IAA India Chapter awarded 2014 IAA Chapter Excellence Award

Pradeep Guha gets the Samir Fares Award for his contribution to IAA; Pheroza Billimoria inducted as IAA Honorary Life Member; Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Worldwide

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | May 16, 2014

The IAA Chapter Excellence Award is awarded to the IAA chapter judged to have made the best overall contribution to achieving the aims and objectives of the IAA over the previous two years. This year, four chapters competed – India, Austria, Lebanon and Serbia.

According to Heather Leembruggen, Chairman of IAA Awards 2014 Committee, “IAA India Chapter had stiff competition from three other countries, but the variety of events across India and the quality of each event put IAA India Chapter on top to win this coveted recognition.”

The presentation of the 2014 IAA Chapter Excellence Award was made during the well-attended 43^rd IAA World Congress in Beijing on May 10, 2014.

On behalf of IAA, Faris Abouhamad, Chairman & Worldwide President, IAA, expressed his happiness and extended congratulations to the India Chapter and invited the Chapter President, Srinivasan Swamy, to receive the award.  Abouhamad praised the work the India Chapter had done in the past two years and said he was indeed pleased with the Chapter for making an outstanding contribution to the core values and mission of IAA – in particular, the providing of a forum for international industry debate, advocacy and professional development opportunities and an exceptionally healthy growth in memberships.  “The inventiveness shown by the India Chapter is commendable and will, I am sure, resonate to all other chapters so that we can hear about similar initiatives by IAA chapters in other countries,” he said.

While accepting the award, Swamy said that it was the cumulative result of the good work by all the Managing Committee members at IAA India. He also thanked the IAA members in India for their continuous support and involvement in IAA initiatives.

The Chapter Excellence Award (formerly called the Golden Tulip Award) is presented to the IAA Chapter judged to have made the best overall contribution to achieving the aims and objectives of the IAA over the previous two years. The award was established in 1957 by the IAA Holland Chapter. It was originally presented to the European company recognised for the best international advertising campaign. Then, at an IAA Pan-European meeting in Amsterdam on February 22, 1973, it was decided it would in future be for IAA Chapters in the European Area. From 1980 it was extended to embrace all Chapters worldwide.

Former Recipients of IAA Chapter Excellence Award:

IAA India Chapter is also proud that Pradeep Guha, its Past President and Area Director, IAA Asia Pacific, was honoured at the World Congress. He was the recipient of the Samir Faris Award this year, making him the 12th beneficiary since its inception in 1990. IAA established the Samir Fares Award in recognition of IAA President Elect Samir Fares who had an untimely demise. It is awarded to professionals in recognition of their outstanding service in furthering the objectives of IAA.

Past Samir Fares Award winners:

1990     Claude Chauvet                                             2002     Peter Combaz

1992     Archie E. Pitcher                                           2004     David Hanger

1994     Heather Leembruggen                                   2006     Michael Lee

1996     Gohei Kogure                                                2008     Jean Claude Boulos

1998     Loula Zaklama                                               2010     Hervé de Clerc

2000     Senyon Kim

Commenting on the award, Guha said, “I never expected this and I am humbled. I am thankful to the IAA Executive Committee and the Global Board for this honour. I do hope I can contribute more to further the cause of this respected body.”

Another important recognition went India's way when Faris Abouhamad announced that Pheroza Bilimoria be given the Honorary Life Membership of IAA for all her contribution to the global body. Bilimoria was till recently the Honorary Secretary of IAA Global and has been actively involved in IAA India Chapter since its inception. Ms Billimoria could not attend the Congress in Beijing.  She was therefore given the certificate of IAA Honorary Life Membership at the IAA Young Turks Forum event in Mumbai on June 13, 2014 by IAA India President Srinivasan Swamy. Bilimoria said, “I am so deeply touched, honoured and, most of all, humbled by this gracious recognition. I used to often sit in the audience at IAA World Congresses to admire and applaud those of my seniors who were the deserving recipients of this honour; so it came to me as such an amazing delight to find that I have now joined their ranks!”

It was an Indian Summer at the 43rd IAA World Congress. In addition to the top three awards mentioned, India born Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo Worldwide, was the recipient of the most prestigious IAA Award for her contribution to global marketing and advertising.

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