The Brand Called You

Education, we know, is ideally supposed to make us evolved human beings living in co-existence with each other professionally and socially. But recalling our school days, were we ever prepared for the real world? Were we taught how to handle the problems of life and the mental challenges that we will face as we grow up? Were we taught how to accept diverse cultures from around the world and live mutually with such diversity around? Well, we know what the case was. Today, we have a celebrated filmmaker who has now turned her focus toward education and human rights. Leslee Udwin is a human rights and education activist, who has been voted as the second most impactful woman in 2015 after Hillary Clinton. She is a former filmmaker and now a campaigner for systemic education. Today, she discusses her transformation from being a filmmaker to an activist, her role, and her vision.

Whether you are a new entrepreneur, an aspiring entrepreneur, a business owner, or a salesperson, you need a mentor. And who will be your mentor? Even if you are a die-hard self-starter, who doesn't need a mentor?  Not having a mentor in your life can be a real bummer, especially when you are just starting out.  You are also missing out on a lot of opportunities. You can make great connections with mentors, and you can learn from their mistakes. Petra Lens, Organizational Advisor and Executive Coach in Leadership Development share insights about coaching and mentoring. Petra Lens is an organizational advisor and executive coach active in the field of leadership development. She is an advisor to several boards, on strategic business transformation, and change processes. Petra talks about the meaning of leadership. If you’re interested in the impact of culture on leadership, the challenges of a coach, and know if your coach is right for you, don’t miss this episode!

Reporting relationships: The CEO generally reports to the company’s board of directors, while the CFO reports to the CEO. As the chief financial officer, the CFO puts together the annual budgets of the company, analyzes financial data, and tracks expenses and revenues. Giri Giridhar, EVP, and CFO, Indian Hotels Company Ltd (Taj Group of Hotels) talks to us about the key responsibilities of the CFO and shares his experience with us. Giri Giridhar is the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Indian Hotels Company Ltd. With an international career across India, Dubai, Singapore, and London, have built expertise in different sectors. Chairman of the Audit Committee at Ginger, Taj SATS (a JV between Taj and SATS of Singapore). Member of the audit committee at Piem Hotels, Orient Hotels Chairman of the NRC at Ginger. Chairman of the Board at Taj Lanka Hotels. Was also briefly Chairman of the Board at Orient Hotels in 2017. Was a member of the Board across all the three Merck entities in India. If you’re interested in the future of leadership, the challenges of the CFOs, and how technology is changing finance, don’t miss this episode!

You must have heard the adage, ‘a picture speaks a thousand words.’  It refers to the notion that complex and sometimes multiple ideas can be conveyed by a single still image, which conveys its meaning or essence more effectively than a mere verbal description. Today, TBCY invites The Coconut Man of India, who talks about the importance of storytelling. Do you know why he is known as The Coconut Man of India? Manish Advani is the Founder and CEO of MIMO Potentio. Manish is an 8 times TEDx Speaker. He is an Award-Winning Story Teller and a Business Leader who has 20 years of Corporate Experience. He has coached and trained leaders in various companies. Not only that, but he is appointed as an Advisor in e2eHiring.

E-commerce is a booming industry. This recent rise in e-commerce can be attributed to the ease of use and flexibility that e-commerce portals offer customers. There are so many portals that have sprung up recently, but the number of e-commerce businesses going bust is on the increase. This increases the importance of not only choosing the right e-commerce portal, but also the importance of choosing the right e-commerce business. Today, we have Alejandro Torun, Co-Founder, and CEO, LUUM, A Brand Accelerator, with us. He talks to us about the world of e-commerce. He talks about how advertising has evolved over the years. Alejandro Torun is the Co-Founder and CEO of LUUM, a brand accelerator that connects social and environmental impact brands with e-commerce. He has also developed MEEMA for sustainable textiles. He is the Founder of BAOBAB, which is a natural, personal care range of products.

