Judges Category: Network 26

Abhinav Sharma is a Managing Director at Citi, and heads Global Event Marketing and Alumni Relations – International, covering 73 countries across Citi’s 6 geographic clusters globally. He has over 28 years of leadership experience across integrated marketing communications, client engagement and business management.

Abhinav is responsible for the strategy, planning, governance and management of event marketing, roadshows, alumni relations, sponsorship activation, hospitality and delivery of client experiences. He leads a diverse set of multi-country teams that create impactful and memorable experiences which showcase Citi’s brand, products, services and values. He is also responsible for building and nurturing Citi’s alumni network, a strategic asset that fosters loyalty, referrals and business opportunities.

Arpana Kumar Ahuja is EVP and Head, Corporate Brand and Communications at Jindal Steel. With over three decades of experience spanning global corporations and leading communications consultancies, she leads the company’s corporate brand, reputation and leadership communications. She was named to PRovoke Media’s Influence 100, recognising the world’s most influential in-house communications leaders, and Innovator 25 Asia-Pacific 2026, recognising communications professionals driving innovation across the region. Arpana is a regular jury member for leading communications and marketing awards across Asia-Pacific and serves on the Reputation Capital Council. Her work has earned multiple national and international recognitions for excellence in corporate brand and communications.

Seasoned marketer with 20 years of marketing and more than a decade of product development and senior management experience.

CXO level roles for more than 8 years.

Chief Marketing Officer/Chief Customer Officer, across

1. Personal Care, Food and Financial services

2. 12 countries and living in 4 of them in the last decade.

3. Teams of more than 50 to 100+ marketing and product development professionals.

Chief Customer Officer at Income Insurance, from Mar’22 – current, and Chief Marketing Officer, Kraft Heinz, Asia, based on out of China from Dec 2019 to Mar’22.

Developed and launched more than 50+ products over the last decade across personal care (Vaseline Men face care, face wash and body lotions), food (Soy Sauces, Chili Sauces, Sardines, Canned Meat, Baby food) and insurance (life, personal accident, travel).

Led or influenced the development of more than 200+ marketing campaigns, spanning Indonesia, China, India, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa and other Asian markets.

Most business-impactful and awarded campaigns:

1. “Worst Face Scenario” for Vaseline Men, Thailand,

2. “Real Husbands Cook” for ABC Soy, Indonesia

3. Spice Insurance for ABC Chili, Indonesia

4. “Preserving the taste of Childhood” for fermented bean curd, Guanghe, China

5. “Trapped” for Income Travel Insurance, Singapore

6. “World’s Safest Athlete” for Income’s Fitness Insurance, Singapore

Madhurjya Banerjee, known as Banjo in global marketing circles, is a Senior Global Brand Director at Unilever and a leading voice in AI led marketing transformation. With over 19 years across iconic FMCG brands including Knorr, Lifebuoy, and Pepsodent, he has consistently operated at the intersection of brand growth, societal impact, large scale behaviour changes and technology. Today, Banjo leads global marketing strategy for Pepsodent, where he is reimagining creativity and content at scale, modernizing market research and insight systems using AI, and building brands fit for algorithmic environments. An AI optimist and operator, he champions human–machine creativity to drive speed, relevance, and effectiveness across complex global systems. A passionate coach to young leaders and startups, Banjo focuses on shaping the next generation of modern brand builders.

Quote:
I always look for entries that try to make a real difference – for the consumers, for the employees and for the business. When these 3 come together, magic happens!

Minali is a healthcare marketer with three decades of experience. She blends a deep understanding of global healthcare marketing with a passion for AI enabled technology. She specializes in corporate identity building and healthcare brand building. She is currently focused on developing enterprise level Gen AI enabled platforms.

She has practical experience in creative and multi-channel campaigns across US, South-East Asia, Japan and Europe.

Nikos Patiniotakis is Head of Global Brand Development at Zespri International, leading global brand strategy and the development of evidence-based growth platforms rooted in nutrition science. With nearly two decades of international experience across Europe and Asia, he has built brands by combining consumer insight, innovation, and creativity to drive growth and business value. He has held senior roles across Zespri and Unilever Food Solutions and has served as a judge for leading regional and global marketing effectiveness and agency awards.

Quote: The best AOY entries are clear, category-relevant, strategically strong, distinctive, and backed by measurable results.