mvp - the master's voice podcast

Nachiket Deole, the Head of Sales for India at DoubleVerify, a digital media measurement company that offers transparency and security in the advertising industry, speaks with series host Pavan R Chawla, who is Founder-Editor of MediaBrief.com.

DoubleVerify is known for powering performance for the world’s largest brands, marketplaces and publishers and brands to make advertising better and effective by ensuring ads are seen by real people in the intended geographies in brand-safe environments helping protect brand-reputations online and authenticating media quality on every screen. 

Nachiket shares how his company stands out from others by providing effective solutions and more industry accreditations. He discusses DoubleVerify's offerings and highlights the importance of uniformity and apples-to-apples comparisons across platforms and matrices, especially in a fragmented digital ecosystem. 

Nachiket also talks about four fundamental shifts in the advertising industry and suggests potential solutions to privacy-friendly technologies and solutions. The conversation also touches on privacy compliance, challenges during the pandemic, educating customers, and the importance of measuring campaigns to gain customers' trust.

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We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

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• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

This, the 80th episode of our award-winning series MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast from MediaBrief.com, features an accomplished marketing leader with a global powerhouse in hospitality – Khushnooma Kapadia, Senior Area Director of Marketing, South Asia – Marriott International Inc.

Khushnooma drives marketing across 144 operating Marriott International Inc hotels across South Asia and India, and is a leader who joined Marriott way back in 2003 when the group had just 3 hotels in India, with the JW Marriott in Mumbai’s Juhu launched just about then. Today, Khushnooma heads marketing for more than 124 hotels in India alone (at last count when we recorded this episode some time back).

So, Khushnooma is a professional who, across her 19 years with Marriott International, has lived by the belief that it is important to learn, not jump jobs for a hike, to help grow — and to grow with – your organization. That really is also Khushnooma’s simple but very valuable advice for every young professional seeking a career in marketing – balance your needs, and more than other things, keep two: job satisfaction and learning and development, front and center.

We speak of the legacy of the Marriott brand and how it has deployed its best global practices to carve its own space amongst Indian patrons.

Speaking of a key group strength, Khushnooma quotes from Bill Marriott's vision, which, she says, also  describes how the entire ecosystem at Marriott International Inc operates. ‘He said: Take care of your associates, and your associates will take care of your guests.’

Khushnooma tells me also of what helped Marriott become the number one global hospitality brand in India and speaks of the important pillars of any hotel operations, including the crucial ‘hygiene’ pillar of the room division, and Food & Beverage – that great aggregator of positive perception and an excellent reputation from all the restaurant outlets and banquet facilities, and other top priorities going ahead.

The hospitality industry that was flat-lined by the near-death blow it received during COVID, is now up and running, and Khushnooma and her team are working to spread the good word about Marriott International Inc’s responsible, experiential, benefits- and satisfaction-filled hospitality and holiday services that, she says, are today considered an essential, and not viewed as a burdensome cost by individuals and corporates alike.

Khushnooma tells me about the marketing strategies and beliefs of Marriott International and emphasizes the importance and responsibility of every professional across the spectrum to continuously learn and upgrade their knowledge of new trends and their application.

Khushnooma also tells me ho

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We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

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Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

Delighted to welcome, to the 79th episode of our award-winning MVP – The Master’s  Voice Podcast series, a respected leader from global advertising, marketing and more - Sean Donovan, President Asia of Tbwa, which, as ‘the Disruption company’,  prides itself on developing disruptive brand ideas that change culture and drive impact. 

Sean brings a rich and powerful combination of experience, knowledge, strategy, delivery and thought-leadership to TBWA.

He is charged with further advancing TBWA's  position across the Asia region, with the continued ambition to deepen the company's specialist units in analytics, data consultancy and e-commerce,  and continuing to drive creative excellence across the entire brand-experience journey and approach that has paid off with 2021 and 2022 being the best years of revenue growth for the Region.

