pavan r chawla

My guest in this episode of MVP – The Master’s Voice Podcast series Master’s Voice Podcast, which is   based on conversations with MVPs (Most Valued Players / Professionals) across important sectors of the Industry – features Beerud Sheth - Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the phenomenal unicorn GupShup.  (And remember, Beerud is the man who also created and launched Elance, which today, is the remarkable billion-dollar Upwork.)  

The brand philosophy of GupShup stems from Beerud’s vision of ‘A future where it's as easy for a customer to chat with a business as it is with a friend’, and that philosophy and DNA has well and truly unlocked the power of conversational messaging – to the remarkable extent that today, GupShup powers around 80 of the top 100 unicorns of India through it crucial and empowering services. 

Brands like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Infosys, Truecaller, Flipkart, Ola, Zomato and HDFC bank are using Gupshup’s messaging services to engage with their customers.

I learn that the primary ingredients in GupShup’s magic potion are ‘personalization,  at scale, offered in a human way’. With personalization enabling businesses to develop and nurture one-on-one relationships with their customers; scale providing businesses the ability to create and manage dynamic connections with their customers, employees and partners at scale, and the human way personifying businesses by humanizing the product, technology and interactions with their stakeholders.

Gupshup  became Indian 6th unicorn raising $100 Mn from Tiger Global, valued at $1.4Bn. 

It has entered the food and beverage sector with the launch of Restaurant Solution that has digitized hundreds of restaurant outlets online across India and the UAE.

GupShup launched its Messenger API for Instagram to help businesses engage. It has also rolled out conversational OOH ads across Mumbai, plus a WhatsApp-based commerce solution.

It recently acquited New Jersey-based Dotgo to strengthen the platform and enter new markets, and also acquired cloud telephony platform Knowlarity to strengthens conversational engagement portfolio.

Beerud speaks of the launch and growth of GupShup, and offers interesting insights into the ‘SPACE’ acronym, with which he powers the work culture across the organization. 

He also speaks of what’s changed after Gupshup became a unicorn, and where he sees AI/ML/NLP in general and Conversational AI in particular, headed over the next couple of years. And, of course, his larger Conversational AI vision. 

So for all this and more, listen to brilliant, innovative creator of enterprises of lasting value, Beerud Sheth, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

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.

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 44th episode of MVP- The Master’s Voice Podcast – our series based on conversations with MVPs (Most Valued Players / Professionals) across important sectors of the Industry – features K E Ranganathan, Managing Director - Roca Bathroom Products Pvt Ltd, the 100% subsidiary of the Spain-based Roca Group which is a world leader in the definition of the bathroom space.  Ranganathan speaks with Pavan R Chawla, Founder-Editor of MediaBrief.com. 

Ranga – as he is fondly called – heads the global Roca brand’s India operations and tells me how he has helped the India team lead in revenue growth across the massive 175-plus global markets Roca footprint. 

Ranga holds in paramount importance the legendary Akira Mori’s 5H values-attitudes-focus string of Humility, Humanity, Humour, Hope, and Health. And also believes that that there are no dull markets. Only dull managers.

Ranga is a graduate in commerce from Madras University, an Associate of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and an Associate member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI). He is also a Fulbright Scholar, and comes with more than 33 years of experience in finance, accounting, business planning, strategy, marketing & sales. 

Ranga has held senior positions in various companies in Murugappa Group and TVS Group. 

Not new to Roca Bathroom Products Pvt. Ltd, Ranganathan joined Murugappa Group in 1994 where he was Head of Finance for Parryware division and later took charge of the Sales & Distribution division. During his stint with Parryware, Ranga brought a whole new perspective by refurbishing the key processes and focusing on result orientation, leading to sales growth at a CAGR of 25%.

In 2005, Ranganathan headed Parryware business as the CEO and played a key role in transforming the business into a Joint Venture company with Roca Spain.

Ranga works closely on creating new strategies and opportunities to drive growth and further consolidate the company’s leadership position, and does that surrounded by toilets and bathroom fittings most of his working day. 

In this episode, he speaks about the journey and growth of Roca and Parryware in India, how they tackled the pandemic,  the USPs of the brands and the most popular products, his marketing beliefs and strategies and some interesting campaigns, plus his outlook for the subsectors he operates in, and also offers an extended piece of advice for youngsters that I believe everyone professional will find very useful. And more.

So join me in my chat with K E Ranganathan, MD – Roca Bathroom Products Pvt Ltd for an insights-filled conversation. With Ranga. Thank you for your time.