Living in the 21st century, we have come a long way in achieving women's equality in domestic life as well as in the workspace. However, it is important to remember we are still in the process and have still not reached there. Even today, there are millions of girls from across the globe who for varied reasons do not have access to education. Mindsets of the powerful in the corporate world still question the need of giving equal salaries to male and female employees. If today, we are fortunate to be surrounded by people who believe in equal opportunities, it becomes our onus to use our abilities to empower other women around us. Our today’s guest, who hails from a patriarchal background, broke all rules to achieve her dream of an impressive career. Today, she is busy in her mission to empower millions of other women to step up and be financially free. Dr. Hynd Bouhia is the founder and CEO of BAL Method, an organization on a mission to empower women. She has been the managing director of the Casablanca Stock Exchange. Dr. Bouhia has also served as an advisor to the PM of Morocco. She has authored a book titled, “African Girl, African Woman”.

The meaning of burnout is not a new term in the modern economy. But, it is still a problem that employers ignore. It is a problem that was created by the working culture, but it can be solved by the same culture. Today we have with us Davida Ginter, the CEO of Enkindle Global. Enkindle Global is an international organization dedicated to supporting leaders and organizations in burnout prevention and building emotional resilience. Signs of Burnout Exhaustion: Slept quite well at night, but wake up tired every day. This is emotional exhaustion translated into physical tiredness. Reduced productivity and self-efficacy: Not capable of doing things and then underperforming. Being negative and cynical towards work, colleagues, and boss. If you’re interested to know about Burnout at work, what are the signs of burnout, and how to tackle it, then don’t miss this episode!

It is an age of empowerment and women are taking on new responsibilities. They are working to build their careers, learn new skills, and take up new responsibilities. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult for women to manage all of these things. Monica Malhotra, Founder, and CEO, The Gaggler, a regional platform for Empowering Women is the best example of how women can manage their career, education, family, and other responsibilities to ensure that they are on the right track to success. Monica Malhotra is the Founder and CEO of The Gaggler. She is an entrepreneur passionate about story-telling and empowering women.  She believes change is good. In fact, change is great. But access to information and knowledge that can affect positive and lasting change, is still a challenge and even overwhelming for many women.

We are living in the digital age. Almost all our activities are digital. Many of us don't even remember the last time we used a pen and paper. This episode with  Dr. Rajiv Sabherwal, Edwin & Karlee Bradberry Chair, Sam M Walton College of Business Admin, is about the benefits and the challenges that people face in this digital age. He also talks about how we can live in this digital world without facing any problems. About Dr. Rajiv Sabherwal, Edwin & Karlee Bradberry Chair, Sam M Walton College of Business Administration Professor of information systems, and chair of the information systems department. A Fellow of IEEE and a Fellow of the Association of Information Systems. Challenges that people face in the digital age It is addictive. A smartphone has become an extended part of our body. I.T. is our consumer. A smartphone is no longer just a phone. It is an I.T. device, reading device, gaming device, fitness device. Once you identify the problem, the solution becomes obvious.

Data is the new oil. Data is the currency of the future. This is the common opinion held by many, and one that is based on the realities of a data-driven world. Data has and always will have value. To understand the value of data, we have Prakash Baskar, Founder and President, Khyanafi Helping leaders with Data and Analytics with us. Prakash Baskar is an Intrapreneur-turned-Entrepreneur with over twenty-five years of experience working through various senior leadership positions in global corporations across Strategy, Data, and Analytics roles. He is the Founder and President of Khyanafi, where he helps companies and leaders rapidly transition and accelerate the success of Data, Analytics, and Digital initiatives.

Millets, a popular superfood, had their Cinderella moment recently. In her Union Budget speech, Nirmala Sitharaman, the Finance Minister of India, announced 2022-23 as the ‘International Year of Millets.’ She said, “Support will be provided for post-harvest value addition, enhancing domestic consumption, and for branding millet products nationally and internationally.” Earlier, the country had termed 2018 the ‘National Year of Millets’ to boost the production of the nutrient-rich cereal. (Source: Hindustan Times) People are realizing that they can meet their nutritional requirements by just eating right. Everyone is connecting to farms and moving back to their native food habits. We have seen the consequences of eating junk food. During COVID-19, people have realized, in India people are still doing better as compared to the western world just because they are eating a balanced diet. We have those ingredients in our diet that make sure our immunity is good. Today we have the CEO and Co-Founder of Native Roots, Amit Gupta, to talk to us about how we can include native ingredients in our diet and make it balanced and fill our nutritional requirements. He is also the Co-Founder and COO of the Foodshaala Foundation.

