Prasoon Joshi, chairperson - APAC, McCann Worldgroup, CEO and CCO, McCann India, (to be chairperson, Omnicom Advertising India) is set to receive the Advertising Agencies Association of India's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Acknowledging this feat, in a conversation with Manifest in the December issue (which can be purchased here), Joshi stated that while he’s thankful for the honour, the next chapters are ‘waiting to be written’.

“Awards acknowledge the path one has walked, but creativity has no finish line. This recognition reminds me that the most compelling chapters are still waiting to be written. This honour is a responsibility to bring everything I have learnt—and am still learning—into the next leap, and to help shape the creative future we are stepping into,” he said.

Joshi stated the industry is now at an inflection point, where human imagination and AI-enabled possibilities are reshaping how brands speak, behave, and build meaning.

“India today has the scale, cultural depth, and self-belief to influence the world. AI now places powerful tools in our hands—to craft ideas that matter, that travel, that resonate,” he explained.

“The world is changing faster than our definitions of creativity. So, the benchmark must be reimagined through work that is creatively fearless and technologically fluent. We have to continue raising the bar, be it on the ingenuity of ideas, the depth of talent, and Indian creativity’s creative voice on the global stage,” he added.

For the next generation of ‘advertising superstars’, Joshi’s advice is to not chase fame, but instead chase craft.

“Build range, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to stand for something,” he summarised.