Building a Unique Career Trajectory from FMCG to Automobiles to Blockchain
From being a foot soldier in Sales, going door to door selling hair products, to the glitz and glamour of making advertisements and running marketing campaigns; from the volume-driven markets of Asia and the Middle East to the value-driven economies of the Nordics – life has been full of interesting lessons and challenges.
After completing my MBA from SP Jain in 2007, I started my marketing career with L’Oreal and the high demand world of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). I believe that getting a wide variety of experiences is essential to one’s growth as a marketeer and being at the frontline in different industries has sensitised me not just to the mechanics of how it works but also to the people behind it.
In the media industry, I saw the clash of traditional print versus television first-hand, and then the new-age online movement. In finance, I learned the intricacies of trading, credit and financial products, and how these move the world. In fact, I also learnt how they laid the very foundation of the modern world order. In the automotive sector, I saw the strong interlink between the GDPs of countries and the sales of commercial vehicles. From there, I moved to Norway and decided to become part of the start-up scene here, working with companies looking to change the world through new business models, ideas, and sheer drive.
Welcome to the new age where trust is digitised and the currency is controlled by code rather than governments! Working as COO at BitGate and Chief Planning Officer at the parent company, BitSpace, I see the challenges and opportunities that this new technology presents every day and its power to change the world.
In the chaos of the modern world, it is important to remember the basics – putting people at the centre. It is for this reason that I started experimenting with a design thinking approach to help organisations and entrepreneurs find their purpose and their unique voice. Heading marketing for Brand Valley has been like coming home, for at the heart of our approach is tying organisations and brands together from the very core and not as an afterthought or just a logo. It is all about building impactful brands through the power of design leadership.
Starting as a wide-eyed management trainee in 2007 to holding leadership positions now, I could never have imagined the journey my life would take, and the wonderful people I would meet along the way. Looking back, I am even more motivated to keep marching forward and building new paths. Here’s to life!
About the Author: Vidhi Kumar
Vidhi Kumar (GMBA’07) is currently Chief Operating Officer at BitGate & the Head of Marketing at Brand Valley. A marketing and digital professional with over 12 years of experience in Technology, Automotive, Finance, and Consumer Goods industries, Vidhi specialises in brand and product development, customer experience, strategy, and business transformation. She works on leveraging digital technologies such as blockchain and exponential technologies, and design thinking to help companies transform their business models for the new digital age.
An avid reader, she enjoys reading books on various subjects, and spending time with her family. Currently based in Norway, Vidhi is actively involved in the Norwegian start-up ecosystem and is driven to build new businesses.
