Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha

In this episode, our host, Dheeraj Sinha delves into the intriguing world of millets and their resurgence in India. He engages in a conversation with Prashant Parameswaran, the MD & CEO of Tata Consumer Soulfull Pvt. Ltd., who brings invaluable insights to the table with his extensive experience in the food industry. Prashant's discussion touches on the challenges of popularizing millets, bridging generational gaps, and making them relevant to contemporary dietary preferences. The episode also explores the art of building a brand in the diverse landscape of Bharat. Prashant emphasizes the significance of understanding regional differences and cultural nuances in marketing. Overall, this episode provides a concise yet informative glimpse into the transformation of India's food industry and the strategies behind it.

In the fourth episode of 'Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 4, Nitin Chhabra, the CEO of Ace Turtle, the company behind the success of retail brands such as Lee and Wrangler in India. Nitin in this episode, discusses with Dheeraj, about how brands can scale in a diverse market like India, how a fashion brand should approach tier 2, tier 3 cities of Bharat, how traditional legacy brands are embracing new-age tech platforms and data-driven strategies and in today’s time, how crucial is it for brands to prioritize sustainability and social responsibility. Before Ace Turtle, Nitin has worked with Reliance Brands, Brooks Brothers, and Reid & Taylor India. Find Nitin Chabbra on Social Media: LinkedIn Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

In the third episode of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we talk to Mukesh Kalra, the founder and CEO of ET Money, one of India's leading wealth tech startups. With fifteen years of experience in shaping businesses and consumer internet products, Mukesh brings a wealth of knowledge to our discussion. At ET Money, his vision is to simplify the financial journey for all Indians and provide them with intelligent investment strategies. In this episode, we delve into how the post-pandemic era has influenced trading and investment behaviours, the transformative impact of fintech on the youth's investment habits in India, and the nuanced differences in investment trends between metro India and tier 2 and tier 3 cities. This promises to be an enlightening conversation about the ever-evolving landscape of finance in India. Join us as we gain insights from Mukesh Kalra's extensive experience and expertise in the fintech industry. Find Mukesh Kalra on Social Media: LinkedIn | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

In the second episode of 'Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 4,' Manish Chowdhary, Co-Founder of WOW Skin Science, delves into his experiences about establishing a thriving D2C brand. He discusses the hurdles within the beauty and wellness sector and emphasizes the offline market's significance. Manish's journey from an IT giant's laptop retailer and wholesaler to a prosperous beauty brand creator serves as a motivating story. He underscores the value of digital strategies and the necessity to revamp offline strategies. The conversation covers successful business approaches as well as the valuable lessons learned from failures on the path to achievement. Find Manish Chowdhary on Social Media: LinkedIn Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

In the inaugural episode of 'Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 4' Gaurav Agarwal, Co-Founder of 1mg, delves into pivotal healthcare shifts in India, unveiling insights on consumers transitioning from traditional pharmacies to virtual medical platforms. As leader of Tata's eCommerce and technology strategy, Gaurav' journey from co- founding 1mg to his Silicon Valley tenure brings unique perspective. He explores the collaborative impact of mobile technology on medical services, optimizing patient convenience. Amid these discussions, he highlights the essential ingredients of a nurturing work environment for start-up growth. This episode encapsulates Gaurav's insights in sync with today's healthcare and technological landscape. Find Gaurav Agarwal on Social Media: LinkedIn Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

How are digital loans triggering economic change for Bharat? How does one stand out in a saturated category such as financing? What's behind the speed at which brands are scaling-up today? In Episode 10 of the podcast ‘Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 3,’ Deepak Jain, Co-Founder at FlexiLoans speaks about how regional micro business enterprises in India are contributing towards the national economy with the support of digital loans, how fintech is shaping a new India. He also shares his views on strategy to chase IPOs for a business and cites some thought-provoking insights. Deepak Jain was born in a family of jewellers and moneylenders. He was an in-house consultant with JSW Group when he decided to become an investment banker. He joined Indian School of Business and started working for ENAM in 2009. He worked for 15 years in the corporate world before being bitten by the entrepreneurial bug. Find Deepak Jain on Social Media: LinkedIn | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

