Sam Balsara Explained

Sam Balsara is the founder, chairman and managing director of Madison World and Madison Communications.^{[1] [2]}

Early years

Balsara was born in Balsar, now called Valsad, Gujarat. His father was a forest contractor, and due to his work the family later moved to Bangalore. Balsara graduated from St. Joseph College, Bangalore. He completed his MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai in 1970. He worked as a marketing executive at Sarabhais and Cadbury. Later, he switched to advertising, working with Hindustan Thompson Associates (the current J Walter Thompson).^[3]

Madison

Balsara started the advertising agency Madison on 21 March 1988.^[4]

Association

Balsara was president of the Advertising Club Bombay (1989-1992), chairman of the Advertising Standards Council of India (2000-1), president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (2002-4), chairman of Triple A (Advertising Agencies Association of India) Awards, member of the Board of Governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India.^[5]

Awards and recognition

• Media Service Person of the Year 2004 at the Dainik Bhaskar Indian Marketing Awards 2004
• Ranked 5th most influential person in the Indian Advertising Industry by Brand Equity Ad Agency Reckoner 2005.
• Ranked 50 most powerful people in Indian Marketing, Advertising and Media Business by Pitch magazine
• Ranked 4th most powerful person in Indian advertising by Mid-Day in June, 2004
• Kolkata Ad Club Hall of Fame
• AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award for 2009^[6]
• Srijon Samman Award 2012 by Sangbad Pratidin

Family

Balsara and his wife Homie have two daughters, Tanya and Lara.^[7] Balsara's elder daughter Tanya is visually handicapped and runs a small computer institute and teaches similarly visually impaired people. Lara joined Balsara's business as director, business development, after completing a master's degree in marketing from Bristol University.^[8] Lara is married to Kaizad Vajifdar, a pilot with Air India.^[9]

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Shah . Gouri . 2013-03-29 . Madison is my life, I’ll never exit the business: Sam Balsara . 2023-11-17 . mint . en.
2. Web site: 2013-01-21 . Q&A: Sam Balsara, Chairman and MD, Madison World . 2023-11-17 . business standard . en.
3. News: How I Did It: Sam Balsara. 26 February 2015. India Inc.. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140924222115/http://www.growthinstitute.in/emagazine/jan10/resource-center.html. 24 September 2014.
4. News: Print media ad spend expected to cross Rs. 16,000 cr this year. 26 February 2015. Amrita Nair Ghaswalla Mumbai . 21 February 2015 . The Hindu.
   - Web site: A professional manager cannot match up to the owner manager's professionalism, gut-feel, intuitiveness, ability to assess risk. Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu. 13 April 2010. Money Life. 26 February 2015.
5. Web site: Sam Balsara. Bloomberg. 26 February 2015.
6. News: Sam Balsara receives AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2009. India Infoline. 26 November 2009. 18 August 2019.
   - News: FROM DAD, WITH LOVE – SAM BALSARA AND LARA BALSARA. 6 October 2014. 26 February 2015. Verve.
7. News: Adding on the charm in Sam Balsara’s Madison World. Marina Correa. 26 December 2009. 26 February 2015. DNA India.
8. News: Pritha Mitra Dasguptaurl. Quiet Flier. 24 November 2017. 18 August 2019. Outlook Business.
9. News: Sam Balsara to daughter Lara: Embrace motherhood at the earliest. Pritha Mitra Dasguptaurl. 20 November 2014. 26 February 2015. The Economic Times.