Sam Balsara

Sam Balsara is the founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Madison World and Madison Communications. Balsara is an awarded senior professional in the Indian Advertising Industry.

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

In 1986 Balsara decided to work on his own and started his advertising agency Madison on 21 March 1988.

Balsara served as President of the Advertising Club Bombay1989-1992, Chairman of Advertising Standards Council of India 2000 to 2001, President of Advertising agencies association of India 2002 to 2004, Chairman of Triple A (Advertising Agencies Association of India) Awards,Member of Board of Governors of Advertising Standards Council of India.

• 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

• "Sam Balsara receives AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2009". India Infoline. Retrieved 26 February 2015. 
• "FROM DAD, WITH LOVE – SAM BALSARA AND LARA BALSARA". Verve. Retrieved 26 February 2015. 

Balsara with his wife Homie have two daughter Tanya and Lara. Balsara’s elder daughter Tanya is visually handicapped and runs a small computer institute and teaches similarly visually impaired. Younger daughter Lara joined Balsara’s business as Director Business Development, after completing her masters in marketing from Bristol. Lara is married to Kaizad Vajifdar, a pilot with Air India.