WOW Awards 2024: Presenting the Next Set of Jury Members of the Experiential Marketing Group

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Industry Watch | April 4, 2024 | News

WOW Awards WOW Awards Asia

WOW Awards - Asia’s largest business and recognition platform for the Experiential Marketing, MICE, LIVE Entertainment, and Wedding industry is gearing up for its 15th edition at the JIO World Convention Centre in Mumbai.

The WOW Awards Asia 2024 is now accepting entries across 110 Categories distributed among five distinct groups: Group A: Experiential Marketing Awards, Group B: Experiential Celebrations Awards, Group C: Experiential Tech Awards, Group D: Hotel & Venue Awards, and Group E: Live Quotient Awards.

With a two-phased judging process conducted by jury members, audited, and validated by EY, the awards ceremony promises to be a glittering affair. Each jury member is carefully selected from diverse backgrounds with extensive industry experience to ensure transparency in the judging process. Their expertise plays a pivotal role in determining the most deserving winners.

Register and submit your entries here: WOW Awards Asia Categories

As you prepare to showcase your best work in the event and experiential domain, aiming to bring home the coveted accolades, let's introduce you to the esteemed Experiential Marketing Jury.

Experiential Marketing, known as Group A, encompasses campaigns, events, activities, and initiatives by brands, corporations, associations, government bodies, etc., aimed at promotion, communication, and marketing. The Experiential Marketing Awards feature 39 categories that will be meticulously judged by a panel of expert jury members.

The esteemed Jury of Experiential Marketing Group are:

Abhijit Jejurikar, SM – Lead, Events and Communities, Amazon

Abhijit is a seasoned marketing professional who have built a unique portfolio spanning over 15 years in Brand Management, Content Creation, Strategic partnerships, and creating IPs with both start-ups and MNCs. Currently, Abhijit holds the position of Head of Events and Content at Amazon. Additionally, he has also been a Social Entrepreneur, a TEDx speaker, and a US State Department Fellow, which has shaped him in diverse experiences to develop strong leadership skills and cultivate a unique perspective.

Ankita Srivastava, CMO, Nat Habit

18 Years of strategic marketing management across Beauty/ Personal Care, Men’s Grooming and Luxury/ Lifestyle, Consumer Durable and Patient Access (Pharmaceuticals). Navigated iconic brands successfully in different stages of category/ brand life cycle. Led business and commercial responsibilities, delivering growth on complex portfolios in extremely competitive market scenarios. Expertise in new category entries and brand restage, driving complete innovation funnel for successful portfolio expansion. Currently leading brand and marketing organisation transformation for Hari Krishna Group (world's third largest diamantaire, supplier to marquee global and national jewellery brands) (KISNA and RARE).

Mike Murali, Chief Fun Officer & Senior Director Marketing, Capgemini 

Mike Murali is the Chief Fun Officer and Senior Director Marketing at Capgemini Technology Services India. Murali has over 22 years of Industry experience spanning end to end corporate Marketing roles globally like branding, internal communication, events and employee engagement, client relationships management etc. At Capgemini, Mike Murali, heads, Employee Engagement, Internal Communication for India and program manages the Centre Heads Organization.  

As the Chief Fun officer, Murali innovates on path braking ideas to create new benchmarks in Employee Engagement for the 160000 employees at Capgemini India. Murali played a key role in ideating and implementing 2 big ideas to get Capgemini into the coveted Guinness Book of Records for 2 years in a row. Mike Murali also enabled Capgemini plant 100000 trees in India by performing music for 100000 continuous seconds through his music band Rubberband. 

Mike Murali also dons many different avatars apart from the corporate one, as a flagship stage and TV host with over 3000 stage shows across 22 countries, including doing stadium commentary for BCCI in the T20 cricket world cup. Murali has also featured in the coveted TEDx platform 2 times as a speaker and has been a sought after speaker in many international forums. Murali also is a part of the advisory board of the prestigious Christ University! Mike is a sough after speaker at many international forums and loves to talk on Happiness as a science and his favourite 10 commandments of happiness.  

He also runs EFGH (Every Friend Gives Help), a not for profit NGO and a friends network that mobilizes funds and essentials when there is a calamity. 

Truly Mike Murali is a jack of many trades and the master of FUN!

