Vijay serves as a trusted advisor to CEO’s who face the turbulence of a ‘volatile-uncertain-complex-ambiguous’ (VUCA) world.
Typical challenges
• Family/founder-led: Want to professionalise and/ or expand beyond their home markets
• Growth-plateau: Want to break new ground; enhance existing capabilities or diversify
• Post-M&A travails: Want to integrate and find those promised synergies
• Silo-ed leadership team: Want more trust, collaboration and accountability at the top
• Brand stagnation: Want to find its ‘mojo’ in a new consumer/ competitive context
• Start-up to Scale-up: Want to rein in scattered efforts and set coherent priorities for growth
Key support areas
Clients seek him out in 3 areas, based on his top-management experience in India and overseas
- Branding/ Marketing: 21 years with Ogilvy & Mather in national, regional and global leadership
roles. Led global master-brands (e.g. Dove, Ponds & Lipton) and iconic, long-running campaigns
(e.g. Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, Asian Paints, Titan Watches & Vicks Cough Drops. As A-PAC
Strategy Director, oversaw the Strategy, Planning and Talent functions for 21 countries,
supporting blue-chip clients (e.g. American Express, Coca-Cola, IBM, Kimberly Clark, Nestle and
Unilever). Closely involved in developing Ogilvy’s proprietary ‘Brand Stewardship’ methodology. - Leadership Consulting/ Coaching: 13 years as co-founder of Roots & Wings, serving leading
clients across many sectors (e.g. Bank Of America, Britannia, Citibank, Deloitte, Dentsu-Aegis,
ICICI, Ericsson, IBM, Jindal Stainless, Kotak Mahindra, Microsoft, Murugappa, Nike, Ogilvy,
Pidilite, Publicis Groupe, Societe Generale, TCS, Unilever, Western Union, Wholefoods, & YPO). - Change/ Transformation: Designed and implemented programs for clients (e.g. Aircel, GroupM,
Nivea, Oberoi Realty, SKS Microfinance, Vodafone and WPP).
Teaching & Academia
Vijay maintains active affiliations with top leadership/ consulting organisations in USA, Europe and Asia-Pacific, to stay abreast of global best-practices and to sharpen his array of tools. He also guest lectures at business schools like IIM, ISB, Bajaj and Symbiosis, to stay connected with the ‘millennials’ and their aspirations.
He has served on the Advisory Boards of Xavier Institute of Communications, MICA and Sophia Polytechnic, focusing on curriculum design. He serves as Adjunct Faculty on the Wholefoods Market Academy of Conscious Leadership (USA) and ICLIF Leadership & Governance Centre (Malaysia).
Cancer Awakens
On the personal front, Vijay has started Cancer Awakens, a pioneer ‘Cancer-coaching’ for individuals and families, based on his personal encounter with colon cancer in 2001. He is the co-author of ‘My Cancer Is Me: The Journey From Illness to Wholeness’.
He is a sought-after keynote speaker on Leadership, Branding & Cancer-related topics. He and his work are regularly featured in leading media.