IAA Voice of Change Gurugram Roundtable Brings Industry Leaders Together to Strengthen the Conversation Around Inclusive Advertising

The India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) hosted the IAA Voice of Change Roundtable yesterday at Taj City Centre, Gurugram, bringing together leaders from advertising, marketing, media and content to discuss the evolving landscape of gender representation and inclusion in the industry.

IAA Voice of Change is a pioneering initiative by the IAA India Chapter dedicated to fostering more equitable and inclusive representation across advertising, media and content. The initiative encourages storytelling that challenges stereotypes and promotes more progressive and authentic narratives.

The Gurugram roundtable continued the conversation started at the Mumbai Roundtable in July, where the IAA Voice of Change Midline Study, India Advertising Midline: Gender Representation and Inclusion Trends, was unveiled, offering valuable insights into the industry’s progress and the areas that still need attention.

The research was conducted by the Geena Davis Institute (GDI) which analysed gender portrayal across the 1,000 most-viewed multilingual Indian advertisements on television and digital platforms, benchmarked against the 2021 baseline.

The Gurugram edition brought together diverse voices from across the advertising and marketing ecosystem to examine the findings of the study and explore how the industry can translate insights into meaningful action.

The programme featured a panel discussion, ‘IAA Voice of Change: Shaping the Future of Inclusive Advertising,’ moderated by Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Chairperson, Women Empowerment Committee, IAA India Chapter, with Ayshwarya Sharma, Executive Creative Director – Innovations, Leo India; Virat Khullar, Head of Marketing, Hyundai India; Akanksha Jain Bahl, global associate director, Pepsico; and Jitender Dabas, CEO, BBDO Group India.

The panel explored the challenges of achieving more inclusive representation in advertising and how meaningful representation can contribute to stronger brands and business outcomes. The discussion also examined the wider role of advertising in shaping perceptions, influencing opinions and, ultimately, helping shape the culture and society we live in.

(L-R): Ayshwarya Sharma, Akanksha Jain Bahl, Jitender Dabas, Virat Khullar and Nina Elavia Jaipuria

The roundtable also featured a fireside chat – ‘Beyond the Headline: Challenging Bias in Representation’ between Megha Tata, Co-Chairperson, Women Empowerment Committee, IAA India Chapter, and Padmaja Joshi, Managing Editor, NDTV. Joshi shared numerous personal anecdotes and insights from within the newsroom, including how women were brought in to cover and present ‘soft stories’, how she showed resistance towards it, and how it has evolved.

Padmaja Joshi and Megha Tata

Nina Elavia Jaipuria, Chairperson, Women Empowerment Committee, IAA India Chapter, said, “It was encouraging to see the panel explore whether advertising should simply mirror society or use its influence to help move society forward. The conversation was a strong reminder of the role our industry plays in shaping how people see and understand gender and relationships. While representation is evolving, stereotypes continue to find their way into advertising. We need to recognise these gaps, challenge the norms that hold us back and create work that shifts perceptions and builds more inclusive brands. That is the opportunity before us as an industry. Let’s continue to break the bias.”

Megha Tata, Co-Chairperson, Women Empowerment Committee, IAA India Chapter, added, “The Gurugram conversation reminded us that inclusive storytelling is not a single-function responsibility; it is shaped by the choices made across the entire communication ecosystem. The exchange of perspectives today, particularly around how gender, representation and familiar narratives intersect, showed the value of creating spaces where the industry can question, listen and learn from one another. For Voice of Change, the next step is to carry these conversations beyond the room and turn greater awareness into more intentional choices in the work we create.”

Nina Elavia Jaipuria and Megha Tata

While the needle is shifting, considerable work remains to be done. To build on this momentum, the conversation will shift to Bengaluru continuing the dialogue on how the industry can drive meaningful change.