We have often read about the untapped potential of the human brain. On the other hand, technology with virtual reality and artificial intelligence are playing an enormous role in development in almost every field. What if technology comes up to train the brain and rewire it to treat conditions like Parkinson's disease, cerebral palsy, and other such neuromuscular problems? Today, we provide you with such technology developed by JOGO health, a virtual first company, where treatments are primarily provided via telemedicine. Siva Nadarajah is the president & co-founder of JOGO Health, a digital therapeutics company that uses variable sensors and artificial intelligence to treat stroke and Parkinson's disease and chronic lower back pain, and urinary incontinence. He is also the author of two books. JOGO health is Siva’s second venture. He recalls his first venture, which was software to detect the side effects of drugs used by pharmaceutical companies. His venture got a quick success and was acquired by one of the largest clinical research organizations, IQVIA. His product has been used by Moderna and Pfizer to monitor the COVID-19 vaccine side effects. While working at IQVIA, he met researchers from New York University who were developing sensors for the body to recover from neuromuscular conditions.

The world is changing, and so is the future of war. Nations should stay vigilant about protecting their people and territories. Combat is no longer limited to land, sea, and air; it now occurs in the digital realm and outer space. Strengthening militaries involve strengthening capabilities on all fronts: technologies, intelligence, communications, and leadership. The Indian Army is the second-largest army in the world, and its soldiers have more decorations and medals than any other army in the world. Lieutenant General, Ashok Bhim Shivane, joins us to talk about the value of five C’s for success in any profession and the leadership style that leads to better decisions. He also predicts the future of war, suggesting ways that India can adapt to the changes. Finally, Lieutenant General Ashok Bhim Shivane compares the warfare rules and policies of countries like China, India, and Pakistan. If you’re interested in the future of war, militaries, and defense, don’t miss this episode!

Whether you are a new entrepreneur, an aspiring entrepreneur, a business owner, or a salesperson, you need a mentor. And who will be your mentor? Even if you are a die-hard self-starter, who doesn't need a mentor?  Not having a mentor in your life can be a real bummer, especially when you are just starting out.  You are also missing out on a lot of opportunities. You can make great connections with mentors, and you can learn from their mistakes. Today, we have Ehsan Ali, Mentor and Coach On a mission to empower 100K IT professionals to talk to us about coaching, mentoring, and his mission to empower 100K IT professionals. Ehsan Ali is a very senior and accomplished coach and mentor who is on the mission to empower 100K IT professionals. He hosts a podcast, Empowering Indian Expats. Have you ever thought about how helpful a coach is? Ehsan Ali’s business coach made him relate to who he is, and that is how his journey as a mentor started. Ehsan also shares some tips on how an IT professional can become a general management person.

In today’s episode of The Brand Called You, we discuss the concepts of a bottom-up approach, the power of people’s involvement, and communication in strategizing solutions for several problems. Today, we have Dr. Heera Lal, an IAS office from UP, who is a great believer in the concept. IAS Dr. Heera Lal is an Additional Mission Director of National Health Mission, UP. He is also the additional project director of UP State’s Aids Control Society. He is the founder of Model Gaon/Village in UP. Tune in to listen to his governance approach as he manages diverse portfolios.

Storytelling is an art that is gaining popularity. Businesses are now realizing the importance of telling great stories about their brands. A storytelling company can help you understand what your brand is all about and how you can tell your brand's story to the right audience. Today we have Reena Friedman-Watts, Founder of Better Call Daddy Show; and MegaWatts Productions. She is a storyteller, and she has a lot of anecdotes to share with us. Meet Reena Friedman-Watts. If there's anything to know about her, she lives for the story, the people behind them, and bringing them to life. Her knack for storytelling has taken her to unexpected places, from the daytime drama of the Jerry Springer Show to the legal drama of the Judge Alex Show. And now, the search for compelling stories is a family affair with the new podcast… Better Call Daddy!

