With just under a day to go, the stage is nearly set for the 7th edition of the much-anticipated Brand World Summit, hosted by ETBrandEquity.com. This year’s edition promises to be bigger, bolder, and more insightful, bringing together the most influential voices in branding, marketing, and innovation under one roof.

Centred around the theme ‘Reimagining Marketing for 1.4 Billion Indians,’ the summit aims to spark dialogue among industry stakeholders on how to evolve and scale marketing efforts with the help of technology.

The day will begin with a thought-provoking session featuring industry stalwarts Sudhanshu Vats, MD, Pidilite; Prabha Narasimhan, MD & CEO, Colgate-Palmolive; and Sanjiv Mehta, Executive Chairman, L Catterton India, who will share their insights on building iconic brands for the next billion consumers.

Delving deeper into the idea of brand-building, Jan Bures, Executive Director – Sales, Marketing and Digital, Škoda Auto Volkswagen, will offer his perspective on creating long-lasting brands in a rational and pragmatic manner.

With changing dynamics in global politics and growing uncertainty in macroeconomic conditions, the role of a marketer has become increasingly complex. Veteran industry leaders from diverse sectors, including Ashwin Moorthy, CMO, Godrej Consumer Products; Rohit Bhasin, President and CMO, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Sunder Balasubramanian, CMO, Myntra; Virat Khullar, AVP & Vertical Head – Marketing, Hyundai Motor India; and Milind Pathak, Chief Corporate Marketing Officer, Proximus Global, will share their challenges and insights with the audience.

Among the standout sessions of the day will be a global keynote address on the theme ‘Swipe Right on Authenticity: Engaging Gen Z Through Cultural Relevance and Self-Expression,’ led by Daniel Kim, VP – Marketing, APAC, Tinder | Match Group.

Throughout the day, marketers from leading brands across various categories will discuss emerging trends, case studies, and key learnings on how to meaningfully engage today’s consumer.

A central focus of the summit will be to decode how branding and marketing are being redefined in the age of AI and algorithms. From Predictive AI to Generative AI to the new entrant, Agentic AI, brand leaders will explore how these technologies are shaping seamless customer journeys.

This year also marks the second edition of the Siddharth Rao Memorial Lecture, held in honour of the late co-founder of Webchutney. Renowned ad veteran Prasoon Joshi, CEO, McCann World Group India and Chairman – APAC, will deliver a keynote address on ‘Creativity in the Age of AI: Intimidated or Empowered.’

The day will conclude with Vicky Kaushal, India’s leading brand endorser and a Bollywood heartthrob, who will reflect on the importance of authenticity in storytelling and what truly resonates with audiences.

Some of the key leaders speaking at the event include:

Nitin Saini, VP – Marketing, Mondelez India; Shubhranshu Singh, CMO, CVBU, Tata Motors; Anuradha Aggarwal, Director – User Growth and CMO, Amazon Pay; Ashish Mishra, CMO, Acko; Darshana Shah, CMO, Aditya Birla Capital; Sai Narayan, CMO, Policybazaar; Krishna Kota, Head – Marketing (Consumer Business), DBS Bank India; Nipun Kaushal, CMO, Yes Bank; Shamik Banerjee, CMO, Apollo 24/7; Amit Haralalka, Marketing Head – Financial Services, Tata Digital; Sachin Vashishtha, CMO, Paisabazaar; Shekhar Saurabh, Head – Marketing, TATA AIG General Insurance; Pragya Bijalwan, CMO, Voltas; Nishant Kedia, CMO, Rebel Foods India; Kavita Jagtiani, CMO, L&T Finance; Chandrika Jain, CMO, Lenovo India; Shantanu Gangane, Senior Director – Integrated Marketing Experience, Coca-Cola India & Southwest Asia; Vineet Sharma, VP – Marketing, AB InBev India; Akankshaa Dalal, Marketing Director – Mountain Dew, PepsiCo; Amit Kothari, Head – Marketing, H&M; Kapil Grover, CMO, Burger King (Restaurant Brands Asia); Saikot Das, Senior Director – Marketing & Brand Experience (South Asia, Middle East & Africa), Levi Strauss & Co.; Saumya Rathor, Marketing Director – Lays, PepsiCo; Aakanksha Kumar, Global Brand Director – Dove, Unilever; Abhishek Shetty, Head – Marketing, Swiggy Instamart; Mitali Maheshwari, Head – Product & Marketing, Tata Starbucks and many others.

The event is supported by: SAMSUNG Ads – Presenting Partner; Monotype – Powered By Partner; Proximus Global – Co-Powered By Partner; Flipkart Ads – In Association With Partner; Google Messages and TATA Communications – Gold Partners; The Trade Desk – Silver Partner; frog – Part of Capgemini Invent and Shakuniya Solutions – Associate Partners; L&T Finance – NBFC Fintech Partner; Roshan Space – Outdoor Media Partner; Lenskart and Fixderma – Gifting Partners.

For more information on the agenda and speakers, visit: https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/brand-world-summit