Piyush Pandey to receive 2024 LIA Legend Award

Piyush Pandey, former global chief creative officer at Ogilvy, is the recipient of the ‘Created for Creatives LIA Legend Award’. He will accept this award on 1^st October at Las Vegas in the presence of London International Awards (LIA) jurors, onsite Creative LIAisons attendees and speakers, as well as the global press.

Pandey is the second creative person to be bestowed this award by LIA. The first recipient was Mark Tutssel, former global chief creative officer of Leo Burnett Worldwide and creative chairman of Publicis Communications.

According to the organisers, the LIA Legend Award is given to an industry leader, past or present, who through their talent, vision, and generosity has demonstrated outstanding creativity. These relentless mavericks should have displayed their commitment to build up the creative industry through their indefatigable creations and ability to mentor others.

Barbara Levy, president of LIA, said, “We look for someone who has reshaped the industry for the better. More than that, it must be someone who not only has a wealth of knowledge and experience, but generously shares it with emerging talent.”

She added that Pandey has shaped Indian advertising, as well as, gifted his knowledge to the global advertising world. “Like all advertising legends, it is his work that tells the best story. Pandey epitomises all the qualities David Ogilvy said great leaders should possess—bravery, idealism, curiosity, playfulness, candour, intuition, free-spiritedness and persistence,” she stated.

LIA described Pandey as the man who put Indian advertising on the world map. Terry Savage, LIA chairman, stated, “In giving this award to Pandey, we recognise someone who has openly given back to others in an extraordinary way. Over and above that, he has been a role model, inspiration and creative champion to so many people, people who follow his achievements and because of this have gone on their own creative journey.”

Accepting the honour, Pandey said, “I am truly delighted and humbled to be the recipient of this award. I believe that my success is based on a lot of team members. Like cricket, even the best player cannot win alone. I have succeeded to whatever extent because of an amazing team; each a rock-star and they make me look good.”

Pandey joined Ogilvy & Mather in 1982 and was later appointed as Ogilvy India’s executive chairman in 2004 and served as global chief creative officer for two decades. In January this year, he moved into an advisory role.

The ad man has been bestowed with several awards over the years, including the Padma Shri in 2016, which is one of the highest civilian awards in the country. He is also the brain behind popular ad campaigns for brands including Fevicol, Asian Paints, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Vodafone.