Whatever your business is, chances are that your brand, marketing materials, and advertising can be further improved. Even a simple re-design of the logo can make a difference that adds value to your brand. Today we have a very interesting personality who calls himself Anti-CEO. Kundan Kumar, Co-Founder, and Anti-CEO, Dramantram. Dramantram (Pronounced Dra-Mann- Tram) is a creative agency that is empowering start-ups and enterprises with a human-centered & design-based approach to create, innovate and grow. This is one of the accidental companies, it is the DRAMA and MANTRA.

The Holocaust was a time in history that forever changed the world. It changed the way that we look at the world and the way that we look at the future. The Holocaust was one of the worst times in history because of the physical and mental pain that the Nazis put the Jewish people through. Today we have Rachel Stern, CEO Fritz Asher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized & Banned Art, Inc. She talks about the artists and Holocaust. Rachel Stern is the Founding Director and CEO of Fritz Asher Society, an organization for persecuted, ostracized, and banned artists. She was born and educated in Germany. She worked in the Drawing and Prints department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for 10 years. In 2017, she was the recipient of the Hans-and-Lea Grundig Prize in recognition of her research about one of the artists named Fritz Asher.

With the current globalisation and the fast pace of the working environment, the role of coaching cannot be overstated. Running a business or managing one as a leader can often get lonely, but with the right coach and guidance, one can find the answers one is looking for consciously or subconsciously. Today, we have one such coach who takes us through the importance of coaching and the role of a coach. Toye Oshunbiyi is the founder and CEO of Business Leaders Coach, an organisation on a mission to coach leaders and business executives. Toye talks about his journey to start the Business Leaders Coach, as he got the self-awareness on the importance of coaching and leadership. He defines coaching as the ability to be able to facilitate the coachee’s thinking to help him/her realise his/her potential.

Sustainability, Inclusion, and Diversity, are three words that go together as a trinity. It is hard to define. If we look at it, we can see that diversity comes from the word "diverse" which is "different in nature or kind". So, inclusion is about bringing or keeping people together. Sustainability, on the other hand, is the ability to sustain. To be sustainable, we need to be able to sustain. So, what does all this mean? What does this have to do with business and HR? In this episode, Aradhana Lal, Vice President, Sustainability and ESG, Lemon Tree Hotels explains these words in length. Aradhana is a TEDx Speaker and leads Brand, Communications & Sustainability Initiatives at Lemon Tree Hotels – including planet/environment and people/inclusion and diversity. Initially, it was started as a pilot but within two years, it was evident to us that it should be a part of the HR strategy and part of the business model. 

Stand-up comedy is something many of us dream of, but how do you get started in the world of comedy? What's the process? Today, Papa CJ, World-renowned Stand-up Comedian, Executive Coach, Author is going to share his story and give you an idea of what you need to do to get started. Papa CJ is an Executive Coach and an Author. He is an MBA from Oxford, and he has spoken at Harvard Business School. With over 2000 shows in over 25 countries, success for him is to bring joy to others. He started Stand-Up comedy after quitting his well-paid job at IBM. He shares his story of getting into this art, which is mind-blowing. Not only that, but he talks about various shows he did for different organizations and how they loved his show. Furthermore, he shares an incident where he protects the TCS brand and also performs his show in his style.

Gary Shapiro is the president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The association organizes CES, Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and other parts globally. It is one of the most influential tech events in the world. Gary has also authored three bestselling books on the importance of innovation. He also contributes his thoughts to several international media publications. Gary recounts the numerous jobs he has done from a dishwasher to busboy to waiter to managing restaurants. The driving force in all his jibs has been the motivation for innovation. He talks about CTA, which is an NGO representing 1500 technology companies in America. He then talks about the annual event, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) that gathers investors, entrepreneurs, innovators, and media. It is a platform where people can share ideas.

With the supporting business ecosystem that fosters growth and innovation, numerous startups are coming up to solve different problems. However, starting and constructively building a successful startup is not a walk in the garden. One needs the right attitude, knowledge, and several resources for it. Today, we have the founder of Chatur Ideas, a startup enabling platform that serves to solve the problems of entrepreneurs. Mr. Devesh Chawla is the founder and CEO of Chatur Ideas, a one-stop solution for startups. Chatur is a Hindi word that translates to “Clever” in English. The platform provides adequate training and investment resources to entrepreneurs. Devesh gives a detailed account of how his endeavors to build a startup at a young age led him to create Chatur Ideas. After his MBA, he was discouraged from starting his own business by various people in the commute industry.

