14th edition concludes in Mumbai with global delegates, award-winning campaigns, and cross-sector insights from Asia, UK, and the UAE
The 14th edition of the ACEF Global Customer Engagement Summit and Awards concluded in Mumbai, bringing together an accomplished gathering of brand leaders, agency heads, marketers, and digital innovators from across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Organized by Akash & Angel Enterprises in collaboration with Gigatainment, this year’s event reinforced the critical role of strategy-led innovation in building meaningful customer relationships.
The 2025 theme, Strategy Meets Innovation: The Future of Customer Engagement, sparked compelling conversations led by keynote speakers and marketing practitioners from various geographies and industries.
One of the most anticipated sessions was delivered by Pavan R Chawla, Founder-Editor of MediaBrief.com, who presented an address on The Next Frontier of Engagement: Where Media, Data, and Human Connection Converge. He emphasized how content personalization, platform fluidity, and cross-media storytelling are shaping the next wave of consumer trust.From Sri Lanka, Amitha Amarasinghe, CEO of the Asia Pacific Institute of Digital Marketing, shared research-led insights on how conversational marketing is evolving in consumer-first economies.
A high-impact panel moderated by Fabian Trevor Cowan, Chief Growth Officer at Ideacafe.agency, explored customer engagement playbooks from different industry sectors. The panellists included:
- Preeti S, CEO, ZtoA Marketing Solutions
- Sharmila Sandeep, General Manager , Marketing, Murugappa Group
- Atul Razdan, Chief Marketing Officer, BIG FM
- Sirimevan Senevirathne, CMO, Pan Asia Bank, Sri Lanka
Recognising Industry Trailblazers and Emerging Talent
The 2025 awards ceremony received over 560 entries from five countries, recognizing outstanding campaigns and professionals committed to measurable, high-impact engagement.
Notable Individual Excellence Honorees:
- Sam Lourduraj (Radio Mirchi), Jainee Dedhia (Nippon India MF), Ryan Dsouza (Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC) , Young Engagement Professionals Under 35
- RJ Sahil (BIG FM) and Mirchi Chakshuu , Apprentice Jockeys of the Year
- Abhishek Sharma, Bhopuwala Creative Solutions , Best Voiceover for Audio Ads
- Ayushmann Khurrana (Fever Network) , Celebrity Jockey of the Year
- Shivkumar Kannan, Aditya Birla Sun Life MF , Customer Engagement Professional of the Year
- Aneesh Suresh, Aditya Birla Sun Life AMC , Data-Driven Engagement Specialist
- RJ Rani and RJ Pihu (BIG FM), Abhishek Sharma , Podcast Professionals of the Year
- RJ Jeeturaaj (ENIL), Hrishi K (Fever Network) , Radio Jockeys of the Year (Metro
- RJ Adhishh and RJ Astha (Mirchi Love) , Radio Jockeys of the Year (Non-Metro)
- RJ Guru, RJ Pak Pak Deepak, Mirchi Kenkemi , Radio Jockeys of the Year (Regional)
Grand Prix Titles Awarded:
- OOH Agency of the Year , dentsu Posterscope
- Radio Station for Customer Engagement , BIG FM and Radio Mirchi
- Customer Engaged Brand , Automobile , Tata Motors
- Customer Engaged Brand , BFSI , Pan Asia Banking Corp (with Arc Digital) and Reliance Nippon Life Insurance
- Podcast Agency of the Year , Bhopuwala Creative Solutions
- Advertising Agency of the Year , Interspace Communication Pvt. Ltd.
- BTL Agency for Customer Engagement , Mindwave Media Pvt. Ltd.
These recognitions were adjudicated by a multi-country jury with professionals from Franklin Templeton UAE, Dialog Axiata, Wipro, ITC, and more. The advisory board included members from HDFC Bank, The Digital Fellow, NDB Bank Sri Lanka, and Mobius Agency Thailand.
Partner Institutions and Event Execution
The summit was produced by Akash & Angel Enterprises and supported by stakeholders across multiple countries.
- Academic Partner: SIES College of Management
- Email Marketing Partner: Kenscio Digital
- Media Partners: MediaBrief.com, TV9, Prittle Prattle News, customerengagement.net
- Consulting Partner: The Digital Fellow