Abhishek Karnani Set to Step Down as IAA India Chapter President

Abhishek Karnani is set to step down as President of the International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter in September 2026, concluding a two-year tenure that began in September 2024.

During his term, the IAA India Chapter focused on three key areas: AI, skilling and industry conversation, with initiatives spanning technology, creativity, representation, leadership and sustainability.

Focus on AI and the Future of Creativity

Karnani’s tenure began as generative AI was moving from experimentation into boardrooms. The chapter’s focus was on exploring how the technology could be adopted while keeping human creativity, ethics, empathy and judgement at the centre.

The IAA brought AI into industry conversations through its IAA Conversations series, featuring speakers including Dr. Sanjay Pradhan, Dr. Manish Gupta of Google DeepMind and futurist Adjiedj Bakas.

The chapter also partnered with LinkedIn for a CMO Roundtable titled “Winning in the AI Era”, bringing senior marketing leaders together to discuss AI’s impact on decision-making, creativity and growth.

Building Skills and Representation

Skilling and representation were another focus during Karnani’s tenure. In association with Snapchat, the chapter organised an Augmented Reality learning workshop for emerging creative talent.

Through the IAA Voice of Change initiative, the chapter partnered with UNICEF and the Geena Davis Institute to address bias and gender stereotypes in advertising.

The initiative included roadshows at agencies including Ogilvy, VML, BBDO and Madison, eventually culminating in the India Advertising Midline Study.

Strengthening Leadership and Creative Platforms

The IAA also expanded its leadership and creative platforms during the two-year period.

The IAA Leadership Awards developed into a platform for leadership conversations, including a session with business strategist Dr. Ram Charan. The awards also recognised leaders including Uday Kotak, Dilip Shanghvi and Prasoon Joshi.

Meanwhile, the IAA IndIAA Awards continued to recognise creative excellence across the industry.

Sustainability Remains on the Agenda

The Olive Crown Awards continued to focus on sustainability during Karnani’s tenure, with the initiative working towards making the awards net zero in carbon emissions.

The chapter also strengthened its relationships with industry organisations including ad:tech, MMA Global and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).

These collaborations supported conversations spanning advertising, marketing, technology, business, policy and society.

Looking Ahead

As Karnani completes his term in September 2026, the IAA India Chapter moves into its next phase while building on initiatives undertaken during the past two years.

The chapter’s upcoming priorities include its contribution to AdAsia 27, which is slated to be held in India, providing another platform for the Indian advertising and marketing industry to engage with regional and global stakeholders.