We live in an age of relativity where time is precious, we have become impatient and speed has become our new normal, we are so focused on doing it faster that we often forget what we are doing and whether what we are doing is of any value. We have been told to run faster or lose in the race of life. But our guest for today has a different perspective. Carl Honoré, Voice of The Slow Movement, Bestselling Author, Broadcaster talks about doing things at the right speed. Carl Honoré is an accomplished author from London. He is a Broadcaster and the Global Voice of Slow Movement. He is an author of several books which are In Praise of Slow, Under Pressure, The Slow Fix, and the latest one is Bolder: How To Age Better And Feel Better About Aging.

Do you love traveling? If yes, then you must be aware of all the fun it brings along with it. Traveling helps you discover new information about different places and people. But, on the other hand, traveling comes with a lot of hassles. You need to plan a lot before you travel. Today, we have someone who is a pro at planning your trip to Iceland. We have the Owner of Iceland Unwrapped, a personalized travel planner, Helga Kristin Fridjonsdottir. Who does not know about Northern Lights or Midnight Sun? But, do you know the best time to have a lifetime experience in Iceland? Helga gives us all the details. She shares interesting stories of travelers. You will be amazed to know how Iceland Unwrapped works. If you are traveling to a new place, the best you can get is by connecting with locals. That’s exactly what Helga does.

It is said that time makes the best decisions for us. This happened with our guest, Anil Kumar SG, too. Our guest for today, Anil Kumar SG, is the founder and CEO of Samunnati, India's largest Agri-Tech Enterprise. He says that moving to the Social sector was an accident for him. He tells us that he started his career when he was 18 with Canara Bank. He had to discontinue his engineering to work. Later, he graduated in humanities and then did his MBA, both from distance learning mode. He still had a complex that he never went to a college so he took admission to a college. He also wanted to change his career to academics so he took GMAT and went to the Manila Asian Institute of Management to do his master's. There he got to learn about inspirational leadership and realized how microfinancing is changing the lives of people.

‘Your package is arriving soon’, isn’t this the most exciting line you read after ordering something. But have you thought about what goes behind post-checkout? After a customer has placed an order on any e-commerce site and made their payment, Shiprocket takes over. Today, we have Vishesh Khurana, Co-Founder (Growth), Shiprocket to discuss this platform in detail. Shiprocket is an advanced technology platform that lets e-commerce stores ship products to customers with ease. Shiprocket is a complete post-checkout experience. It is used by e-commerce stores worldwide to ship products to their customers with ease. It offers tools and technologies required for everything post-checkout of an order. Starting with warehousing, packaging, selection of a courier partner, shipping tracking management and end-consumer communication, and ending with return management.

Our guest for today, Sam Yilmaz, is a tech entrepreneur. He is also the Chief Operating Officer and General Partner of a company called Bloccelerate. Sam is also a writer. His writings have been published too. Sam says that if we think of emerging technologies over the course of history where we had over-the-wire technologies that were game-changers, we have electricity, which is power over the wire, then we had a telephone, which is voice over the wire, then we had internet which is data over the wire. Similarly, we have developed blockchains which are Consensus over the wire. Sam talks to us about how blockchains help us through their different applications like improving transparency. He also talks about the Vulnerabilities of blockchains.

How women have excelled in every field is no secret anymore. Our guest for today is a perfect example of the saying.  She is a founder, CEO, Chair of the Board. Our host Frits Bussemaker, calls her a true global entrepreneur. In this episode, we chat with Diana Daniels, CEO, and Founder, TinkerLink. This episode is about startups, entrepreneurship, role models, time management, motivation, and a lot more. Diana shares her insights on the telecommunication industry. Her story is truly inspiring. She is a multi-tasker. More than a role model, she wants to be an inspiration. She is always mesmerized by the female warriors in history that break the status quo and redefine it. She wants to inspire middle-aged women to realize that they are not too old to start their businesses or go after their dreams.