How is digital eCommerce gearing up to match the population of the nation? What are the initiatives and policy-making decisions channelled towards a positive nation powered by digital? How have entrepreneurs and start-ups been contributing to the new era of digitalization? In Episode 9 of the podcast ‘Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 3,’ Arvind Gupta, Head and Co-Founder of Digital India Foundation, shares his views on how the digital transaction system and business platforms are changing the landscape of businesses in India, and the role of start-ups and entrepreneurs in the process. Arvind has over 27 years of industry experience, having worked in diverse sectors in a variety of leadership, policy and entrepreneurial profiles in India and Silicon Valley, USA. He has experience in Consumer Internet, Digital Media, Payment Systems, Analytics and Data Economy. Working as CEO of MyGov is a must-mention, an initiative of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to empower Citizens of India with Participative Governance and digitally communicate Schemes and Policies to all Indians. Find Arvind Gupta on Social Media: LinkedIn | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

What has changed in the process of brand building over the period of time? How has D2C product marketing been adapting to media evolution? What is an effective marketing model for a successful brand? In Episode 8 of the podcast ‘Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 3,’ Anil Viswanathan, Vice President – Marketing at Mondelez India speaks about how data and technology are ushering in a new way of building brands, the effective marketing modules for marketers and the future of the D2C market. Anil joined Mondelez India in May 2000 as a management trainee and has spent more than two decades in the company, across a variety of roles including Sales, Brand & Category Marketing, Strategy and New Business Development. His journey in the company has taken him into Regional and Global roles and into different categories including Chocolate and Biscuits. One of his achievements, amongst many others, has been the launch of Cadbury 5Star globally, which is now present in 3 continents including markets like Brazil and South Africa. Find Anil on Social Media: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

What challenges do women face to wear an entrepreneurial hat? What does it take for a woman to climb through the leadership ladder? What is the role of men in boosting women empowerment? In Episode 7 of the podcast ‘Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 3,’ Aabha Bakaya, Founder and CEO at Ladies Who Lead speaks about the challenges that women face to wear an entrepreneurial hat and shares a snippet about the platform that aims at boosting women empowerment and self-development. Aabha is a career business journalist, news anchor, editor, writer and producer. She has spent 15 years working in the media industry while being associated with major media networks as an anchor and interviewed many business stalwarts and market mavericks. Lately, Aabha has turned entrepreneur with her own company, AB Network and one of the properties under AB Network is Ladies Who Lead. Find Aabha Bakaya on Social Media: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

