Havas India has completed the fifth edition of Spark, its flagship internship programme aimed at providing emerging talent with hands-on experience in the advertising and media industry. Spark 5.0 focused on widening access to mainstream industry careers for persons with disabilities, including individuals with invisible disabilities, neurodivergence and medical conditions.
Over three months, interns worked on live projects across digital, production, content, copywriting and media teams. They gained first-hand experience of agency life through real assignments, collaboration and mentorship. The programme maintained the professional standards, expectations and learning opportunities of previous cohorts, with accessible onboarding, regular check-ins and workplace accommodations tailored to individual needs.
The initiative reflects Havas India's efforts to improve the representation of persons with disabilities in advertising and media. Recognising that barriers to employment can be interconnected, Spark 5.0 enabled participants to contribute and be assessed equitably without compromising the rigour of the internship.
The programme is rooted in Havas' People Experience (PX), an employee-facing framework built around five commitments: Belonging, Wellbeing, Learning, Career and Impact. Spark 5.0 brings three of these pillars into focus. Belonging allows persons with disabilities to contribute as themselves within mainstream agency teams, with adjustments tailored to their needs. Career provides hands-on experience across functions, supported by mentorship, collaboration and exposure to end-to-end agency processes. Impact extends beyond the internship by advancing disability inclusion, strengthening accessible working practices and creating clearer pathways into the industry.
Speaking about the programme, Vandana Tilwani, CHRO, Havas India, said, “The purpose of this edition of Spark was to create equitable access to opportunity. We wanted the interns to experience agency life in its truest form, working on live projects, contributing as part of a team and being evaluated on their capabilities and progress. At the same time, we recognised that inclusion does not mean treating everyone identically. No two experiences of disability are the same, which is why a one-size-fits-all approach would not have worked for Spark 5.0. We focused on each intern’s strengths, aspirations and support requirements, while ensuring that the quality and rigour of the internship remained consistent.”
She added, “The experience has deepened our understanding of what inclusion requires in practice: thoughtful design, responsive managers and the flexibility to meet people where they are. Our responsibility now is to carry these lessons into how we attract, develop and retain talent across the organisation.”
Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas India, Southeast Asia and North Asia (Japan and South Korea), said, “Advertising and media have a powerful influence on how people and communities are seen. If our industry is to represent society with greater understanding and authenticity, we need a wider range of lived experiences within the teams creating that work. Persons with disabilities remain underrepresented, not because of a lack of talent, but because access to the industry is often limited. Spark 5.0 reflects the kind of industry we want to help build, one where talent is recognised on merit and opportunity is not restricted by inaccessible systems or narrow ideas of who belongs.”
Barua continued, “It is our effort at Havas India to help address that gap through real work, meaningful responsibility and comprehensive pathways. The success of this edition gives us the confidence to expand the programme, while sharing our learnings and encouraging the wider industry to make disability inclusion part of its talent strategy.”
Havas India said designing a programme focused on persons with disabilities has deepened its understanding of accessible processes, inclusive working practices and the support required by teams and managers. Through Spark, the agency aims to contribute to a more representative industry where persons with disabilities are recognised for their skills, ideas and perspectives, with equitable opportunities to develop sustainable careers.
