MUMBAI: The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) announced the recipient of this year’s AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award as Srinivasan K Swamy popularly known as Sundar Swamy. This Award is the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for his/her outstanding contribution to the Advertising Industry. This award was instituted in 1988 by AAAI and so far 23 persons have been bestowed with it earlier.
Swamy is the chairman of R K Swamy Hansa , a prominent and well diversified marketing communications group. Since inception in 1973 as an advertising agency, the Group interests currently include creative & media, interactive & digital, health care communications, social & rural sector, communication, human resources communication, marketing analytics, market research, events & activation, retail identity, public relations, continuing medical education, global language work etc.
Making the announcement, AAAI president Dr. M G Parameswaran, stated that “If there is one person who has tirelessly worked for the advertising industry, for over two decades, in various industry bodies, it is Sundar Swamy. So in a sense it was an easy choice this year. We are hopeful that AAAI and its member agencies will have his continued involvement and inputs as we navigate the ever changing terrain of advertising business.”
Swamy has been active in various industry bodies working towards the growth and development of the Advertising industry. He was president of AAAI for three consecutive terms (2004 – 2007) and continues to take active interest in the activities of AAAI. He is the vice chairman of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), and a board member of Audit Bureau of Circulations. Swamy was also president of All India Management Association during 2008-09. He was the president of The Madras Chamber of Commerce & Industry (2008-10), Madras Management Association (2001-02) and the Advertising Club, Madras (1988-89).
He is serving his fourth term as the president of the India Chapter of International Advertising Association and was recently elected as senior vice president of International Advertising Association, the global body. Swamy is vice chairman of Asian Federation of Advertising Associations. Earlier he was chairman of Confederation of Asian Advertising Agency Associations during 2008-10.
In addition, Swamy is actively involved with socially relevant institutions for the improvement of society viz. 220 bed, multi-discipline tertiary care, Hindu Mission Hospital at Chennai catering to the urban poor and the surrounding rural areas; chairman of Valluvar Gurukulam School Society which runs a school for 2,800 poor students, primarily girls and vice president of National Boys and Girls Education Society, a premium education institution in Central Chennai which runs three reputed schools. He is also chairman of Vidyadhanam and Annadhanam Trust, a Vedic Padasala of Sri Ahobila Mutt and trustee in the Consumers Association of India and CONCERT.
The AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Swamy on 29th July 2016 in Mumbai.
