Ad Club names Deshpande, Chakravarty, Kamble and Khazanchi as jury chairs for Abby Awards 2025

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Ad Club names Deshpande, Chakravarty, Kamble and Khazanchi as jury chairs for Abby Awards 2025

The Abby Awards powered by One Show unveils star-studded jury lineup for design, audio and direct

Deshpande, Chakravarty, Kamble and Khazanchi

MUMBAI: The adland gods are assembling—and they’ve got a brief to judge. The Advertising Club has unveiled a glittering lineup of jury chairs for the Abby Awards 2025 powered by One Show, naming four creative titans to lead key categories ahead of India’s most anticipated industry celebration at Goafest this May.

The new jury cohort includes Ashwini Deshpande, Ashish Chakravarty, Raj Kamble, and Ashish Khazanchi—each a bonafide heavyweight with enough trophies to sink a conference table.

Elephant co-founder & director Deshpande takes charge of the design category. A pioneering force in India’s design scene, Deshpande has spent 35 years building one of the country’s most respected independent design consultancies. With a résumé thicker than a Pantone swatch book, she’s judged Cannes Lions, The One Show, Spikes Asia, and LIA, among others. She currently serves on the jury for Singapore Good Design Awards 2025 and mentors start-ups via TiE.

McCann Worldgroup executive director & India head of creative Chakravarty will lead the Audio jury. The man’s got over 500 awards under his belt—One Show, Cannes, Clio, D&AD, you name it—and has chaired or served on nearly every awards jury worth attending. Known for blending big ideas with brand precision, Chakravarty brings sonic sensibilities and sharp storytelling instincts to the panel.

Out of home and ambient? That’s Kamble’s turf. Famous Innovations founder & CCO has made a career out of smashing boundaries—from Lowe London to BBDO New York to founding one of India’s most disruptive independent agencies. His awards shelf holds over 150 trophies including Cannes and One Show golds, and his agency has bagged South Asia Independent Agency of the Year nine times in a row. Now that’s a media buy with ROI.

Enormous Brands managing partner & CCO Khazanchi takes charge of the Direct category. He’s the brain behind iconic brand launches like Tata Sky’s Jingalala and Lenskart’s first major campaigns, with over 300 national and 50 international awards to his name. Known for his sharp eye on consumer insight and startup flair, Khazanchi is no stranger to turning simple ideas into scaleable results.

The Abby Awards 2025 powered by One Show will take place on 21–23 May at the Taj Cidade de Goa Heritage and Horizon, as part of Goafest 2025—jointly hosted by the Advertising Agencies Association of India and The Advertising Club.