19 NEW ENTRANTS IN IMPACT'S 50 MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN LIST, 2020, WITH KALLI PURIE AT NO.1

Kalli Purie, Vice Chairperson of the India Today Group, has topped IMPACT’s 50 Most Influential Women in Media, Marketing and Advertising List, 2020 for her key role in the transformation of the legacy India Today Group into one of the largest digital publishers in India,

in addition to leading their marquee brands like AajTak, India Today Television, the flagship magazine India Today and Business Today, etc., to newer heights. At No. 2 is Anupriya Acharya, the newly appointed CEO of Publicis Groupe South Asia, followed by ace journalist and entrepreneur Faye D’Souza at No. 3. Shereen Bhan, Managing Editor of CNBC-TV18, is at No. 4, while Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer of FCB Ulka is at No. 5.

Other names in the Top 10 include Priya Nair, Executive Director - Beauty and Personal Care, Hindustan Unilever (No.6), Mariam Mathew, CEO, Manorama Online (No. 7), Kainaz Karmakar, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India (No.8), Sukhleen Aneja, CMO and Marketing Director, RB Hygiene-Home, South Asia (No. 9) and Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Head, Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18 (No. 10). The number of new entrants in the list stands at 19 – an all-time high.

The number of women from media companies on the list continues to be the same as last year, i.e., 14, while 23 belong to various agencies like Creative, PR, Digital, Design and Research. The remaining 20 are from a marketing background; the number has shot up significantly from 13 in 2019. Along with the 57 women achievers on the list (joint ranks included), the jury singled out five professionals for ‘Special Mention’, widening the scope of the list, which is a specific exercise to focus on women whose power in business derives from a combination of influence, success in delivering business outcomes and real personal responsibility.

The list was put together by a jury of most esteemed industry leaders, led by Jury Chair Sam Balsara, Chairman and MD, Madison World. Other eminent names on the jury this year were Animesh Kumar, Chief People Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd, B. Srinivasan, MD, Vikatan Group, Delna Avari, Founder, Delna Avari & Consultants, Ferzad Palia, Head, Youth, Music and English Entertainment, Viacom18, Gurmit Singh, General Manager, Quora, Partha Sinha, President, Response, Tiimes of India Group, Punitha Arumugam, Founder, Arumugam & Consultants, Rana Barua, CEO, Havas Group India, Ravish Kumar, Head - Regional Entertainment Cluster, Viacom18, Shalini Kamath, Founder & CEO, SK & Associates, Tarun Katial, CEO, Zee5 India and Vikram Chhachhi, until recently Principal, Global Consumer Markets, Heidrick & Struggles.

Past toppers of IMPACT’s 50 Most Influential Women List include Tanya Dubash, Executive Director and Chief Brand Officer, Godrej Industries (2019), Nadia Chauhan, Joint Managing Director & Chief Marketing Officer, Parle Agro (2018), Malini Agarwal, Founder & Creative Director, MissMalini Entertainment (2017), Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director and Creative Director, Balaji Telefilms (2016), Kirthiga Reddy, then Managing Director of Facebook India (2015), Rama Bijapurkar, market strategy consultant and acclaimed business author (2014), Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson and Editorial Director, HT Media Group (2013) and Vinita Bali, then Managing Director of Britannia (2012). All toppers move to a ‘Hall of Fame’ and do not come into the purview of the list again.