Partha Sinha Takes The Helm At ASCI As New Chairman

Following the 38th Annual General Meeting and the board meeting held, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has appointed Partha Sinha, President & Chief Brand Officer of Bennett Coleman & Company as Chairman of the ASCI Board of Governors for 2024-25.

Sudhanshu Vats, Managing Director Designate of Pidilite Industries has been named Vice-Chairman and S. Subramanyeswar, Group CEO and Chief Strategy Officer-APAC at MullenLowe Lintas Group has been appointed Hon Treasurer.

Sinha brings extensive experience from organisations like Bennett Coleman, Ogilvy, Publicis, BBH, McCann and Citibank along with expertise in brand marketing, media and communications.

Partha Sinha expressed a compelling vision for ASCI stating, “Being the chairperson of ASCI is both an honour and a profound responsibility, especially as our industry is under greater scrutiny by our stakeholders. With rapid changes in the digital environment and the emergence of new challenges. ASCI is committed to not just keeping up but to staying ahead. Deploying technology and AI to monitor errant advertising as well as putting our might behind preventive measures will be our focus in the days to come. This will ensure that creativity and responsibility coexist, creating an ecosystem that values consumers and encourages innovation.”

Reflecting on his term, outgoing Chairman Saugata Gupta said, “Leading ASCI through a period that witnessed significant development and change has been a privilege. This year has been marked by historic milestones, including the formation of the ASCI Academy, which has become a cornerstone in promoting responsible and progressive advertising. Our commitment to training and capacity building, creating new direction via our thought leadership work, reflects a culture of responsibility from the ground up.”

ASCI has made great progress this year, particularly with the ASCI Academy's expansion. The Academy now boasts over 75 alliances and has trained 33,300 new professionals, strengthening ethical standards in advertising.

ASCI has advanced research and thought leadership through key collaborations including a white paper with Khaitan & Co on generative AI's impact on advertising, a D&I study in India with the Unstereotype Alliance and Kantar and a privacy and data protection report with Lexplosion.

In the past year, ASCI actively engaged in consultations on issues like dark patterns, green claims and surrogate advertising. It updated guidelines on deceptive practices, charitable cause marketing and green claims to stay aligned with industry changes and consumer expectations. ASCI processed over 10,000 complaints and reviewed over 8,200 ads, reinforcing its commitment to ethical and transparent advertising.