In India, we believe that teachers are superior to God. Teachers help children grow and thus help in building the nation. But due to some of the obsolete methods and inefficiencies in the Education System, the mental level of the students are falling collectively. To fight this situation, our guest for today Dr. Trishta Ramamurthy founded The Ekya Schools in 2010. The Ekya Schools is a chain of dynamic schools designed with the aim of bringing pedagogically sound researched-based learning experiences to India. Dr. Trishta spearheads K10 and K12 initiatives under the CMR Group. She brings cutting-edge educational advancements to Ekya Schools from her experiences of exposure to the principles of Project Zero Classroom from Harvard University, inquiry-based learning from the Regio Avila approach from Italy and design thinking from the Standard Design School.

We hear a lot and pay attention to physical fitness, essential for our body. But, equally important and often neglected is the concept of mental fitness. Including the daily exercises for mental fitness reaps multiple benefits. It improves our performance and physical being, too. Today, we have a mental fitness coach who delves into the importance of the same. Kathy Sarafian is the chief executive coach and a mental fitness expert. She has been the CEO of Drive Medical Canada and has been a member of YPO since 2005. Kathy calls herself a human capital optimizer. She believes that people are the greatest assets and that leaders sometimes find it challenging to tap their true potentials. She cites interesting anecdotes of how the behavioural change and sensitivity of language help make a long-lasting impact.

The participation of women in the workforce in India is just 20% and participation of men in the workforce is 80%. There are many reasons for this gender gap in the workforce. Women in India, generally are not encouraged to work. Even if they work, they are expected to quit their jobs post marriage or after having a baby. Neha Bagaria, our guest for today, took a four-year break from her career after she became a mother. After four years when she decided to return to work, she saw a huge gender gap in the workplace. She decided to fill it. Neha founded JobsForHer in March 2015 to enable women to get back to the workplace. Since then, JobsForHer has worked with over 2 million women, 7500 companies, more than 1000 mentors and over 500 re-skilling partners.

A personal brand, like a company's brand, is an ongoing and never-ending process. One has to consciously put in efforts in developing and maintaining one. But what does that mean? How to start? How to maintain? We have all your questions answered with a personal bran coach today. Jen Dalton is a certified personal brand coach and a founder of Brand Mirror, an organisation focussing on your current reputation and how to present it. A keynote speaker, panellist, and podcaster, Jen is an all-rounder. Jen gives an account of her desire to become a personal brand coach as she realised her true calling after ten years of her corporate career. She defines personal branding as how people feel about us when we are around them.

Do you ever sit back and observe your surroundings? We often do. We take a break from life and just look at things while admiring them. But the moment we end our break, we go back to our usual lifestyle and stop thinking about what we saw and felt. But there is a breed in this world which does not stop thinking. This breed is called 'Authors'. Our guest for today Ann D'Silva and our host both are Authors. They have both agreed that 'the authors are the people who are not afraid to put what they feel and know in front of the world even if they get brickbats against it'. Ann D'Silva is a well-known author. She is of Indian origin who, not long ago, shifted to Istanbul, Turkey. Ann has written multiple books. She is involved with Cultural Inclusion and Diversity. She also hosts a  woman empowering talk show. Her show is called, 'Ann talks Women Enough'. She is a Global Goodwill Ambassador. She has been awarded many times for the work she does.

We have heard a lot about Innovations, but less about Innovation Consultants in organizations. Our guest for today is an Innovation Consultant. Let us learn together about the roles and responsibilities of an Innovation Consultant. Our guest for this episode of our show, Deepa Prahalad, is an author and Innovation Consultant. She has co-authored a book called, 'Predictable Magic: Unleash the Power of Design Strategy to Transform Your Business. Deepa Prahalad also writes for the Harvard Business Review. She has been elected as a member of The International Academy of Management. She has also been ranked 34 on the Inaugural Thinkers 50 India List. Deepa tells us that the Innovation Consultants help organizations or individuals in bringing their ideas to life. There is a process of continuous learning and experimentation in organizations and Innovation Consultants really help to shepherd that process along.