One word spread across five tenets of leadership: From the get go, Sean’s off with a clincher of a reply to  my first question of what he brings to the TBWA table from a rich, rewarding and proven career: Culture, he says, which he believes is something that's underestimated quite a lot.

Sean swears by the power of 'purposefully building culture in organizations'. Culture, across five primary facets, which are: a culture of community, a  culture of product, a culture of talent, a culture of performance, and a culture of change. 

Sean believes in agility, versatility, and not only  embracing change, but  embracing it quickly.

TBWA – The Disruption Company: Sean speaks about how 'disruption thinking' and delivery is a 30-year-old commitment for TBWA.  He tells me how disruption fits into a landscape where the industry seems increasingly commoditized. 

And while disruption is a process in which data is a very important input as are other aspects like analytics and  the mind that works on disruption, he also revels on being asked how important and strong the TBWA culture allows the gut to remain in that disruption mix.

 Sean also speaks of the TBWA pillars, brands and more, and how TBWA’s India operation fits into the collective’s global strategy. He is excited about the infusion of senior talent at TBWA India, with K Russel having joined TBWA Delhi as Chief Creative Experience Officer, or CCEO rather than CCO, as also Ranjeev Vij having joined them as COO to lead operations in Delhi.

Sean also speaks about how brands seem to be moving to scale back on ad spends in tough times. He shares his views on awards shows and their relevance, and speaks about his favourite ads from very recent times. And much  more. 

Do listen in. Thank you, s always, for your time. 

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We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

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Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

This, the 74th episode of our award-winning MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast, features Midhula Devabhaktuni, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder, Mivi, in conversation with host Pavan R Chawla, who is also Founder-Editor of MediaBrief.com. 

Midhula leads leads and manages the marketing and sales part at Mivi. 

Conceptualized in 2015 and several years in the planning, design, creation and rollout, Mivi today is a growing, significant player in the consumer wearables electronics industry, powering the category by creating great customer delight thanks to its world-class products designed and created for India, delivering top quality at appreciably lower prices and, very significantly, making in India every single product of the more than 140 it sells across the country. Thereby adding far more value than those just importing and reselling similar products. 

Midhula tells me about how, her husband Viswanadh and she, well settled in well paying careers in the US, decided to return to India and created Mivi in 2015. 

Today Mivi is making a strong impact in the consumer wearable electronics segment is a solid #3 in the category, and growing with speed tanks to its products, all of which are  made in India (the top 2, to our belief, are only importing and reselling and do not manufacture in India). Midhula says, ‘the Mivi products  are better than any International brand,  and people are Vocal for Local’.  

She also shares her belief that Mivi’s Made in India products are poised to change the face of consumer electronics across wearables and more categories in India, over the next few years. 

Because… well, Midhula’s one mantra for Mivi is: No one can promote your product better than a happy customer. And Mivi, as Midhula says and I definitely agree,  is thriving on that count.

This, and much more in the latest episode of MVP – The Master’s Voice  Podcast. Listen to the conversation with Midhula Devabhaktuni, Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder at Mivi.

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

My guest on this, the 73rd episode of our award-winning MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast Series, is Harsh Pokharna, Co-Founder and CEO of OkCredit, which is empowering the underdogs of India’s retail story through solutions that solve various pain points for small store owners

Harsh had envisioned a career as an entrepreneur ever since he graduated from IIT Kanpur in 2014, and his vision was ‘to create a business that can transform at least a billion lives with the power of technology solutions’, and along with his co-founders Gaurav Kunwar and Aditya Prasad, Harsh created OkCredit, a digital Bahi Khata app for small vendors in 2017.

Together, the three built OkCredit to bring small and medium businesses online, and they have turned the feet-on-the-street model of distribution on its head -- jockeying on digital and the power of the network to grow the reach of the company, which is continuing to cure various pain points for small-store owners.

In fact, ever since it graduated to its lending business around 15 months back, OkCredit has disbursed around INR 120 CR, with most loans of Rs 50000 or Rs 100000,  at an average ticket size of Rs 75000, for six to 12 months’ term, and with a very low delinquency rate of 1.5% on 90DPD (Days Past Due) on its out-standings; that is lower than the industry average. This, as one can imagine, has helped the small and modest members of the OkCredit community from India’s retail sector no end.