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.

Our very special guest on this episode of MVP, the Master’s Voice Podcast -- our series based on conversations with MVPs (Most Valued Players) across important sectors of the Industry -- is Priya Chakravarty, Senior Director – HR at Essar Capital Limited!

Essar Capital is at the threshold of another big growth spurt, and of course, its biggest strength has always been its People, and as Senior Director – HR, Priya plays a crucial role in strengthening the People practices across Essar Capital. 

Priya is responsible for managing HR for International businesses and Corporate Functions, and also handles Learning & Development there. So, championing and empowering the diverse talent required at Essar Capital Limited across multiple sectors and sub sectors and levels  is a large and truly complex  mandate that Priya has been excelling at delivering on.

A post-graduate in Organisational Dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania, Priya deploys rich learnings from more than 20 years of experience in Human Resources, bringing in to bear her work experience from across industries like Manufacturing, Pharma, IT and Retail. In her previous assignment as Chief People Officer – Hometown & Ezone, Priya was responsible for driving a transformational HR agenda that focused on organisational culture, building a talent pipeline, and initiating and aligning all people practices to business achievement.

In this, the 42nd episode the Master’s Voice Podcast, our MVP conversation ranges across how Priya and her team rose to meet the first shock and challenge of the lockdown and how they kept all Essarites reassured, protected, connected and productive. Priya speaks of how her HR team at Essar Capital Ltd worked to get the individual and collective mindsets to a place of comfort with change, which, she says,  became the bedrock for engagement, productivity, reassurance and protection.

Priya speaks of important deployments such as real-time communication, the in-house Radio Essar,  empowering of employees with the tech and training to continue working from home comfortably and effectively, also providing them with ppen communication channels with doctors, counsellors, leaders and management, plus substantial work on renewing learning methodology by building digital training programs and creating an ecosystem of learning partners to produce and deliver content rapidly to a broad base of employees.

So here's a fascinating account of how Priya Chakravarty, Senior Director - Human Resources at Essar Capital Ltd, and her team kept employees informed, engaged reassured and productive. I hope you find it as insightful and beneficial as I did. 

Thank you for your time.

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 40th episode of The Master’s Voice, I bring you a conversation with someone I’ve always admired --  in equal measure  for her career and professional achievements in the Media & Entertainment space, and for the kind of wonderful person she is -  Simran Hoon, Chief Executive Officer at The Q India. She is one of the youngest women in a senior C-level leadership role in M&E in India.

Before joining The Q, Simran was Executive Vice President and Head of Ad Sales at Viacom18, where the team successfully established COLORS channel as the leader in revenue amongst all Hindi general entertainment channels.  Simran, who brings 25 years of stellar workex to TheQ, has worked in various leadership positions at leading media and entertainment conglomerates such as Zee Entertainment Enterprises, Star India and Sony Entertainment Television, where, incidentally, both of us were colleagues as part of the team that launched Sony Entertainment Television in India.

The Q, as we know, is a truly unique offering that aims to cut the clutter in linear television, and for which Simran, after she took over, has helped build a strong and robust entertainment ecosystem. Under her custodianship, the Hindi general entertainment channel has witnessed exponential growth in the industry with several milestones.

The Q takes the best of curated content from social and digital to the family television set. And this exciting offering primarily targets the Tier 2 and 3 cities and towns, and, of course, by virtue of its content, is relevant and interesting to the Tier 1 markets too.

• Simran speaks about The Q, its biggest USPs, the kind of audiences it appeals to and its growth curve since launch in India on the back of the power of special, angular, different-from-run-of-the-mill-Hindi-GEC content. 
• She recalls launching a GEC during the pandemic without much marketing at all, and how the channel has grown since its launch on DD FreeDish. 
• Simran speaks of the The Q’s content strategy across curation, creation and acquisition, and the opportunities and challenges of formatting an FPC for a channel that doesn’t dish out only the usual 3-breaks-4-segments kind of 23-minute episodes dished out in half-hour slots. She also shares how advertisers have responded to The Q, and gives us a little whiff of some exciting future plans across digital and regional

As CEO at The Q, Simran leverages her experience and insights to provide strategic direction to create new opportunities for the company and to drive organizational growth.

