Goafest 2025 has revealed its line-up of speakers for its 18th edition. The festival will host over 60 speakers across 35 plus sessions and 20 masterclasses from the advertising, media, and marketing world, along with a vibrant line-up of entertainers and celebrities from cricket and Bollywood.
Expanding the horizons of this year’s theme ‘Ignite __’, the event brings together industry stalwarts, including Rishad Tobaccowala, Youri Guerassimov (Marcel), Prasoon Joshi, Amarjit Singh Batra (Spotify), Geetika Mehta (Nivea), Vikram Mehra (Saregama), Karan Bedi (Amazon MX Player), P.G. Aditiya (Talented), Tejas Apte (HUL), Ankit Desai (Marico), Shubhranshu Singh (Tata Motors), Rajeev Jain (DS Group), Ajay Kakar (Adani Group), Arjun Choudhary (Swiggy), Sanket Prakash Tulangekar (MMT), Pragya Bijalwan (Voltas), Kanika Anand (Airtel), Aruna Daryanani (Amazon MX Player), Darshana Shah (Aditya Birla Capital) and Satya Raghavan (Google).
The speakers lineup also includes Ajit Verghese(JioStar), Bobby Pawar, Sonal Dabral, Rathi Gangappa (Starcom), Rashmi Sehgal (Zenith), Lulu Raghwan (Landor), Rajdeepak Das (Publicis), Deepak Dhar (Banijay), Yash Chopra (Amazon MX Player), Biprorshee Das (WARC), Sujeet Kulkarni (Lions Advisory), Karthi Marshan, Nisha Singhania (Infectious), Rubeena Singh, Shekhar Narayanaswami (Times Innovative), Sandeep Bommireddy (Adonmo) and Promita Saha (Karukrit).
Masterclass sessions at Goafest 2025 will feature a diverse set of industry leaders, including Nick Eagleton (D&AD), Senthil Kumar (VML), Vara Prasad (ITC), Krishnendu Dutta (Ipsos), Jayesh Moorjani (Google), Jayant Rajan (Meta), Gowthaman Ragothaman, Shahad Anand (Media Kart), Amogh Dusad, Anoop Menon (Meta), Debapriya Dutt (Earthday.org) and Karuna Singh (Earthday.org)
Cricket legend and India Team Coach, Gautam Gambhir will add star power to the festival alongside the celebrity line-up of Bollywood icons: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Suniel Shetty, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Vivek Anchalia, Luke Coutinho and Ram Madhvani.
“This year, we’ve designed the festival in a manner that delivers conversations that matter. Every session has been thoughtfully curated to offer value, be it through fresh perspectives, actionable insights, or future-facing ideas. In an industry that is adapting to the fast-evolving pace, we are excited to present yet another power-packed edition of Goafest, further strengthening the platform’s position as one that encourages learning, meaningful exchange, and forward-thinking dialogue,” said Publicis Groupe South Asia CEO and Advertising Agencies Association of India immediate past president Anupriya Acharya.
“Goafest has always stood for creativity that breaks boundaries. With ‘Ignite __’ as our theme, we’re spotlighting voices that inspire change and fuel bold thinking. This year’s line-up is designed to ignite new possibilities,” said Goafest 2025 creative mentor Rohit Ohri.
Ensuring that entertainment remains an integral part of the experience, Goafest 2025 will feature a live performance by Mika Singh, bringing his signature energy and stage presence to the festival.
With title sponsor Amazon MX Player, Goafest 2025 is scheduled to take place from 21 to 23 May at the Taj Cidade de Goa Heritage and Horizon, Goa. South Asia’s largest creative festival also introduces ‘Goafest Village’, a format that features multiple stages and experiences, including Advertising Plays, Advertising Rocks, and GoaFresh.