What’s more, NBFCs are now trusting more and more the OKCredit score on creditworthiness of every candidate even as they do their own stringent due diligence for each.

So tune in to what OkCredit does for and brings to its member-community, which today is 3 million-strong and steadily growing community of registered merchants spread across 95% pin codes all over the country, as Harsh said to me before we started recording. When you consider the total number of such small businesses – around 70 million, per a recent government estimate – that would also need funding for their expansion plans, which they can definitely replay without delinquency,  but unfortunately are unable to get such funding from banks, one can see the terrific potential of OkCredit and the vision of Harsh and his two co-founders to empower the underdogs of India’s Retail Story.

Harsh is also a young professional leader who has been featured in the Forbes 30 under 30 list and the Asia 2020, and is a true true believer of the OK philosophy - End of the day, it's all OK.

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

The  distinguished guest in this, the 64th episode of our award-winning series MVP – the Master’s Voice Podcast, is the 'Genome Man of India',  Sam Santhosh, Founder & Chairman, SciGenom. Sam speaks with Pavan R Chawla, Founder-Editor of MediaBrief.com.

On this episode of MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast, in a wide-ranging conversation, Sam Santhosh tells me about his journey from being a very successful millionaire IT Entrepreneur in Silicon Valley to becoming the ‘Genome Man of India’.

He speaks of how Genomics will change the way medical treatments are provided today, the Research and Development initiatives in India, and whether he believes India will be able to rise in its scientific stature to compete with the developed countries. And the current gaps in the R&D sector

Sam also shares how he sees the diagnostics sector developing in India, the Bio Economy, and the future of genomics and its contribution to Healthcare in India.

Sam also speaks about the AMDP (Advances in Molecular Diagnostic and Precision Medicine) conference that rolls out today, the 15th of September 2022,  for 3 days till the 17th of September inclusive, in Chennai.

 The AMDP conference is the first of its kind in India, and will focus on molecular diagnostics and the developments in the space, as also in precision medicine. The conference will bring as much of the possible global advancements into India for healthcare professionals here.

SciGenom’s AMDP conference in Chennai will also give some 15 to 20 startups the opportunity to present what they are building, and apart from healthcare and AMDP professionals, will also see venture capitalists attending. Highlights of this strongly knowledge- and networking-driven event to help unlock strong value for Healthcare in India will be several top experts from the AMDP space.

And much more.

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Sam founded  SciGenom in 2009  to leverage the science of the Genome. The company believes that understanding the structure of the DNA and deciphering (or sequencing) the genetic code is the most significant achievement of our species to date. 

With this vision in mind, SciGenom set out to become the first Genomics incubator in India with DNA Sequencing and Bioinformatics as a ‘Horizontal Technology’ which could solve problems in different verticals like Healthcare, Agriculture and Drug Discovery. 

Having set up their first research lab in Kerala, and attracting talent from scientists from the USA, EU and Canada, SciGenom quickly trained local scientists to perform research activities as per global standards.

Sam is a science-savvy e

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

This, the 63rd episode of MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, features pre-eminent thought leader and industry enabler and evangelist Biren Ghose - Chairman CII National AVGC Committee, and Country Head - Technicolor India. Biren is leading the CII team on the major upcoming 3rd Global AVGC & Immersive Media Summit covering Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics, that  will roll out across two days on the 29th and 30th of August 2022 at the Hotel Lalit in New Delhi.

Biren is has been empowering the Media & Entertainment industry for the past more than 20 years. Biren has been doing that not just through the remarkable leadership and growth he has provided to Technicolor India as country head, but also as Chairman for the CII National Committee for AVGC and the Vice Chair for CII’s Media & Entertainment Committee.

