Mumbai: On the birth anniversary of its legendary leader Anil Kapoor, FCB Group India has instituted a special award-  ‘The Anil Kapoor Award for Excellence in Partnership’ in his honour. 

The company that is also celebrating its 60th anniversary this year announced this internal award to recognise talent that embraced the one value that Anil Kapoor held very dear – partnership. 

“Anil believed that strong brands were built on the foundation of strong partnerships. These were not just client-agency partnerships but partnerships that spanned the entire brand ecosystem," said FCB Group India chairman & CEO, Rohit Ohri. "Internal agency partnerships, network partnerships, client partnerships, brand-consumer partnerships. Today, on his birthday, I am proud to honour his memory and keep his flag flying high with the institution of this award.” 

Kapoor, an outsider to advertising took over an ailing Ulka Advertising in 1988 to turn it around not just into a ‘top five agency’ but also one that was recognised for building some iconic Indian brands. An industry captain with a strong voice, he was a proponent of the ‘strategic partner’ model for advertising agencies.

IPG Media Brands CEO Shashi Sinha, who worked closely with Kapoor for almost three decades and was a key member of his leadership team is equally thrilled about this award. “Anil never tired of emphasising the importance of partnership. For him, the partnership was not unidimensional. It all starts with talent. To provide long-term partnerships to clients’, we needed to have long-term partnerships with our people. Only then would we fuel a virtuous cycle of existence. And this Award truly embodies that philosophy."