The International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter, held a change summit titled Voice of Change: Gender Portrayal from 30 seconds to 3 hours, where the important conversation on gender parity, as seen in media, was brought forth in a day of discussions, debates and research findings.

Voice of Change harkens the need of a more sensitised and inclusive narrative in content and all the creative minds present here – content creators, brand custodians and students are the powerhouses behind creating and marketing that content now and in the years to come, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, chairperson, IAA Women Empowerment Committee and head – Hindi Mass Entertainment and Kids TV Network, Viacom18, said. “The IAA has stepped up and brought all this learning and more out in the public eye and today through this summit takes on the critical role to not only educate and inform but also empower effective change.”

The day started with an address by chief guest Poonam Mahajan, MP North Central Mumbai, followed by a keynote address by academician Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research and a special address by Arjan De Wagt, officer in charge – deputy representative programmes – UNICEF India.

“For UNICEF, gender equity is a critical agenda and foundational for all the work UNICEF does worldwide. For societies to flourish, it is vital to increase the value of girls and that needs to happen right through her lifecycle. When a woman is pregnant, when a girl child is born, when she is growing… is she getting adequate nutrition, is she given equal opportunities to go to school, is she getting access to basic health care and is she being skilled and empowered. We as a society have to collectively ask ourselves these questions and take actions to change norms that create gender inequalities,” Arjan De Wagt, added.

The summit also saw names such as Manisha Kapoor, CEO and secretary general of Advertising Standard Council of India (ASCI); Nitesh Priyadarshi, vice president consumer and market insights South Asia, Unilever; Santosh Desai, MD, Futurebrands Consulting, Ramesh Narayan, a veteran of the advertising industry, among others.