The Consortium for Indian Industry, the CII, has always been a very significant enabler of enterprise across sectors in India, and is now set to roll out perhaps the first, single most important in-person (and not virtual) event – the 3rd Global AVGC & Immersive Media Summit covering Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics, that  will roll out across two days on the 29th and 30th of August 2022 at the Hotel Lalit in New Delhi.

Considering the significant contribution of Animation, Video, Gaming and Comics in the digital space, and the quality of immersive-ness they empower digital media with for consumers, I believe the CII Immersive Media Summit is the single largest and most significant on-ground event post-Covid,  that every professional, promoter and associate connected with the AVGC space in India and elsewhere, must make it a point to attend.

My conversation with Biren, the druid of M&E, covers  the amazing past delivery and the potential of the AVGC industry as a trailblazer within the overall M&E landscape, and how he, as an enabler and industry statesman, sees the AVGC sector playing out over the next few years trajectory and growth. Biren speaks of the drivers of the AVGC industry, including what it is doing to content creation and consumption, and whether and how it is expanding audiences, or perhaps taking share from other existing forms of entertainment.

Biren also shares why AVGC has become a strong government priority, and offers advice and guidance on how India can realize the enormous potential of AVGC. And that future growth in the space will likely be driven by the ABC of AVGC.

Biren offers a deep dive into the upcoming 3rd Global AVGC & Immersive Media Summit, why it deservedly is a standalone event, what it will showcase including some of the important sessions, and what every participant can expect to take away from the event. 

This, for  me, has been a truly insig

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

This special episode of MVP The Master's Voice celebrates India's Independence Day and features Ravi Kumar, Founder and  CEO of udChalo in conversation with Pavan R Chawla, Founder-Editor  of MediaBrief.com .
 
 As our Nation celebrates Independence with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, we are honoured and delighted to bring you a very special episode to record which, we were honoured to welcome the young, visionary, inspirational leader – Ravi Kumar, Fonder & CEO of udChalo --  a company that is “dedicated to serve our Soldiers, the Heroes whose courage, gallantry, and commitment to protect our Nation's honour is incomparable.” 

In fact, udChalo is purpose-driven by the mission to provide the best services for the Services – the entire armed fraternity, its officers, soldiers, their families, dependents and survivors. 

Now in its 10th year, udChalo has done remarkable work for the Services, and I recorded this episode only on Friday the 12th of August 2022 with Ravi who travelled to Mumbai for the recording. 

We had promised ourselves we would edit, package and master the episode as our own small but heartfelt tribute to that most amazing community of Indians, the best of the best – our Armed Forces and their entire fraternity. This episode is MediaBrief.com’s salute to the Services, and also an expression of gratitude to udChalo, which has been serving India’s  Armed fraternity with pride and gratitude.

Thank you, Ravi Kumar, and the entire team at udChalo. More strength to you.

udChalo, founded and led by Ravi Kumar, an engineering graduate from Pune with an LLB degree and an alumnus of the 1-year Stanford Seed program,  is powered by its primary rocket-fuel of purpose-driven service to the Armed Services of India.

And Ravi, my guest on this very special episode, has always been a strong, focused and of course very capable leader who has seen the company achieve a solid 495% CAGR from FY 2014-15 to FY2020-21. 

udChalo has been recognized by the ‘Fastest Growing MSME’ award  twice, and when Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented Ravi Kumar with the  award in January 2022 for udChalo’s performance over the previous year, the citation recognized the company’s ‘innovation and service to society’.

And Ravi himself has won several prestigious awards including 40 Most Influential Asians Under 40, 2019; 50 Best Leaders Of 2020; Young Entreprenuer of Year 2020; National Startup Award 2021; and First Generation Entrepreneur 2021 By MCCIA, among others.

Trade can be learnt; trait cannot be taught, says Ravi.  And, of course, the passion and commitment with which he work through udChalo for the Services, bespeaks the rarity of the cloth this business leader is cut from.

Listen in Ravi Kumar, Founder and CEO of udChalo on this,

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

My distinguished guest on this episode of our award-winning podcast series MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast, is Anish Bafna Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Healthium Medtech Limited. 