Nikita Chokshi, Head Marcom, Digital & Client Engagement, Nuvama Private

Experienced Marcom professional with robust expertise in managing overall marketing duties for the Media and BFSI industry, supplemented with niche expertise in handling HNI and UHNI client marketing. Adept in Marketing Management, Luxury & Premium Marketing, Budgeting, Business Planning, Experiential and Integrated Marketing.

With a stellar track record spanning over a decade, Nikita has emerged as a distinguished marketing and communications expert in the Media and BFSI sectors. Currently serving as the Head of Marketing & Communication for Nuvama Private (formerly known as Edelweiss Private Wealth Management), Nikita spearheads the marketing division on a national scale. Here, she is entrusted with shaping the overall brand architecture of the company, crafting brand communication, and developing marketing strategies that resonate with the Ultra High Net Worth Individual (UHNI) segment.

Nikita has consistently demonstrated her prowess in building robust brand identities and driving strategic initiatives. At Centrum Wealth Limited, where she held the position of Vice President for over three years, she successfully led brand communication, enhanced digital assets, and masterminded social media and content strategies that culminated in numerous industry awards for the organisation.

Throughout her career, Nikita has exhibited an exceptional ability to manage budgets, build and sustain client relationships, and drive brand sponsorships. With a strong focus on results, she has consistently delivered on brand KPIs, ensuring that brand values and the desired tone of voice are effectively communicated across all platforms.

Nikita's expertise extends to various sectors, including real estate, where, during her tenure at Knight Frank India, she optimized internal and external communications, implemented digital marketing strategies, and oversaw brand experiences at exhibitions and promotions for both B2B and B2C clients, particularly HNIs and UHNIs.

Prior to this, Nikita contributed significantly to IIFL Wealth, where she curated and conceptualized a range of events and intellectual properties, creating lasting brand impressions. Additionally, she led the Asset Management Company division's digital and social media efforts, further solidifying her reputation as a multi-faceted marketing expert.

Nikita's journey through the marketing landscape also includes roles at Madison Outdoor Media Solutions, Laqshya Media Group, and Party Cruisers Limited, where she honed her business development skills and gained invaluable experience in client servicing and event planning.

A scholar of marketing, Nikita holds a Master's in Business Administration (Marketing) from the NMIMS and pursued an Advanced Certificate in Digital Marketing and Communication MICA, Upgrad.

Nikita's dynamic career trajectory, marked by innovative marketing strategies, impeccable communication skills, and a commitment to delivering results, cements her as a distinguished leader in the field of marketing and communications. 

She consistently combines business acumen with creative flair to drive brand success, making her an invaluable asset to any organization.

Rohan Atal, Senior Manager, iQOO India

With more than 12 years of dedicated experience in the field of marketing, Rohan leads the realm of experiential marketing at iQOO India, a distinguished high-performance premium smartphone brand. His professional focus gravitates towards various facets of marketing including Customer Marketing, Brand Marketing, Product Management, and Marketing Communications, wherein he strives to orchestrate impactful campaigns and initiatives.

His professional journey is characterized by a steadfast commitment to leveraging experiential marketing to propel brands forward, coupled with a relentless pursuit of excellence in every facet of customer engagement and brand communication.

Ronak Sheth, Head -Marketing & Client Experiences, 360 One

Ronak is responsible for successfully leading the marketing transformation at 360 ONE (formerly known as IIFL Wealth & Asset Management), including the integration of the Marketing, Branding and Communication functions, the development of its experiential platform, and build strategic business value through deployment of cutting-edge marketing-led activities. Ronak joined in 2009 and has been a key contributor towards the success of the brand, making it one of India’s leading and most awarded companies in financial services. He, along with his team, effectively led the rebranding of the firm to 360 ONE. His focus is to strengthen brand perception and preference, build thought leadership and deliver a superlative client experience, as well as implement key marketing agendas by developing a robust outreach plan to drive acquisition, engagement, retention, and advocacy. He also leads the Business Intelligence Unit, generating a healthy prospect pipeline for sales funnel. He brings over two decades of combined entrepreneurial and managerial experience across multiple industries and roles. Ronak holds an MBA in Marketing & Strategy from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Saikot Das, Marketing Director , South Asia, Middle East & Africa, Levi’s Strauss

Saikot has 17 years of work experience across industries like FMCG, media & commodity trading. I am currently working across commercial roles heading Marketing teams.