Portfolio Night 2025 powers up India’s next-gen advertising talent

New Delhi: The One Club for Creativity, in collaboration with BBDO India, DDB Mudra Group and TBWA\ India, concluded the fourth edition of Portfolio Night 2025 in India, a career launchpad that connects emerging talent with the country’s influential creative leaders.

Positioned as a proving ground that cuts through traditional hiring barriers, the event gave young creatives direct, one-on-one portfolio reviews, actionable feedback and networking with senior industry jurors. 

Registrations closed 72 hours ahead of the deadline. Over 115 participants attended for focused reviews across design, planning, direction, content writing and allied disciplines, underscoring the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of modern advertising. 

A total of 35 jurors dedicated time on October 6 for the virtual pan-India round and on October 7 for the in-person Mumbai edition.

The Mumbai evening opened with an address by Josy Paul, Chairperson and CCO, BBDO India. “We don’t need you to fit in; we need you to stand out. To make us uncomfortable. Challenge us. Shake us. Make us see the world through your eyes. We don’t need replicas of what’s been done. We need sparks. We need your light. We need your truth,” he said.

Sumit Kumar won the Mumbai in-person competition and Kareena Batija topped the virtual pan-India edition. Both will advance to The One Club’s global Portfolio Night All-Stars program, where city winners collaborate on a live brief from the exclusive global sponsor, Google. 

The program features intensive seminars and recruiting sessions with international leaders. The winning global All-Stars team will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to New York City to present their campaign at Creative Week 2026.

Speaking about this year’s experience, Rahul Mathew, CCO, DDB Mudra Group, said, “Portfolio evening has been a long-standing partnership between Omnicom and One Club. And it’s a reflection of our belief that talent is the only real asset we have as an industry. We’re always grateful to all the CCOs who turn up every year to support this initiative. This is about us spotting, encouraging and giving the next generation of talent the opportunities or even belief that they deserve.”

Russell Barrett, Chief Creative Experience Officer, TBWA\ India, added, “It is always amazing to engage and interact with the next generation of creative talent. In an age of generative AI and mass-produced creativity, Portfolio Night is the best opportunity for us to interact with the raw and pure talent of these young creatives.”

Jury Panel — Mumbai

Abhijit Awasthi, Founder, Sideways Consulting; Anusheela Saha, Creative Head, DDB Tribal; Hemant Shringy, CCO and Managing Partner, Wondrlab; Josy Paul, Chairperson and CCO, BBDO India; Kainaz Karmakar, CCO, Ogilvy India; Kapil Batra, President, Lowe Lintas; Kartikeya Tiwari, Digital Creative Partner, FCB Group India; Neville Shah, CCO, FCB Kinnect and FCB/SIX India; Pallavi Chakravarti, Founder and CCO, Fundamental; Parikshit Bhattaccharya, CCO, BBH India; Rahul Mathew, CCO, DDB Mudra Group; Roshni Kavina, NCD, L&K Saatchi and Saatchi; Russell Barrett, CCEO, TBWA\India; Siddhesh Khatavkar, ECD, DDB Mudra Group; Sindhu Sharma, NCD – North, Enormous; Shruthi Subramaniam, ECD, BBDO India; Swati Bhattacharya, Global Head, Lightbox Creative Lab; Vikram Pandey, CCO, Leo South Asia; Viren Noronha, Co-founder, The New Thing.

Jury Panel — Virtual

Akshay Sheth, ECD, Ogilvy India; Geet Rathi, Independent Creative Director and Design Director; Harshada Menon, ECD, DDB Mudra Group; Monish Gupta, ECD, Havas India; Nilay Moonje, Creative Head and ECD, Sideways Consulting; Nitin Pradhan, Creative Head, Leo South; Pooja Manek, Creative and Founding Member, Talented; Pragati Rana, Regional Creative Officer – West and Founding Partner, Tgthr; Puneet Kapoor, CCO, Ogilvy South; Rohit Mukherjee, ECD, TBWA\ India; Ruchita Zambre, Creative Head, TBWA\India; Shruthi Subramaniam, ECD, BBDO India; Shyam Nair, ECD, 22feet Tribal Worldwide; Snigdha Malhotra, Senior Creative Director, BBDO India; Sourabh Dubey, GCD, DDB Mudra Group; Vishnu Srivatsav, NCD, 22feet Tribal Worldwide.