With a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management (PGDMM) from The Times School of Marketing, New Delhi, Simran worked as a Senior Officer with The Times of India Group, thu

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 39th episode of The Master’s Voice podcast series, passionate entrepreneurial leader, Mukesh Kalra – CEO of ETMONEY, speaks with Pavan R Chawla about India’s largest app for financial services that is simplifying the financial journey of new-age Indians. Consumers use ETMONEY to invest in zero-commission Direct mutual funds for Free, protect their families with unique Insurance solutions & use ETMONEY Credit Card to take instant loans at low-cost.

Mukesh, a passionate entrepreneurial leader who brings more than 15 years of experience in building businesses and products from scratch in the Fintech, consumer, internet and mobile advertising spaces, has helped grow ETMONEY at 350% yearly on the back of multiple innovative solutions to reach more than 10 million users from more than 1400 Indian cities and towns, driving more than INR 20,000 crores of non-payment annual transaction volume on its platform.

Before heading ETMONEY, Mukesh was one of the core members at InMobi and helped build it from concept into the world’s largest independent mobile ad network. He then launched his own fintech firm, Moneysights, which was later acquired by Times Internet, Times Group. And over the last 5 years, of course, Mukesh has led ETMONEY to be one of the largest and fastest growing investments and wealth management firms in the country.

In this episode, Mukesh speaks of his own Fintech journey and that of ETMONEY – from concept to launch to its current growth. He speaks, also, of the current investment trends and Fintech landscape in India and the future outlook. Mukesh speaks of the investing habits and behaviours of the new generation of investors joining the investment bandwagon, and shares very interesting information about ETMONEY users, along with the excellent category-defining USPs of the service.

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 38th episode of The Master’s Voice podcast, Pavan R Chawla brings you a conversation with one of FM Radio’s finest professionals, B Surendar - Chief Operating Officer & Director, Red FM network.  One of the thought leaders in the FM radio industry in India, Surendar, over the past 16 years, has been playing an important role  in helping shape the success of the Red FM radio network, which has grown in India from 7 stations in 2005 to nearly 70 stations now across the country, reaching around 52 million listeners.

• In this episode, Surendar shares his views and provides multiple insights that would not only help inform and educate young professionals but also inspire peers who, like he himself, are working to evangelize the FM Radio industry in India.
• Surendar outlines his interesting education and early career graph, and shares how he transitioned from working with reputable, research-oriented pharma companies, and how he eventually found himself at the Indian Express, which marked the beginning of his beloved and successful media career. He speaks of the impact of the pandemic on the FM Radio industry.
• He also busts some myths about the Radio industry, and discusses the need to evangelize the medium. Surendar is upbeat about the great power and relevance, and potential of Radio, which he says, is poised for strong growth in India

Surendar is active in industry forums and has been a part of many award-winning initiatives for the network. He is also known for his penchant for building teams, mentoring revenues,  and maintaining high standards of business ethics and integrity. He has an MBA in Marketing, and had a stint with pharma MNCs  Organon & Hoffmann-La Roche  before moving to the media industry in 1996. His personal interests include world affairs , sports , movies , music and travelling.

During his more than 25 years of senior-management experience in the media industry, Surendar has earned peer respect as a turnaround specialist  by handling tough assignments with aplomb and consistently achieving top- and bottom-line objectives of the companies he has worked with.

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 latest episode of the MEDIACAST podcast series from MediaBrief.com, is a remarkable young lady, Sitara Menon - India Head of Marketing at OkCupid, the international dating app, writes Pavan R Chawla, host of MediaCast and founder-editor of Mediabrief.com.

On this episode of MediaCast, Sitara  speaks about how, if you're looking for love and you register with OkCupid, its artificial intelligence, algorithms and more will help you  Find Your Kind. 

As a marketer, storyteller and Indian millennial who grew up battling Bollywood’s definition of romance, Sitara  helped define OkCupid’s position in their first international market – India – and under her direction, OkCupid has gained recognition for its messages of inclusion, affirmation, and commitment to helping Indian daters find a serious relationship on their own terms. 

Sitara is an alumnus of the reputed Xavier’s Institute of Communication, or XIC as it is popularly known,   and brings more than 10 years of work-ex to the table, which includes stints with Anita Dongre, Jaipur Living, and AID INDIA, where she converted brands into a force of good. 

And in this episode, Sitara, in her smiling and disarmingly forthright manner, gives us an  overview of OkCupid's journey so far in India, and how has it fared amongst Indian audiences.  Sitara also speaks of how OkCupid has been carving out a community for itself in a market filled largely with traditional matrimonial apps or new-age casual-dating apps, by creating a superior product for Indian users to find ‘their kind of love’. And, of course, how the concomitant marketing efforts are directly correlated to that objective.  

