WARC Awards APAC 2025: Nikhil Rao and Leo Burnett’s Abhimanyu Khedkar named jurors

New Delhi: Nikhil Rao, Chief Marketing Officer at Mars Wrigley India, and Abhimanyu Khedkar, Managing Partner at Leo Burnett India, have been selected as jury members for the WARC Awards Asia-Pacific 2025, representing India.

The jury panel of top industry experts from across the region represents a wide selection of global and local brands such as Budweiser, Kraft Heinz, Mars Wrigley, Stand Chartered, Suntory PepsiCo and Telstra, as well as leading agencies including Dentsu, IPG Mediabrands, Leo Burnett and Ogilvy.  

The WARC Awards Asia-Pacific 2025 jury is named as:

• Matt Che, Chief Marketing Officer, Budweiser, APAC - jury chair

• Abhimanyu Khedkar, Managing Partner, Leo Burnett, India

• Ada Almendras-Lazaro, Marketing Director, McDonald's, Philippines

• Allen Cai, Chief Marketing Officer, Kraft Heinz, Mainland China

• Brent Smart, Chief Marketing Officer, Telstra, Australia

• Cindy Eliza Vaz, Chief Digital Officer, IPG Mediabrands, Malaysia

• Erica Kerner, Managing Director, Global Head of Brand Partnerships & Events, Standard Chartered, Singapore

• Hajime Yakushiji, Creative Director, Dentsu Inc., Japan

• Jolene D'Souza, Group Strategy Director, Special NZ, New Zealand

• Nikhil Rao, Chief Marketing Officer, Mars Wrigley, India

• Ruby Sudoyo, Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy, Indonesia

• Venus Teoh Kim Wei, EVP Marketing, Suntory Pepsico Vietnam Beverage, Vietnam

Jury chair Matt Che, Chief Marketing Officer, Budweiser, APAC, said, “The WARC Awards have a long history in APAC, which is the only region to be awarded two WARC Grands Prix in 2024. So, I'm excited and looking forward to reviewing the 2025 entrants and meeting with the team of experts who will come together to select the winners!”

John Bizzell, Awards Lead, WARC, added, “We’ve convened a fantastic jury of highly respected professionals from across Asia-Pacific to bring expertise and cultural insight to the judging process. We very much look forward to working with them as they select the best work of the region that is strategically brilliant and delivers commercial impact.”  

The jury will award Gold, Silver and Bronze accolades across 12 categories: Brand Purpose, Business-to-Business, Cultural Impact, Customer Experience, Instant Impact, Long-term Growth, Channel Integration, Channel Pioneer, Partnerships & Sponsorships, Path to Purchase, Use of Data, and Strategic Thinking. 

The jury chairs of all the regional awards - Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America, and North America - will together award the highly Grands Prix.