Healthium Medtech Limited is a company I have enormous respect for – it has redefined the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission, and walks the talk miles ahead of its other respected contemporaries in the space of Medtech, as the largest independent Medtech entity in India.

Listen to Anish Bafna’s inspiring story of vision, purpose and commitment, which should inspire not only startup leaders but even the senior-most, successful entrepreneurs, including, I’m confident, all his peers and competitors alike

Today, Healthium Medtech Limited is the largest direct sales force in medical devices and has created access to more than 18000 hospitals and 40000 surgeons covering 90% of districts in India with secondary healthcare facilities. They focused from Day One on the Operation Theatre and on contributing to enabling for every surgeon through their surgery products, the smoothest, most precise and effective procedure to help every patient transition to quick, full recovery. Healthium, with eight manufacturing plants in India and with all the top global certifications including from the USFDA, today exports to 80 countries – in fact, one in five surgeries globally uses a Healthium product.

Anish and I speak about the growth and impact of Healthium and its four pillars of product and innovation focus and growth,  the healthcare industry and segments with special emphasis on the Medtech segment in India. Anish tells me how he thought about creating Healthium Medtech and the opportunity he saw when he began doing so in 2018, in a market that was fragmented and where the medical devices industry was strongly dominated by MNCs, and Indian players had remained small.

Anish also shares how he is working with the government and industry bodies on the side of policy development, and also speaks of the CSR activities that Healthium is engaged in.

A Continuum of Care: And while Anish tells me about the recognition and awards his company and he have received, Anish also shares vision for Healthium for the remainder of 2022 and beyond, in the spirit of ‘Making in India, for the World’. Anish envisions Healthium will remain focused on continuing to provide what he calls A Continuum of Care. In line with that, among other initiatives, Anish and his team will soon set up a standalone innovation centre in Noida housed in a building of its own.

From Anish’s narrative about Healthium’s remarkable growth, it is laudable how Healthium has been driving the Athmanirbharta (self-sufficiency) initiative for medical devices for India.

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

My guest on this, the 58th episode of our award-winning podcast series MVP – The Master’s Voice, is Communicator and Coach Nikhil Dey - Executive Director, Adfactors PR. Nikhil brings a strong and significant mix of 20 years of distinguished experience in both, the agency and corporate sides of communications. He is also a big believer in the power of coaching to catalyse positive change, and particularly over the past few years, has been mainlining on what he describes as ‘Building teams in times of trouble; unlocking ideas and creating impact.’ This aspect hijacked our conversation, as did the significant new Social Impact and ESG practice that Nikhil has partnered in creating for his agency -- India’s biggest, most awarded and highly respected, Adfactors PR.

We speak about the Why, the What, the USPs and the strengths of the Social Impact and ESG practice, and about how Nikhil has been helping create a work culture where the teams can do their best work at Adfactors PR. 

How does what Nikhil does as a coach intersect with the communications world? What's proven a crossroads between the two for him, Nikhil tells me, is his obsession with ‘Finding fantastic. Finding the alignment between the human being and the human doing’. 

The agency is sharply focused on employee well-being, engagement and L&D, and in continuously growing an environment that allows high performing teams to deliver excellent work to hundreds of clients. In that part of our conversation, Nikhil provides what is certainly a strategic deep dive that would benefit every consultant and service provider, team leader and member across agencies seeking insightful guidance to provide professional excellence of the highest standards.

Nikhil, who has also been training  corporate leaders on multiple aspects of strategic communications and public relations for several years now, recently got certified as a coach. 

We speak of the areas Nikhil provides coaching in, and how what he does as a coach intersects with the communications world. And what's proven a crossroads between the two for him, Nikhil tells me, is his obsession with ‘Finding fantastic. Finding the alignment between the human being and the human doing’. 

Nikhil shares what’s  been his biggest learning over the last few years when it comes to leading a team, and how his primary focus is on bringing together the parts crucial to the whole of a solid work environment. These parts are Work Culture, Client Centricity, Collaboration and Innovation, and Nikhil believes that what stitches them best together is team safety at various levels. 