And if you seriously want to know how the intelligent, solid-tech-intensive OkCupid platform interacts with ‘daters looking for love’ and invites them to share essential information about themselves so that profiles can be created and matched, well, Sitara not only gives you the lowdown on that, but also shares some great advice on how one can create a real good dating profile, too.

So for all this and much more about this meaningful, AI-driven international dating app called OkCupid, well, you’ve found the perfect guide – Sitara Menon, India Head of Marketing – OkCupid, on the MEDIACAST, the second podcast series from MediaBrief.com, in conversation with me, Pavan R Chawla. 

Tune in! And thank you for your time. And if you’re one of those w

We have two podcast series: MediaCast, and MVP - The Master's Voice Podcast; both, published by MediaBrief.com. To pitch someone for either series, do this:

1. First, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram. Listen to, comment on, like, share, repost 3 episodes from each series so we know you've heard them and know the content profile for spokesperson-pitch-fit.
2. Next, write to us at pavan [at] mediabrief dot com and alliances [at] mediabrief dot com, and share links (from 1 above) to your profiles that are following us, plus links of your shares and reports of the particular episodes from your social media platforms.

Thanks for your time. We'll be happy to hear from you.

My guest on this, the 36th episode of The Master’s Voice podcast series from MediaBrief.com is  a distinguished expert, Abbas Akhtar, Chief General Manager Brand & PR at Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), where he has held and shone in the position for the past two years. However, Abbas brings a total of 34 years’ experience to his complex, demanding, and what he describes as ‘very fulfilling responsibility’ of leading Corporate Communications  at BPCL – one of India’s biggest Maharatna giants.

In his current role, Abbas is responsible for building the communication strategy and planning  and executing it across platforms while maintaining integrity across all marketing and communication initiatives of the company.

Apart from handling Corporate Public Relations & Brand, Abbas has also had experience in heading marketing activities of Highway retailing and leading brand initiatives in the Retail Business Unit encompassing retail fuel stations pan India.

Abbas Akhtar has also worked extensively in the Aviation Fuel Industry, representing Bharat Petroleum,  and has developed command over almost all the facets pertaining to Jet Fuel Marketing and Operations.

In this episode of The Master’s Voice, Abbas speaks of the size and scale of BPCL and the purpose that it drives, and which drives it, in the service of India.

He speaks of how the BPCL brand promise of ‘Innovation, Care & Reliability’ is ingrained in the company’s DNA, and how the team has been gearing up to take it to new levels.

Abbas shares BPCL‘s Comms philosophy and beliefs during COVID, and the company’s campaigns and initiatives to communicate  its mission, commitment and purpose – all of which have helped BPCL keep literally fuelled  and powered, the nation’s ‘wheels’ to keep it growing.

Abbas also shares insights from the company’s purpose-driven campaigns. He also speaks of the kind of media and marketing mix BPCL uses to reach out to both — its massive consumer base across India, as also to its associates and the businesses that partner it across the length and breadth of the country.

Abbas, who handles a mandate that is as complex as it is crucial, also shares how he organizes and manages teams working across a large number of complex verticals, and how BPCL is well served by its Umbrella Branding Strategy. Young marketers seeking to arm themselves for the fast evolving digital marketing space, will find helpful insights on what Abbas believes they need to brush up on to remain relevant and grow.

All this, and more, from the soft-spoken, passionate and accomplished Abbas Akhtar, Chief General Manager – Brand & PR at BPCL. What you will hear in the episode is a truly inspiring Aatmanirbhar Bharat story that BPCL has been scripting a

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 35th episode of The Master’s Voice on MediaBrief.com, I bring you a conversation with Phil Hardman, Senior Vice President and General Manager of BBC Studios Asia.  BBC Studios, as we know it, is the global content company with British creativity at its heart, and in India too, has been amongst the most respected creators of content production and sales empowerment for television, and now the OTT space too.  

Phil – who took over as GM for BBC Studios Asia after his roles leading the BBC’s commercial strategy across Asia and Greater China, and the BBC’s China business for the first half of 2020 – shares interesting insights about  the Studio’s recent re-launch of its popular children’s channel CBeebies in India after 8 years, the characteristics of the overall Asia market and the uniqueness of the India market within it and   BBC Studios India the content and associations it has created and driven so far, his outlook for India and the region; a bird’s-eye-view of the OTT transformation and growth during the pandemic; how the formats business adapted to the pandemic, and current and upcoming format trends. He also speaks about supporting platform partners and the associations and partnerships BBC Studios India has in the India market, including with Sony BBC Earth, and others.

