Celebrating India’s sound visionaries and audio excellence

Smita Rai serves as Vice Chairman of the IRAA Awards, where she leads the comprehensive management of the awards program from conceptualization through execution. Her responsibilities encompass category finalization, nomination management and segregation, jury coordination, and oversight of the final winner selection process. Additionally, she manages strategic partnerships with sponsors, nominees, and industry collaborators.

In her capacity as Deputy Project Director of the PALM AV-ICN Expo, Smita serves as Content Head, overseeing all content-related initiatives of the expo including Magazines, Awards Programs, Conferences, and Training modules. She directs the editorial and advertising operations for both PALM Expo and AV-ICN Expo magazines while serving as Conference Director for the PALM and AV-ICN Conference Programmes. She has extensive experience in media and communications, holding academic credentials in Media Criticism and Journalism from the University of Cincinnati.

Vijay Benegal is an Eminent Recording & Mix Engineer and Co-Founder, OdBIe Consultants. Vijay Benegal's career as an independent Sound Engineer has spanned close to three decades with experience on diverse sound recording and mixing projects for radio, films, television, and music albums. Artists he has recorded for include Ustad Zakir Hussain, Indus Creed, Shankar Mahadevan, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Ranjit Barot, and many more. Film recording projects have included album and background scores for Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Armaan, Kaante, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and others. He is also a Live Sound Engineer having worked with local and international artists such as Kailash Kher, Indus Creed, Slash, Niladri Kumar, Steve Smith, Louiz Banks, Dave Holland, Chris Potter and other luminaries. Vijay is currently touring with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as well as Ustad Zakir Hussain's Cross Currents.