All this and more, in this, the 58th episode of MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast that

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

The 56th episode of  MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast series, features Ronnie Screwvala - Chairperson & Co-Founder of upGrad,  and the wonderful first-generation Indian entrepreneur, philanthropist, opinion leader and  author and a truly remarkable and inspiring, visionary enterprise leader who exemplifies the MVP acronym of Most Valuable Player in our podcast series title.

Along with upGrad, which  zeroes in on the massive Online Education market and the fact that Learning for every working professional is now a lifelong commitment, Ronnie also co-founded The Swades Foundation (along with his wife Zarina), which is committed to empowering one million lives in rural India every 5-7 years through a 360 degree model spanning Water, Sanitation, Health, Education and Livelihood,  to help lift them out of poverty permanently.

These initiatives stemmed from Ronnie’s desire to deepen his commitment to making India a better place through a focus on two of the largest sunrise sectors - Online Education & the not-for-profit rural / social space.

In this episode, which will benefit startups and investors alike, Ronnie shares rich insights on a gamut of areas, from a beautiful mid point between investor and startup owner, but that’s just the point he speaks from. Ronnie’s words, as anyone who knows him, are pure, direct, plain-speak, sans any mincing.

From the perspective of someone who has built and is scaling a global enterprise like the remarkable UpGrad, Ronnie speaks about the macro picture in the EdTech space, and  shares his views on whether he believes money talks during the phase of building a business when investors and capital seem to be the most important thing.

On his clear vision and plan for upGrad over the next 3 to 5 years, and whether he will merge, sell or list, Ronnie says he is absolutely fixated on Building upGrad to not just last, but to outlast. That is a total and complete commitment, and while listing might be an option, he says selling never was, and never will be. 

On the fact that India has crossed 100 unicorns, Ronnie speaks of the need to be balanced between the champagne of celebration and the deep thought of introspection. He believes it is incorrect to assume that for K12, which has been the darling of everyone from investors to media to consumers, the honeymoon is over because the K12 model built by companies so far is under stress -- purely because there is a massive opportunity for K12 in India.

Ronnie shares how, despite having raised the least amount of cash, UpGrad has scaled very well with only a little capital. He shares his vision and approach, and his view on if, with more capital, UpGrad would have been at a different scale than it is at present.

His answer to a p

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

 My guest in this, the 54th episode of the award-winning MVP - Master's Voice Podcast series, is Anuj Kumar, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue & Operating Officer at Affle, which is counted amongst the top 300 public-listed companies in India.

Affle is a global technology company with a proprietary consumer intelligence platform that delivers consumer engagement, acquisitions and transactions through relevant Mobile Advertising. Affle aims to enhance returns on marketing investment through contextual mobile ads and also by reducing digital ad fraud.

Anuj has played a pivotal role in building and growing Affle,  leading it to achieve a highly credible customer base, with his team working with several top marketers globally to help deliver end-to-end mobile advertising, technology and data analytics-driven solutions.

Affle transforms Ads into Recommendations with Consumer Insights-Led Solutions. It deploys its deep-learning, AI-powered algorithms to transform ads into consumer recommendations to deliver enhanced ROI and engagement. So brands can discover and identify their most valuable potential users and then acquire and re-engage them through Affle's platforms.

Affle aspires to create greater impact through Vernacular and Verticalization, through unique and integrated consumer journeys for marketers to help them get more out of their advertising. Affle’s solutions aim to reach >10Bn connected devices including Smartphones, Connected TV, personal wearables, and smart household appliances. So Vernacular helps create hyper-personalised actionable advertising and delivers integrated on-device experiences to consumers in their own languages, and Verticalization helps achieve higher conversions with targeted contextual advertising to drive exceptional ROI through deeper vertical-specific insights.

Anuj brings more than 20 years of relevant media and advertising industry experience. Prior to Affle, he worked with large global media companies like ESPN STAR Sports, GroupM Mindshare and JWT. Anuj holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Stephen's College and a Master’s in Advertising & Communication from MICA in India.