So, for insights from Phil Hardman based upon his extensive knowledge of, and experience in,  the South- and South-East Asia,  South Korea and Japan markets, tune in to this episode of The Master’s Voice. We give you Phil Hardman, Senior Vice President and General Manager of BBC Studios Asia.

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 Change Podcast with SAMIR K MODI - Soch Badlo Khudko Badlo, Duniya Badlo (change your thinking, change yourself, and change the world), is the brainchild - indeed, mission -- of one of India’s most progressive and successful business leaders, the inspirational Samir K Modi, Managing Director of Modi Enterprises.

In this, the first episode, Samir speaks about why it is important to change one’s thinking (soch).

The Change Podcast with Samir K Modi  has been created with the hope that it will be a thought-provoking series. Literally. Because it is all about how, by changing one’s thinking (soch, in Hindi), one can change oneself and everything else around oneself, for the better. So it’s a series that will inspire fresh thinking. In a way that would actually help trigger change for good -- across personal and professional spaces, surroundings, city and nation. 

Samir first uttered the words Soch Badlo, Khudko Badlo, Dunia Badlo   at a Modicare seminar, and when he reflected on what he had said, he knew that the spirit of those words had always guided him across his entire eminently successful entrepreneurial journey and career, and also in his personal life – inspiring him, always, to help everyone possible. 

And since the words changed his life and helped him positively impact millions of people, Samir has decided to share the insights of his experience with as many people as possible, and hopefully inspire them too. Through this straight-from-the-heart series, The Change Podcast with Samir K Modi - Soch Badlo Khudko Badlo, Dunia Badlo  which features him in conversation with senior media expert Pavan R Chawla.

Listen in. We hope it inspires you. And do write in to sochbadlo@modi-ent.com to  share your feedback and let us know what you would like us to cover in future episodes.  Till then, stay safe. 

My distinguished guest on  The Master’s Voice podcast series is Alok Tandon, Chief Executive Officer, Inox Leisure Ltd -- an industry leader and statesman for the massive theatrical exhibition of Entertainment industry in India, We caught up in anticipation of cinema halls reopening across the entire state of Maharashtra on Friday, the 22nd of October. Thank God It's Friday, again. At long last.

In this episode, Alok speaks of INOX’s readiness for the reopening of cinema halls across Maharashtra on 22nd October. He speaks of the SOPs, INOX’s plans, and how the strong combination of cinema halls reopening in the festive season with a stellar lineup of movie releases for movie lovers vaccinated and waiting to watch films on the big screens will help the flat-lined business find its feet and recover very quickly.

Alok also reflects on the terrible lock-down period, and how it impacted the greatest, most loved form of passion  entertainment for families across India - ie, cinema-hall movie watching. He also shares his views on industry matters such as exclusive (release) windows and areas where the cinema/theatrical business needs government- and industry support for.

And more.

In this, the 34th episode of The Master’s Voice podcast series, featuring  Alok Tandon, CEO – INOX Leisure Ltd, in conversation with me.

Tune in for Alok’s excellent insights into the theatrical exhibition business  that is the mega brick-and-mortar behemoth that delivers the heart and soul of that great passion format of entertainment – movies. Which are best enjoyed only on the big screen in cinema halls, which alone can bring alive the spectacular, incomparable experience of the great passion genre that is cinema in India.

Alok has more than three decades of experience across the Entertainment, Hospitality and Pharmaceutical industries, and instrumental as he has been in setting up and growing businesses across genres, brings great insights from his vast experience in strategy, growth and innovation. And has been instrumental in growing INOX to one of the largest and most significant multiplex chains of India.

Ever since he joined INOX Leisure Ltd in 2001 as Vice President-Technical, when the company was in start-up mode, till this day more than two decades after, Alok, as a member of the start-up team of INOX, spearheaded the organization for two decades from scratch to a footprint of more than 650 screens across India. Alok has helped INOX Leisure achieve strong market share with continued business growth. Throughout, Alok has steered the growth momentum, building on the ethos of INOX around the three pillars of ‘Luxury’, ‘Technology’ and ‘Service’,  and strengthening its motto of ‘LIVE the MOVIE’.

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.

