The Maddies 2026: Mercedes-Benz India MD & CEO Santosh Iyer named Jury Chair

The exchange4media Mobile Awards – The Maddies is back with its 12th edition this year to honour and celebrate innovation and excellence in mobile marketing. The grand jury features a distinguished line-up of industry leaders, business heads and innovators who have played key roles in shaping the marketing and advertising landscape.

Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India Pvt. Ltd., has been named Jury Chair for the 12th edition of The Maddies. His leadership and vision bring valuable industry experience to the jury panel to evaluate campaigns and recognise outstanding work in the marketing and media landscape. Joining him as the Co-Jury Chair is Dr. Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld and exchange4media.

Iyer’s appointment at the helm brings an experienced industry leader to the forefront of the awards, which recognise excellence in marketing, advertising and media. Iyer has been associated with Mercedes-Benz for a decade and has headed several important functions in the company. He has more than two decades of diverse experience in the Indian automobile industry, spreading across sales, marketing, retail, customer service and corporate affairs.

Prior to his currently role, Santosh was responsible for the Customer Services, Corporate Affairs &CSR functions at Mercedes-Benz India. He played an important role in driving ‘service differentiator’ as the key parameter towards achieving service excellence and customer loyalty.

The Maddies celebrates impactful marketing initiatives, creative excellence and innovative media strategies. The awards acknowledge, recognize and celebrate the marketing stories that employ an effective mobile marketing strategies and are judged on innovation, concept, execution and results by a highly experienced jury panel. These awards are open to all industries linked to Mobile Marketing (Clients, Creative, Media Agencies, Digital Agencies and Publishers, etc).

With Santosh Iyer at the helm of the jury, The Maddies 2026 will bring together industry expertise to recognise work that demonstrates creativity, strategic thinking and measurable impact. The awards are expected to spotlight campaigns and initiatives that are shaping the future of marketing and media.