You've probably heard people talk about networking but what does it mean and why is it so important? We have Luigino Bottega, Founder, WinTheGame Life with us to talk about networking at stretch. We all have played Tic-Tac-Toe but the best interpretation of the Xs is in this episode. First X: Sharing and Feeling Inspired. This is the most important X of Networking. Second X: Decision making and putting it into action Third X: Learn, Experience, and Grow This episode is full of knowledge about networking. We all are different human beings with different beliefs and choices. Networking is not an easy task. But to make it easy for everyone we have brought Luigino Bottega, Founder, WinTheGame Life. He talks about his different ventures. He shares his secret of managing different businesses with our audience.

Tassos Stavropoulos is a certified professional self-leadership and mindfulness coach. Hailing from a Mechanical Engineering background and having worked in the corporate sector for around 22 years, he had a journey and self-reflection in the years 2019 and 2020. As he rediscovered his passions, he followed the path to enlighten many others who need coaching in different phases of life. Tassos credits the increasing trend of people getting coaching to the rapidly changing world around us. He feels it is important to be agile and adaptive to change. He also feels happy that the corporate workspaces are seeing a shift from the command and control model to more diverse and inclusion models.

It is said that behind every successful man, there is a woman. But, our guest for today says that besides every successful man there is a woman. We are privileged to welcome Mrs. Mala Ramadorai for our podcast today. Mala Ramadorai is a Carnatic Musician. She is an Origami Expert. She is also associated with Muziki which is music for kids. Mala tells us that she started singing Carnatic music at home at the age of 8. She believes that it came naturally to her. By the time she got married, she had won many awards in it. She was passionate about music and wanted to pursue it as her career. As she shifted to Bombay, she had to travel a lot to reach the master's place to polish her skills. So she decided to change her style from Carnatic music to Hindustani style music for easy access to learning.

How well do you know about Brand Marketing? Would you like to polish your knowledge with us? Our guest for today is one of the top 5 rated Brand Marketing professionals in Asia Pacific. We are delighted and privileged to talk to Mr. Anand Narsimha for this episode of The Brand Called You. Anand is also the professor of Brand Marketing and Brand Consultant at the Jagdish Sheth School of Management. Talking about Branding being an art or science, Anand says that it is both. Earlier, when there used to be no internet, less data, and technology to work with, Branding was more of an art. However, today with the entry of real time data, tools, and technological platforms, Branding has become a combination of Art and Science.

Talking about Futurists, our guest for today tells us that the term 'Futurist' existed as a concept a decade ago, but was extremely unattended and under-rated.  Our guest, April Rinne, is a Futurist. She is the author of the book titled 'Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change'. She has been named among the 50 leading female Futurists in the world. She was also recognized as the Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.   April didn't set out to be a futurist. She in fact set out to be a person who is very curious. She did not want to be an expert in one discipline, in fact, she wanted to apply and experiment with interdisciplinary concepts.

It is said, “Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes.” Close your eyes and imagine a place with nature around you, with plants from around the world. Now, what if we tell you, such a place exists and on the ground, which is almost equal to the size of 30 football pitches? Yes, that is true, and it is made on once a barren land which had wastes of mineral disposals. We are talking about the lush green county of Cornwall’s The Eden Project. Sir Tim Smit is a Dutch-born businessman. He is the co-founder of the celebrated Eden Project, Executive Vice-Chair of Eden Project Ltd, and Executive Chairman of Eden Project International Ltd. Tim Smit has also tried his hands in the music industry. He worked as an archaeologist before stepping into the business world.

Our guest for today Dr. Kanchan Anand is a doctor specializing in internal medicine and nephrology. She has been practicing her profession in Washington DC for over two decades. She chairs the Bioethics Committee. She has been awarded and recognized several times. She started as an entrepreneur in solo practice and now works with the largest health system in her area. Talking about the 60 seconds relaxation techniques, she tells us that it is based on three principles. They are; Deep Breathing, Connecting with the positivity of the Universe and Gratitude.