In this episode, Anuj speaks about the vision that led to the inception of Affle – from how he thought of founding a mobile martech company in 2005 when iOS / Android plans were yet to be announced, to the recent past when the company put in a remarkable Q2 & Q3 performance. What drove the performance, and some major achievements of Affle in the last year.

Anuj also looks forward, and shares the Affle2.0 Strategy and how Affle is delivering on the end-to-end needs of the marketer? We speak of the importance of cross-screen advertising and how it helps a brand stand out in a crowded app world, especially in a market like

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

In this, the 53rd  episode of MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast series, which is   based on conversations with MVPs (Most Valued Players / Professionals) across important sectors of the Industry – we bring you a titan of the Indian Advertising and Marketing industry; someone who, needs no introduction to any practitioner in the space, because he goes by the name of Sam Balsara. Founder, Chairman & MD of Madison World.

More than half a decade of creating avenues for remarkable growth, guidance and mentoring for the entire advertising industry in India. And for the past 34 years, Sam has been an entrepreneur, first launching his feisty, innovative, creative and remarkably effective agency Madison, which he helped evolve and grow beautifully into Madison World. 

On this, the 53rd episode of MVP - The Master’s Voice Podcast, Sam is a very happy man. Especially today, the 5th of May 2022, when this episode goes live  to coincide with the return of the sorely missed and eagerly awaited Goa Fest, which Sam and, indeed, the entire A&M industry has been waiting for to resume. 

So while Sam’s been looking forward to the return of GoaFest, here’s a message he wants to send out through this episode. “What I would request all the participants to do,” Sam tells me, “is to try and attend all the seminars… which provide the opportunity of broadening and widening your mind and horizons by listening to different points of view,  which I think is very important in ultimately shaping your career.”

Sam speaks of several things, including the big highs from his career. Sam counts starting Madison on his own as a big high;  also, winning the Media AOR mandate for P&G is another big high for him, because it signaled the arrival of the Media AOR in India, where there was no concept of a Media AOR prior to that win. In fact, Sam focused the Media AORs in those days, Coca Cola, Airtel, ITC and other very large prestigious AORs of TVS, who is still with Madison. When AORs first started, they were only buying AORs; but over the years, Sam and his team managed to convert the Buying AORs into buying and media planning APRs. 

Once Lara entered the business, Sam says they pursued an aggressive diversification strategy, inspired by the success with the AORs to focus on unbundling, on specialization. Because by then they had a cadre of specialists who took pride in their work and business, and who became super experts, and the Media AOR specialists delighted clients with high value services to clients without concomitant costs. Soon, they had specializations and specialists for Outdoor, PR, rural and more. The formula was to hire super specialists. That design worked rather well, Sam says. 

Sam also admits to a major pitfall, “of my own doing. In India," he says, "I took the

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.

MVP, the Master’s Voice Podcast – our series based on conversations with MVPs (Most Valued Players / Professionals) across important sectors of the Industry, features global advertising great and The Caples Awards Guy, Patrick Collister in conversation with Pavan R Chawla -  host of the award-winning MVP - The Master's Voice, and Founder-Editor of Mediabrief.com.

The peerless Patrick shares some amazing thoughts and insights about advertising, creativity, the entire calendar of the upcoming Caples Awards 2022 -- his fifth edition as custodian of the most celebrated, un-mercenary awards that can perhaps accurately be described as the most aspirational for the Creative fraternity all over the world. Not crowded with categories and sub-categories, unlike some leading international awards the entry fees for which perhaps demand that every agency worth its creativity salt must put aside a million USD a year for its awards entries budget!

Listen in!

Want to pitch someone to be featured?

We have two podcast series: MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast, and MediaCast. Both are published by MediaBrief.com.

So, if you want to pitch someone to be considered for our podcasts, here's how you can do it:

• First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram.
• Then, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and also share links to your profiles that are following us.

Connecting socially is something we believe in and advocate. So go ahead. Reach out. We're happy, social souls.