credvest
- Ashish Jha – Senior Brand Manager, Bacardi India
- Harkirat Singh – Marketing and PR Lead, Porsche India
- Kevin D’Silva – Assistant General Manager – Marketing, Blue Star Limited
- Khushbu Mav – Brand Experience Manager, United Breweries (Kingfisher)
- Neha Gada – Associate Vice President – Marketing and Investor Education, Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI)
- Neha Gupta – Deputy General Manager – Experiential Marketing, Vivo India
- Priitee Tamhankar – Senior Marketing Manager, Hell Energy
- Richa Tandon – Brand Head, Radico Khaitan Limited
- Saurabh Tyagi – Group Manager – Media and Public Relations, Tanishq (Titan Company Limited)
- Shashank Jalani – Lead – B2C Brands and Trade Marketing, Legrand
- Sheena Kapoor – Head – Marketing, Corporate Communications and CSR, ICICI Lombard
- Shwetank Rewatkar – Assistant General Manager – Media, Bisleri
- Smarajit Mishra – Head – Marketing and Strategy, Brigade Residential
- Udit Mittal – Deputy General Manager, Tata Motors
Following this, the spotlight moved to the marquee recognition of the evening—the Experiential CMO Awards, acknowledging senior marketing leaders who are transforming the brand landscape with powerful experiential ideas.
Experiential CMO Award Winners
- Apoorva Maheshwari – Head of Marketing, India, BESTSELLER
- Bishwajeet Samal – Head of Marketing and PR, Skoda Volkswagen India
- Dharini Mishra – Senior Vice President – Marketing, Suzlon Energy Limited
- Girish Hingorani – Vice President – Marketing and Corporate Communications, Blue Star Limited
- Gurminder Singh – Head of Marketing, JSW Cement
- Hariharan Muralimanohar – Head of Marketing, Zoho Corporation
- Himanshu Khanna – Chief Marketing Officer, Raymond
- Kaushik Chakraborty – Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Tata Capital
- Pooja Asar – Head of Marketing, Tata Motors (Electric Mobility)
- Rajeeb Dash – Head of Sales and Marketing, Adani Realty
- Ranabir Bose – Head of Marketing, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund
- Ranjan Goswami – Executive Director, Oil India Limited
- Ratnesh Pandey – Director – Marketing Communications, Lauritz Knudsen
- Royston Fernandes – Senior General Manager – Brand Building and Experiential Events, UltraTech Cement
- Ronak Seth – Chief Marketing Officer, 360 ONE
- Sarthak Seth – Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Realty
- Savijit Sharma – Director – Culture Engagement and Events, The Coca-Cola Company
- Shuvadip Banerjee – Chief Digital and Marketing Officer, ITC Limited
Both awards segements were presented by an esteemed group of leaders and creatives including Bhaskar Sharma, Senior Advisor at Red Bull; Jimmy Choudhary, Director at EVENTFAQS Media; Brian Tellis, Founder of Radioactive Ventures; Vishal Nagdev, Founder and Director at EVENTFAQS Media and POW WOW Marketing; and Sameer Tobaccowala, Chief Executive Officer at Shobiz Experiential Communications; Sanjoy Roy, Managing Director at Teamwork Arts; Kiran Juneja Sippy, Director of the Ramesh Sippy Academy for Cinema and Entertainment; Raj Nayak, Founder and Managing Director of House of Cheer; Punam Joseph, Director at Wizcraft International Entertainment and author of Soulful Seekers; Chef Sanjeev Kapoor; Atul Shrivastava, Chief Executive Officer of Laqshya Media Group; Ramesh Sippy; Abhishek Banerjee; Sabbas Joseph; and Deepak Choudhary, Founder and Managing Director of EVENTFAQS Media and EVA Live.
As the evening drew to a close, two prestigious titles were revealed. Partho Banerjee, Head of Sales and Marketing at Maruti Suzuki India Limited, was honoured as the CMO of the Year, for his exceptional leadership in connecting strategy with storytelling. The award for Experiential CMO Marketing Team of the Year went to HSBC, celebrating the collaborative brilliance of a team whose work exemplifies precision, creativity, and brand purpose.
The celebration culminated with a group photograph featuring all winners, presenters, and industry icons, including Ramesh Sippy, Abhishek Banerjee, Sabbas Joseph, and Deepak Choudhary. Together, they stood as a symbol of how far marketing has come—and where it is heading next.
To view and download more pictures from the WOW Awards Asia 2025, click the link.
