May the next chapter be even more inclusive, exciting, and future-ready: Anupriya Acharya

At the 80th anniversary celebrations of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Anupriya Acharya expressed confidence in the future of the advertising industry, noting that it is evolving into a more diverse, dynamic, and future-ready space powered by young talent, innovation, and new creative possibilities.

Here is her full speech:

Good evening everyone, it’s a pleasure to be here and I am deeply honoured to be here on the stage and part of this evening.

This profession has given me far more than a career. It has given me a platform to learn, lead, build, reinvent, and contribute. Somewhere along this journey, I also had the privilege of breaking a few glass ceilings — including becoming only the second woman President of AAAI in its 80-year history.

But no ceiling is broken by one individual alone. It happens because a profession, and an institution, create space for capability, resilience, and performance to speak louder than stereotypes. For that, I remain deeply grateful to this industry and fraternity.

A special shout-out to Mr. Ashish Bhasin. I had the good fortune of working with him in the past, but more importantly, he encouraged and mentored me to take on the role of President of AAAI. If it were not for him, I would have been happy to stay on the periphery, despite being a regular Board participant. Thank you, Ashish, for pushing me to engage more deeply with the issues shaping our industry.

During my term, our focus was to help agencies navigate an uncertain new normal, as we were in the middle of one of the most difficult periods our industry had faced - the pandemic. Our first priority was to provide whatever assistance we could to our agency members, big and small alike, including helping secure increased credit periods where needed, as income streams and cash flows were very badly impacted.  

We converted the Association from a Society into a Section 8 Company under the Companies Act, 2013, creating a more robust and scalable framework and promoting ease of doing business. We introduced a new visual identity to keep up with the changing times and modernised the Secretariat with video-conferencing facilities, which increased Board participation and made it more inclusive for participants from outside Mumbai who could not always travel for Board meetings. This was also the time when the Unstereotype Alliance convened by UN Women entered the country - AAAI partnered with the Alliance to encourage more progressive portrayals in advertising. Finally, and possibly the most future-forward initiative, we opened the doors wider for digital and specialist agencies.  

But what matters most is not just the individual initiatives. It is that President after President, the baton is passed on with candour, continuity, and commitment. For me, that is the true power of AAAI: it allows us to think beyond individual organisations and work collectively to protect, guide, and chaperone a profession that has given all of us so much.

Our industry has always been shaped by disruption, reinvention, and evolution. Each time we have faced uncertainty, we have responded with resilience, creativity, innovation, and adaptability. As global geopolitical and economic uncertainties, along with AI and technology, reshape the way we work and create, our responsibility will be to embrace technology thoughtfully and responsibly, while continuing to value the human insight, imagination, and empathy that remain at the heart of great communication and brand building.  

And so, industry associations matter more than ever. They create the collective wisdom, shared standards, advocacy, and direction that no individual agency can create alone.

An observation I would like to make on the spot, after hearing some of the comments made earlier about the advertising industry possibly not enjoying the same past glory, is this: there has never been a better time to join the industry.  

Today, the industry is a destination for far more diverse talent, including performance marketers, commerce professionals, advanced data, technology and analytics practitioners, content and asset engineers, and influencers, amongst others. Given the intensity of its fast-moving and forward-looking culture, we find some of the best talent wanting to join the industry. A very remarkable quality of Gen Z is that people choose to do what they are passionate about and interested in. As a result, many professionals are joining us from consulting, top global technology firms, marketing, and the content industry. Many are also coming from top colleges, not only in India but also from globally recognised institutions - be it design, production, UI/UX, or leading MBA schools.  

So yes, the profession has become far more complex, but at the same time, it has become much more diverse and much more interesting. Look at the LinkedIn posts young people share about their first day at the office - the branded joiner kits, the excitement, the sense of wonder, and all of that. As long as there are young, capable, and passionate people excited to join the industry, the industry is in good hands. I have no doubt about it.  

My heartfelt gratitude to all the leaders who built AAAI, to my colleagues on the Executive Committee and the Board, to the past presidents, and to the Secretariat that keeps this institution running with such dedication.

Thank you, AAAI, for giving me an opportunity to contribute. Congratulations on 80 wonderful years. May the next chapter be even more inclusive, exciting, and future-ready.