Shorts TV CEO Carter Pilcher, the visionary who pioneered the world’s leading short movie entertainment company, is my  distinguished guest on this, the 33rd episode of The Master’s Voice Podcast series on MediaBrief.com, Today, Shorts TV is the only 24/7, linear and OTT HD TV channel dedicated to short-form video entertainment, including movies and series.

Carter brought ShortsTV to India in 2018, and it now reaches 60 million Indian households with its strategic content partnerships with all leading DTH players -- on Tata Sky as Tata Sky ShortsTV (channel no 113), Dish TV as ShortsTV Active (channel 135) and on Airtel Digital TV as ‘Airtel ShortsTV’ (channel 259). Most recently, ShortsTV has become available also on Amazon Prime Video Channels. ShortsTV also recently announced its first telecom partnership with Airtel, foraying into OTT with launch on Airtel Xstream App.

And globally, Shorts TV is available in 100 million homes across the US, India, Latin America, the Netherlands, Belgium and Eastern Europe.

In this episode, Carter speaks of the early years, the pain and delight of struggling to keep the big ShortsTV dream alive, afloat and growing in the early years, when his team and he ploughed on only on the back of savings and gritty determination. And of course, the never-say-die Carter and his team emerged triumphant through the initial years, to make Shorts International the world's leading short movie Entertainment Company, functioning as distributor, broadcaster and producer. 

The ShortsTV India film catalogue features Academy Award winners and nominees, International festival winners & nominees (Cannes, BAFTA, etc.), high quality CGI animation as well as cinematic gems from international independent filmmakers & local Indian filmmakers. The catalogue includes 1000+ hours of content across English, foreign, and local Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.

Both Indian and International short films have been well received in the Indian market owing to the viewer’s search for unique and engaging content and the genre is currently being explored by some Bollywood biggies as well. ShortsTV’s indigenous film festival – Best of India Short Film Festival is India’s first Oscar accredited short film festival that enables Indian short film makers to stand a chance for Oscar consideration. Vidya Balan’s directorial debut short film Natkhat was the winner of its 2020 edition.

It owns and operates ShortsTV, which brings audiences around the world the best short movies on TV, online and in theatres, as well as Shorts Factory, which produces original short film content for broadcasters and brands

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:

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

My guest in this, the latest episode of The Master’s Voice podcast series from MediaBrief.com, is Vishnu Mohta, Co-Founder – Hoichoi, and Executive Director SVF .  And there couldn’t have been a better date than the 23rd of September 2021 to publish this episode because that’s when Hoichoi, the remarkable OTT platform Vishnu co-founded, has completed four successful years and stepped into its fifth. 

With a professional background in Corporate Finance and Strategy, Vishnu joined SVF in 2007 as the head of the Digital Cinema Business, and after making it the largest player in West Bengal and the fourth largest network in India within a year of operations, Vishnu now heads the New Media division of SVF Entertainment.   Hoichoi, which Vishnu launched in 2017 and successfully grew it into the leading Bengali entertainment platform, was its first venture. 

Hoichoi grew on the back of a war chest of Originals (in the form of web series, films and shorts), Movies and free Music Streaming, targeting Bengalis in India and the Bengali diaspora. 

And now, on Day One of its 5th year, Hoichoi has announced a whole lot of new content and partnerships. Clearly, Vishnu, who all through has deployed his strong strategic, analytical and interpersonal abilities and skills --  complementing them with a deep understanding of the Media and Entertainment industry -- is poised to take Hoichoi to the next level through major content investments in original shows, mega world premieres of digital films, making stronger international moves for greater presence amongst users and the diaspora, and even content creation associations. 

Here, he shares his vision and plans, and it’s seems like a truly well thought out strategic route map. Powered by that one word that, if one were to over-simplify it, could well define what Media & Entertainment is all about: Content. 

And more. 

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:

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

The descriptor ‘young veteran’ sits well  on my expert guest in the latest episode of The Master’s Voice -- Kailash Adhikari, Managing Director – SAB Events and Governance Now Media Limited. We caught up for the recording quite some time back – happy to share, through this episode, Kailash’s views about governance and the media & entertainment industry  in general, and how Kailash, blessed to have been born into an extraordinary family of M&E visionaries, is taking his wonderful lineage to higher levels with a sharp vision.

More about Kailash Adhikar: At age 23, this accounting graduate from the London School of Economics became a govt officer working with the erstwhile Planning Commission of India in the rank of a deputy secretary to Government of India. Kailash was in the office of Member Dr Narendra Jadhav and was handling affairs of Ministry of HRD, Labour& Employment, Social Justice & Empowerment and also states of Tamil Nadu, Goa & Bihar. He has also been featured by The Economic Times as one of the young guns working in the Erstwhile Planning Commission of India 

So it was natural that he warmed up to, owned and grew Governance Now, the excellent magazine that has been a beloved initiative of his visionary father Markand Adhikari, and which he now leads as MD. As MD of Governance Now Media Limited, Kailash is responsible for the magazine and its digital ventures and capacity-building seminars. Kailash also actively looks after the day-to-day business operations of the Group’s broadcasting & content business. 

Governance Now, which recently  celebrated its 10th anniversary, enjoys high credibility amongst its readers and other stakeholders in the governance space.

Under the brand Governance Now, Kailash pioneered numerous initiatives which have been recognised by the entire community. Of these, the ‘Governance Now PSU IT Casebook’,  which was unveiled by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi Ji, is one he cherishes the most. 

Kailash’s recent venture Visionary Talks, which has him interviewing reputed personalities, is gaining a respect and appreciation. Another initiative aimed at providing Masterclasses to individuals free of cost, Masterminds, is gaining traction too. 

The young champion of Purpose and Social Good and Governance is also a voracious poet and writer, having written several pieces of literature. 

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.

Our guest in the latest episode of our podcast series The Master's Voice is young Brand visionary, Soumyadip Chatterjee, National Brand Head at Snapdeal, one of India’s Big-4 ecommerce platforms -- where he deploys the wisdom from more than a decade of solid experience across multiple brands from diverse sectors – to drive brand awareness and communication on the pillars of empathy and purpose to deliver value to every stakeholder.

SnapDeal, Soumyadip tells me, helps and support every 'third-party partner' who fulfils Snapdeal offerings, as also each end-customer who shops on Snapdeal, and  Soumyadip ensures the entire value chain is well served and supported by the Brand team so that customers receive 'Brand Wali Quality, Bazaar Wali Deal' -- which is how the company's recent brand campaign described its promise to them.

I learn of how Snapdeal has been championing the small, local sellers, and has been emerging as their preferred platform over the past few years. This, because, as Soumyadip says, “Snapdeal remains a neutral, value-focused platform whose business processes are aligned to the needs of its sellers – no inventory lock-up, no inventory-led operations that compete with them, and so on. Consequently, 100% of our sellers are third-party, independent ones. The growth in volumes is being serviced by them directly, and there is no conflict of interest for the Company.”

“So whatever growth we say that Snapdeal has had,” says, Soumyadip, “is essentially, directly  passed on to the sellers, who are fulfilling those companies. There is no conflict of interest. We are all in the same team.”

Soumyadip speaks of how consumer behaviour has been shifting, changing. Consumers are are no longer enamoured by the fame of the brand, but are moving towards functional, more utility-oriented products. They are looking at great quality and not necessarily which brand is tagged with it.”

He also shares insights on how the changed times enforced by the pandemic have made most good brands – that have an ear to the ground – to shift to empathy-driven marketing. “Brands are really listening to the customer and then building their communication.”

An excellent insight Soumyadip offers is that it is often easy to get carried away when we are in the echo chamber of similar thoughts. So it is important to be able to step back and listen to the customer. And to help with that, Soumyadip's team has a customer-emotions session every week, when they gauge how customers are feeling and how they think about the brand; the objective is to understand the customers' pulse across geographies.

Soumyadip says it is important for marketers to speak with with normal, real people every day to see how the customers really think. Ot

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.

Our expert guest in this episode of The Master’s Voice  podcast series on MediaBrief is G B Srithar - Regional Director, India, Middle East & South Asia at Singapore Tourism Board, and a respected, expert custodian and evangelist of tourism in South Asia. As affable a person as he is a knowledgeable, strategic  and highly effective professional, Srithar has helped make this a spontaneous, insightful  and engaging conversation.

We speak of what Singapore Tourism Board has been doing ever since the lockdowns kicked in, to keep itself in the news and the aspirational consideration-sets of its regular and potential tourist target audiences. Srithar shares how, over the past year and a half,  his team and he have been trying to keep STB relevant, connected, and engaged with both -- the travel trade, and consumers.

Srithar speaks of multiple special campaigns  powered by their ‘agile, bold and creative’ approach, which has helped them roll out deep, empathetic and friendly messages of emotional solidarity across various geographies and in several languages. These have included the United We Stand initiative for Travel Trade partners.

And amongst its several campaigns for consumers, STB’s most memorable initiative has also been its most recently launched, targeting “a very important audience -  kids” through the popular animation series featuring the powerful hero, Chhota Bheem, through a seven-episode tieup with STB partners Green Gold Animation and popular OTT Platform Voot Kids from Viacom 18 network.

Srithar also shares insights on STB’s marketing and comms philosophy during the pandemic. He also speaks at length on how STB has been taking the 'physical / personal' experience critical to travel marketing, totally virtual. He shares insights on the digital marketing mix and the importance of performance-based marketing.

He also speaks of the flat-lined travel industry, how the government has helped tourism-related businesses in Singapore, and more.

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 27th episode of our podcast series The Master’s Voice, features Malind Kapur, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Channel Development, Piaggio Vehicles Pvt. Ltd, in conversation with Pavan R Chawla, about literally driving business on the wheels of purpose. 

Malind speaks of how the three-wheeler arm of the Piaggio business stepped up to the challenges of the pandemic-enforced lockdown, and of its innovative initiatives including selling, through the mobile and web platforms,  auto rickshaws to people who had lost their jobs and livelihoods during the pandemic. 

In the process, the company helped thousands of drivers and their families stay on their feet and even helped them ward off extreme deprivation including possible starvation, by not only helping them make a living, but in the initial days, even helping them with food supplies, and also providing their children scholarships to continue their education after standard X.  

A lesson in driving business with purpose.

Malind brings more than three decades of professional experience --  both national and international -- with an outstanding track record in varied industries and diverse cultures.

Today, as an experienced and wise expert, Malind is one of the acknowledged leaders in marketing and brand- and business building in the mobility space. Malind has worked with many reputed companies such as Force Motors, Escorts, Sintex Industries, Eternit Everest and Pennzoil India Ltd.

A strategic business leader with an ever-practical approach, at Piaggio, Malind  is responsible for business strategy and profit planning, EVA growth, P&L contribution, brand architecture, marketing, product profiling, market research, product strategy, channel & business development and sales & customer care. Malind is also a strong believer in the future of electric mobility and specializes in Electric Business & Profit Planning. He has earned industry-wide respect for building teams that excel in performance and have grown the business manifold, enhancing profitability.

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 expert guest in this episode of The Master’s Voice Podcast is Zarif Tapia – Head of Adfactors Virtual Events, and a young veteran with 25 years of experience, with more than half those in the events space. Since, sadly, the pandemic has decimated the live and experiential events space, I caught up with Zarif on how he and his team have been ‘reimagining exerpiences’, as he puts it, in the experiential desert Brand custodians have found themselves in throughout the lockdown. 

So here’s a conversation with a stellar virtual events professional who brings formidable experience of creating and deploying the best of live and virtual events to deliver on brand requirements across a range of sectors, event types and scale, while using the best of creativity, digital and tech. 

Zarif speaks of how, over the past year and more, the pandemic has changed brand priorities and opportunities to engage with target audiences, and how, even as the pandemic crippled live events, “it also democratized experiences and provided a multitude of opportunities for marketers and brand custodians to engage fruitfully with their customers and society. A big pre-requisite? That brands create innovative ways to help people to connect with their passions online. 

Zarif speaks of how his virtual events division helped empower numerous brands across sectors. He also reflects on the entire virtual events landscape and the new priorities, including, as he memorably puts it, ‘that brands view the pandemic as an opportunity to respond with humanity’.

He says he believes that the future of live events is hybrid, ‘because hybrid events offer the most sustainable solution - combining the best of both virtual and live events but, crucially giving people the choice’.

More about Zarif: Zarif has spent the greater half of his career growing as an events professional with Wizcraft, and today is Vice President and Head of Virtual Events at Adfactors PR, where his is a national, agency-wide role designed to deliver virtual experiences either as stand-alone events or as a complement to existing influencer campaigns. Zarif brings to the table strategic thinking, experiential innovation and the ability to drive business growth with a proven record in delivering experiential excellence across sectors. 

Through his career, Zarif has counselled renowned companies and brands across sectors including Automobile, Technology, Telecom, Infrastructure, Energy & Petroleum, Financial Services, the development sector, Consumer & Retail, Travel & Tourism, Media, Sports and Trade Associations.

So join Zarif Tapia,  Head of Adfactors Virtual Events and me on The Master’s Voice Podcast series as we speak about virtually every important aspect of Virtual Events, and the magic

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.