Atul Hegde, Founder of YAAP, has been honoured with the ‘Digital Agency Head of the Year’ title at the e4m Media Ace Awards 2025. Meanwhile, Suneil Chawla, Co-Founder, Social Beat and Harshil Karia, Founder & CEO, Schbang, were the runners-up in this category. The recognition celebrates his visionary leadership and outstanding contribution to the digital marketing ecosystem. Under his guidance, YAAP has emerged as one of the most dynamic digital agencies in the region, known for its creative excellence, innovative campaigns, and data-led strategies.
Atul Hegde expressed his delight on receiving the award, describing it as a proud and gratifying moment in his professional journey. He credited the recognition to the hard work and creativity of his team at YAAP, emphasizing that the award is a testament to their collective vision and commitment to excellence in digital marketing.
"Thank you to the Jury and e4m for this award. YAAP's journey has really been incredible. I've spent more than 2.5 decades in advertising, working with large networks, but I think what the last 9 years have taught me is that we've always been the poster sector for fame, for building brands, for having some outstanding professionals, but very seldom for wealth creation. And I think that's something that's really going to change in the next decade, with more and more independence, reaching out to the capital markets, flying with their ambitions, looking to expand beyond India", he said.
"We have a great example of someone who led the way for independent agencies like us, Sam Balsara is here and thank you so much for leading the way, but I think the next decade is really going to reshape on how entrepreneurs will actually be great examples of building wealth in this sector. Thank you so much", Hegde added.
The ‘Digital Agency Head of The Year’ award is given to a Founder/ Co-Founder or entrepreneur of a standalone Digital Agency or an agency which is acquired by a network or is currently part of a network.
Hegde’s win at the prestigious award ceremony is a reflection of his relentless pursuit of innovation and his ability to blend creativity with technology to deliver impactful brand experiences. The award reaffirms his status as one of the most influential leaders shaping the future of digital advertising in India.
The media agencies and its professionals are the driving force behind the evolving media ecosystem. The e4m Media Ace Awards recognises and honours the outstanding work, creativity and innovation by media agencies in India and celebrate their people for their work and their contribution to the advertising industry. These awards are given to individual leaders and agencies who have exhibited leadership and direction that has helped mould the media landscape in the country.
This year, the Jury was chaired by Santosh Iyer, MD & CEO at Mercedes-Benz India, while the Co-Jury Chair was Dr. Annurag Batra, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld and exchange4media. The other jury members included some of the renowned personalities, industry leaders and experts from the media world.
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