Leo Burnett’s Murtaza Tajbhoy first Lankan to serve on AME Awards jury

Monday, 20 April 2015 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

AME awards conducted by Haymarket Group is region’s most celebrated festival which recognises effectiveness in advertising Renowned advertising strategist Murtaza Tajbhoy, Head of Brand Planning, Leo Burnett Solutions Inc. (LBSI), has been selected to serve on the respected jury of the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Festival and Awards show which will take place this May in Shanghai, China. Each year, the AME Festival brings together communications professionals and acknowledges campaigns that have delivered exceptional results. Tajbhoy is the only Sri Lankan advertising professional selected to participate on the panel of judges at the AME Awards show which is organised by

the prestigious Haymarket Media Group. The Haymarket group conducts the annual Campaign – Agency of the Year awards as well as the Spikes Asia Festival in partnership with the Cannes Lions. The Asian Marketing Effectiveness (AME) Festival is one of the region’s most significant effectiveness events, attracting senior marketers, heads of agencies, brand pioneers, consumer and customer insight professionals, and media owners. During the two-day festival, delegates have the opportunity to learn and be inspired by the greatest minds in the field, see showcases of the best in marketing effectiveness and honour the winning work at the AME Awards ceremony. This year’s theme of ‘Unpacking Effectiveness’ will examine what effectiveness means in the modern-day marketing environment. The Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards are designed to celebrate the outstanding collaborative efforts of client marketers and agencies. The Asian Marketing Awards have come to be recognized as the region’s most rigorous effectiveness competition and recognise work that has delivered the best results. Similar events also run to celebrate ground-breaking solutions and marketing challenges, however the Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards are considered the region’s premier marketing effectiveness awards show. Commenting on Tajbhoy’s nomination as a jury member, Ranil De Silva, Managing Director, Leo Burnett (LBSI), stated: “I am delighted that Murtaza has been selected to represent Sri Lanka as a jury member at the upcoming Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards festival, which is the region’s leading event for recognising work that has yielded exceptional results. I am also honoured that Murtaza from our team will be the first ever Sri Lankan to gain this honour and to be the only Sri Lankan representative on the panel of judges. “This is a significant achievement for Sri Lanka’s advertising industry and for Leo Burnett and it is also a worthy recognition of Murtaza’s professional success as a strategist with exceptional abilities. Murtaza has a contagious passion and enthusiasm for life and he doesn’t just fulfil his role as a Planner, he truly lives it. He’s constantly on a quest to find out what makes people and things tick. I believe that he will make a truly valuable contribution towards the success of the AME awards.” Tajbhoy’s career in the advertising industry extends over 16 years, all of which was spent at Leo Burnett. Today he plays a critical role at Leo Burnett by leading the agency’s strategic responsibilities. Murtaza underwent extensive training at Leo Burnett in India prior to taking up his current position. Today he formulates strategies for clients and brands in a cross-section of industry categories such as Telecom, FMCG, Retail, Banking and Education. He also has numerous Effie awards to his credit and is the author of many AME and APPIES winning case studies. Murtaza joined Leo Burnett as a Junior Brand Executive and rose to his current position as the Head of Brand Planning. He is a qualified marketer of CIM UK and has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He has also completed Leo Burnett’s Ad College programmes including the People Management Programme in Hong Kong. In 2013 he was named a Star Reacher of the Leo Burnett company and was invited to Leo Burnett’s head office in Chicago to celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary.