Self-employed

Do get in touch with me (kart75@gmail.com) for these engagements.

1. Communications consulting:
As a communications consultant, I work with organizations to help plan their communications strategy in,
- identifying & building communication narratives
- digital/social media communication strategy
- marketing campaign strategy
- content marketing strategy
- crisis communications strategy
Clients include Google, Myntra, SunTec, The/Nudge Institute, Crio, Juniper, Himalaya, RedSeer, and Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, among others.

2. Corporate workshops:
Communications team workshops: Meant for corporate PR teams, marketing teams, or internal communications teams to help expand their perspective, seek inspiration from relevant (category/industry-specific) campaigns and communications case studies, and start hands-on work on some of the immediate and pressing challenges at work. Clients include Cipla, Medtronic, Maersk, PWC, Omidyar Network India, Ashoka India, and Cleartrip, among others.

3. Personal branding for leaders:
Personal branding workshops for leaders in organizations where I help them understand the need for personal branding (as a subset of organizational branding), identify personal brand narratives, and hands-on efforts in managing their personal brands, using social media, with a clear plan and goal. Clients include Kotak Group, Carrier India, EXIM Bank, Citrix, Akamai, Omidyar Network India, Fullerton India, EY, MetrixLab, among others.

4. Personal branding for employees:
Employee advocacy workshops, to help an organization’s employees become its brand ambassadors. Key clients include Maruti Suzuki India Limited (trained 800+ employees across 200 departments), Radio Mirchi (training 100+ Radio Jockeys and 25+ Programming Heads), among others.

Communications Consultant

The Advertiser's Guide to the Galaxy

Subscribe to my weekly podcast on advertising: https://bit.ly/tagttghome

Podcaster

Ogilvy & Mather

National Lead, Social@Ogilvy

Flipkart.com

AVP - Corporate Communications

Edelman

Head of Digital Strategy

Text 100

Account Director

Pramod Shankar Associates

Chief Consultant

Subex Ltd

Manager - Corporate Communications

Birlasoft (India) Limited

Executive - Marketing Communications

Steria India Ltd (formerly IIS Infotech/Xansa India)

Assistant Executive - Corporate Communications

Summary: 

Communications professional with 2 decades’ experience in creating, building and managing perceptions of brands across agency and client environments.

Experience spanning corporate communications, public relations, marketing communications, investor relations, digital/social media marketing and employee communication for B2B (technology) and B2C brands.

Winner of gold at Socialathon India 2015, gold at Emvie 2015 (Best media innovation - social media) and bronze at DMA Asia Echo Award 2015 (Interactive - Creative use of data).

Guest lecturer at Tata Management Training Centre's Leadership Development Program for IAS Officers and Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru – Advanced Digital Marketing and Digital Marketing for CMOs

Award-winning blogger, across 2 areas of interest - professional blog, since 2008 (communications/marketing - http://www.beastoftraal.com) and music blog, since 2005 (http://www.milliblog.com). 

Frequent columnist in leading publications, on the intersection of corporate communications, social media and advertising/marketing. Samples:
- How to build a socially relevant brand | ET BrandEquity http://bit.ly/2NuutnP 
- From 'Log kya kahenge?' to 'Log kya keh rahe hain' | ET BrandEquity 
- http://bit.ly/2u0jydn 
- Amazon-Swara Bhaskar Issue: An Analysis | afaqs! http://bit.ly/2qTF9ll 
- How to avoid social media self-destruction | The Economic Times http://bit.ly/2MuxvrD

Frequent speaker and panelist in leading events to talk on and discuss perspectives on communications, branding and social media.


Karthik Srinivasan

Oh my God! This is phenomenally effective communication! Fantastic narrative device with the right amount of exaggeration that lands the message with a bang, while also sending chills down the spine of the target audience (parents of young children)! Excellent work by the Irish agency Core Creative.

#advertising #creativity

Communications strategy consultant. Connect with me for corporate workshops on personal branding. Ex-Ogilvy, ex-Flipkart, ex-Edelman. No paid posts - my words are not for sale.

Read the room, IndiGo! If the ad is going to evoke, 'No, you aren't' or 'Yeah, right!', along with, 'You had 18 months to prepare for the implementation of the FTDL norms', then the ad is completely pointless.

Instead, anticipate the reaction (aka 'read the room') and say something that at least starts to seem like you care. Here are some rough examples.

1. We didn’t meet the standards you expect, or the ones we claim. 
We can’t change the last few days, but we're working hard to fix the next ones.
We are sorry.

2. This is NOT the IndiGo experience you deserve.
We are doing our best to set things right.
We are sorry.

3. We let you down. 
We’re working urgently to fix the disruption.
We are sorry.

#advertising #indigo

What a fantastic idea for a collab! As someone who grew up in Coimbatore, I love the fact that another Coimbatore-based brand (Vilvah) thought of using the Annapoorna's legendary filter coffee, and in particular, Annapoorna's Rose Milk (I may have gulped down many, many liters of this divine drink through my school life in Coimbatore) as an inspiration for a co-branded range of products, starting with lip balm. 

Another Coimbatore icon, Krishna Sweets, is also known for its famous Mysurpa. How about a Mysurpa inspired lip balm, next?

In fact, this is an excellent template for famous eating joints (and their famous items) to consider a similar collab with local beauty/skin care brands of those respective cities. For instance, Madurai could do one for their famous Jigarthanda. 

What could be potential items for Bengaluru, I wonder!

#product #innovation #regional #branding

This is one of the most interesting positioning ideas I have seen in the wealth management category! Ionic Wealth's (Angel One’s wealth management brand) new ad campaign by the agency Manja pitches wealth as a start-up and wealth managers as co-founders! 

Most people today admire the entrepreneurial mindset, even if they’ve never started a company. So the positioning taps into that cultural aspiration and hence is attention-grabbing. It suggests that building wealth is an active, intentional, high-agency project, and not a passive 'buy a mutual fund and forget it' activity.

However, for someone who has actually founded or worked inside a startup, the analogy may seem to wobble. A startup isn’t just an idea you nurture - it’s months (or years) of ambiguity, risk, existential crises, broken sleep patterns, fundraising cycles, pivots, down rounds, team management, board management, self-doubt, and occasionally, spectacular failures. Your personal wealth, hopefully, is not that. So the metaphor works emotionally, but not literally (which it need not, of course).

The co-founder claim too is on similar lines. It is absolutely bold and eye-catchy because most wealth managers frame themselves as partners, guides, strategists, experts, planners, custodians or some variation of those themes. The 'co-founder' word signals themes of alignment, collaboration, co-ownership of the mission, a shared growth mindset, and an implication of skin in the game, all quite different from what wealth managers do.

A real co-founder takes existential/personal risk, puts in sweat equity, is operationally involved, shares ownership, sinks or swims with you, is accountable on a daily basis. A wealth manager does/need not do those things, nor should they. They advise, monitor, optimise, rebalance, recommend, coach. So the narrative works at a brand-philosophy level ('we’re equally *invested* in your success'), but it can unintentionally trivialise what real co-founders actually do.

But this campaign isn’t really speaking to real founders who don't wake up and say 'I’m building a startup so I can get personally rich' and for whom wealth is often a side effect, not the main objective. Instead, I believe the campaign targets first-generation wealth creators, startup employees with ESOP liquidity, young professionals with high income, aspirational millennials entering the wealth-building phase, people who identify with hustle culture, ambition, and 'build mode'. For them, this message grabs attention beautifully.

So, excellent idea and execution, Manja!

#advertising #marketing #positioning #creativity

Independent Consultant

IBM India Private Limited

RPA (Automation) Specialist & Advisory Consultant 
Have established the entire RPA capability for a global FMCG captive grounds-up,
* Developing key components in a managed services model (SaaS + PaaS) like setting up S2S (site to site) VPN tunnel between IBM’s cloud service & the client’s secure network, with a chosen RPA tool hosted on a cloud platform. 
* Defining a SOP for the target landscape & applications whitelisting process, covering global instances & regional landscapes, a first time for a commercial RPA project for IBM.
* Establishing & streamlining customer specific app stacking process on hosted VMs, for the client specific critical & peripheral applications.
* Defining an optimal Prod bots provisioning & scheduling, enlisting multi-mode deployment approaches, Viz. Pooling, Dedicated, Hybrid etc. 
* Adoption & improvisation of available RPA production deployment gate process & documentation for client environment
* Project level resource management adopting multiple channels of  like laterals hiring, upskilling & cross training the available experienced skill pool with relevant skill sets, train, incubate & productive deployment of graduate hires/freshers etc. apart from hiring regularly available smaller talent pool
* Managing the delivery of host of automations cutting across business functions & categories Viz. Proactive Monitoring, Failed Jobs monitoring, Services Requests, Alerts, Dashboards, Adhoc processes & POCs (newer functions) etc.
* Automation COE definition & deployment – with key dimensions viz. Design Authority, Coding Standards, Deployment Preparedness, Process Discovery, Benefits tracking (recognition to realization), Optimized Prod Deployment Etc.
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Worked as RPA/Automation advisory using Design Thinking Principles & a structured process discovery approach.
Worked as a processes discovery lead cutting across multiple Financial processes for a BPO, using a well defined process discovery approach & leading a track.

Group Manager

Infosys

Acting as a counterpart to the client IT innovation manager in the capacity of a BAU (Business as usual) Lead, successfully operationalized, stabilized the business-critical key capabilities on SAP ALM solution (SOLMAN) (Viz. Simplified Authorization Process, Global project delivery methodology, Global Documentation Management workflow, Global Document Repository, Global Template Project & Testing). Helped the global innovation team to land these capabilities for a gamut of global enterprise applications to adopt these new global processes for its implementation projects and to the other region centric templates/landscapes.

Consultant - ALM Delivery Manager & BAU Lead

Mindtree Ltd.

Design & Delivery Management of Analytics Projects especially in the SCM space. Built the operational model of a pure play KPO (Unlisted & Start-up Companies Valuations) grounds up, as revenue stream & offering. Building scalable & mature SCM analytics offerings viz. Operational Analytics (Supply Chain Management Analytics), Demand Planning & Forecasting Analytics, CPFR (Collaborative Planning , Forecasting & Replenishment) Analytics, Spend Analytics (E.g. Primary Freight Cost Analytics), assortment & outlet level analytics in the distributed trade environment.

Program Director

Thirdware Solution Ltd.

Design & implementation of complex ERP projects across industry verticals, Engineering, Automobile, CPG. Program & Account Management. Application Management. Trusted Adviser to the clients. Implementations & complex roll-outs. Rich experience is managing complex onsite projects for global industry leaders from Auto, Engineering & VAR reselling verticals with operations in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia & Korea etc. Deep understanding of working with multi-cultural clients on on-site projects at places like Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Seoul etc.

Project Manager

Linc Software Services

(Subsequently merged with Mindtree Consulting).
Responsible for ERP practice (MFG/PRO was the focus product), was responsible for account & customer management (Key Accounts), project management delivery management, recruitment.Senior ERP architect & SCM expert. Deep expertise in vanilla & regional / market specific template based ERP implementations, Bolt-On & localization modules developments with seamless native integration. Exposure in having delivered ERP solutions in varied industry verticals, FMCG/CPG, Engineering, Electrical & Electronics, Industrial Paints, Perfumery, Brewery etc. for Indian Majors & multinational clientele. Experience in managing full life cycle ERP implementations, cutting across most of the critical business functions of an enterprise. Designing, managing & delivering zero tolerance techno functional migrations with zero downtime. Designing & managing, multi site simultaneous implementation & roll-out projects, backed up flawless execution & post support.

Senior Project Manager

Integrated Custom Built Commercial Applications Development

Deigned, Developed & Supported a gamut of integrated custom built commercial applications for wide spectrum of industries in the SME sector spanning across Pharma Distributors, Electrical Distributors, Brewery, Industrial & Engineering consulting, Industrial Security & Personnel Deployment etc.

Freelance Consultant & Developer

As an Independent Consultant with over 30 years of IT experience, I offer customized solutions for diverse industry verticals, especially in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) and distribution sectors. I have a strong track record of setting up new or greenfield solution offerings from conceptualization to business as usual (BAU), scaling them to maturity and reliability stages, and transferring them to the clients.

I am also an IBM Global Research Winner and an Automation Practitioner, with certifications in Enterprise Design Thinking and Automation Essentials. I have established the entire robotic process automation (RPA) capability for a global FMCG captive, using a managed services model on a cloud platform, and defining standard operating procedures, app stacking processes, and optimal production bots. I have contributed to the next generation component business modelling for generic supply chain functions, identifying the automation potential across different sub-functions and key processes. I am passionate about delivering innovative and value-added solutions, leveraging my analytical, design, and project management skills, and collaborating with cross-cultural and cross-functional teams.

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