We follow a certain profession due to myriad reasons which include our interests or maybe what the society decided for us. However, there is an innate desire amongst every human to stand out in what (s)he does. It takes reflection to take steps towards the path. It takes courage to break the rules and make your path. Today, we have one such example who broke the established rules to do what she wanted to do and combine it with her current profession. Eve Vlemincix, a  lawyer, was discouraged from pursuing business courses, but she did what she wanted and is now an example of how to do things differently. Eve Vlemincx is an attorney involved in enabling strategic innovation. A self-described lifelong learner has received four Stanford GSB intellectual contribution awards.

This episode of The Brand Called You brings you the story of a man who saw loopholes in the Healthcare Business of Arica and decided to change it. Our guest for today is a healthcare professional, Dr. Amit N Thakker. Amit is the Chairman of Africa Healthcare Business, which is a boutique, consultancy and investment firm. It is headquartered in Nairobi and works in 27 countries of Africa. Amit is also the President of the Africa Healthcare Foundation. Amit has been recognized, felicitated and awarded globally. He is also a member of YPO.

As the world around us changed with COVID, there were the frontline heroes who worked relentlessly to keep us also safe. There also are people who helped these frontline workers in executing their roles. As the health infrastructure of our country was racing against time to improve, the seasoned entrepreneur Srikant Sastri along with scientist Amitaba Bandyopadhy came up with a model to make ventilators for India in just 90 days. The seasoned entrepreneur takes us through some important lessons of starting and running a startup business. Srikant Sastry is the chairman of the i3g Advisory Network. He is also the President of TiE, Delhi NCR. The seasoned entrepreneur has started and exited two successful businesses. Tune in to listen to his inspiring story.

This episode of The Brand Called You brings you a personality whose mission was to facilitate the parties of Real Estate business with an easy and transparent service at low costs. To accomplish that, he used technology to create a platform where the parties can enter into deals directly without any unnecessary brokerage. We are privileged to welcome Mr. Amit Kumar Agarwal to our show. Amit is the founder and CEO of NoBroker.com, which is the only C2C platform in the Real Estate market. NoBroker.com has recently joined the unicorn club.

Charu Mehrotra is the founder of women oriented e-magazine, “Womenlines”. The magazine aims at promoting business, leadership, and health excellence in women across the globe.  Charu recalls her journey and calls her recent project of an online e-magazine, “Womenlines”, her fourth venture in Singapore. Hailing from a journalism background, the idea of the venture was with her for some time.  She owes the success of her venture to the quality content and uniqueness of the idea. Charu tells that as a woman when she was trying to find resources for her growth, there were none to a very few available. So, she ventured out to create a dedicated resource base for women in the fields of leadership, business, and health.

Our guest for today is a tech entrepreneur. He is an expert in both the technology and entrepreneurship domains of his business. We consider ourselves privileged to welcome Manuj Aggarwal for speaking to us for this episode of The Brand Called You. Manuj Aggarwal is a Canada-based tech entrepreneur. He is the founder of TetraNoodle Technologies. TetraNoodle Technologies is a Big Data and Artificial Intelligence consulting company. They work with all the cutting edge Technology like building mobile apps and IoT etc. He is also a leader at Startup Vancouver.

Today, we have Stefaan Van Hooydonk, promoter of the concept of curiosity for 360 development of our professional and personal life. Listen to this enriching and thought-provoking conversation, and get inspired to apply it to life. Stefaan Van Hooydonk is the founder of Global Curiosity Institute, a venture supporting and promoting curiosity among people and business leaders. Stefaan talks about the venture that he established as he realized life values while working with several organizations. He narrates how he observes a certain group of people who were always reading and trying to learn new things, but not all organizations support the curious nature.

This episode brings you the story of a young boy, who decided to support a declining craft form after he discovered them during a college project. Our guest for today, Aditya Aggarwal, is the co-founder of PTAL - Punjabi Thathera Art Legacy (commonly pronounced as "peetal", which is the Hindi word for brass). He is the former director of Enactus at SRCC. Aditya was also the global ambassador of the HSBC Asia Pacific business case. Aditya tells us that while he was in Sriram College of Commerce, he was working on a college project in 2018. As he and his team were working, they came across a particular community in Punjab that was practicing the 'Thathiyaar' craft form. Aditya came to know that they are India's only UNESCO-listed craft form listed under the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2014.