It takes around seven generations for children living in extreme poverty to break out of poverty and earn a meaningful income. So, how does one break this poverty cycle? Do social enterprises need a strong brand purpose to build trust and credibility among volunteers and contributors? And, in this new age, what is the role of Gen Z in social causes? In Episode 6 of the podcast ‘Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 3’, Jithin C Nedumala, Founder and CEO of Make A Difference (MAD) speak about his strategic program that aims at breaking the cycle of poverty faced by millions of vulnerable children. For the new-age entrepreneur, Jithin has some thought-provoking messages and perceptive insights on making a business successful. Jithin founded MAD at the age of 19 and for his philanthropic contribution, Jithin was awarded the Ashoka Global Youth Social Entrepreneur Award, Karmaveer Puraskar, Cordes Fellowship, and Youth Actionnet Fellowship. Find Jithin C Nedumala on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Has the playbook for marketing changed from what it was two decades ago? In the age of social media and influencer marketing, should marketing let go of some of the guardrails? What’s the future of EVs in India? Would we see a complete shift of the ecosystem to electric in a few years? Or is it that, like every other change will this too will be an ‘and’ rather than an ‘or’? In Episode 5 of podcast ‘Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 3,’ Narayan Sundararaman, Head of Marketing at Bajaj Auto Ltd. addresses the science of marketing, consumer behaviour and the future of automobile industry. Narayan Sundararaman is a seasoned marketing professional and business leader with over two decades of experience in sectors ranging from FMCG to media to electronic vehicles. Narayan has helmed marketing at Cadbury’s now Mondelez, Star Plus and now Bajaj. Narayan’s experience spans across developed as well as developing markets and multiple geographies and cultures, particularly in India, South East Asia, Australia & New Zealand and Japan. Since the beginning of his career at ITC Ltd as Assistant Branch Manager in 1995, Narayan has reached great heights. Find Narayan Sundararaman on Social Media: LinkedIn | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Every week, there is a new roaster popping up and, India is seeing a sort of coffee revolution. Coffee consumption is a rising trend in India and people are adapting to the habit of drinking coffee over tea. Therefore, the food and beverages segment in India has gone through dramatic changes over the last couple of years, but the questions are – what has changed and what hasn’t for them? Is India a tea market, or is there a coffee culture shaping in the country? Who is the coffee audience in India? In Episode 4 of Season 3 - Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, Matt Chittaranjan, the Founder of Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters brews interesting insights about the coffee business in India and its potentialities. Matt has his roots in India and has been brought up in the west. He specialized in Economics and worked as a Research Associate before taking a giant leap into entrepreneurship. Started as a pet project in Delhi in 2013, the Blue Tokai coffee house now has over 50 cafes in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Gurugram. Find Matt Chitharanjan on Social Media: LinkedIn |Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

With internet being democratised, entertainment is no more a luxury. Gaming and content are the new ways of digital consumption. But is this a pattern across India? Or is it restricted to metro cities? Can gaming indeed be a full-time profession in India? Also, how are gaming platforms approaching Metaverse? In Episode 03 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha – Season 03, we have Anirudh Pandita - Founder of Loco, in the hot seat, who answers to some of the crucial questions around gaming as the next business segment in tier 2 and tier 3 cities alongside brand building in the new age. Loco is India’s leading game streaming platform which has grown rapidly over the past 12 months, with monthly active viewers scaling by 6x, monthly active streamers scaling by 10x, and live watch hours scaling by 48x since June 2020. Anirudh is also a founder and board member of Pocket Aces. Prior to embarking on his entrepreneur journey, Anirudh worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Istithmar World Capital in New York, London, and Dubai. He was recently featured on Fortune’s 40 under 40 list 2021, the second time he has appeared on the list. Find Anirudh Pandita on Social Media: Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Gaming is set to be the next big thing. What goes behind creating a market for gaming in India? What kind of games and what kind of players are coming up? What’s the role of local languages and characters in this? What could be the role of brands in all of this? In Episode 02 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we converse with Salone Sehgal about how access to mobile data is opening doors for gamers from every part of the country and taking gaming to tire 2 and 3 India; how gaming platforms provide a big opportunity for brands through in-game integration. Salone is the world's first female General Partner of a games and interactive VC fund. She has 15+ years of experience as a global games & new media investor, games entrepreneur, and former M&A banker. She has served as a BAFTA Games Award Juror in 2017, recognized as Top 30 Women in Mobile, Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech, and was awarded the Iconic Women Leaders award by WEF. Find Salone Sehgal on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

How do we create a new category in a crowded market such as personal care? That too for men? Are Indian men finally warming up to the idea of grooming? Is this an India-wide phenomenon or just top metros? And finally, in the mad rush for the unicorn status, have the fundamentals of business changed? In Episode 1 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we converse with Hitesh Dhingra, Co-Founder & MD at The Man Company, India's first 'Men-Only' grooming brand in India. Hitesh has in his past life co-founded a series of start-ups such as Tyro Media, Letsbuy.com, Trulymadly.com, and now The Man Company. Find Hitesh on Social Media: LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

About a decade ago, English was the language of access, if one didn’t know the language, in most cases you’d end up with limited opportunities. But today we are experiencing a whole new India with the country opening up for the wider masses thanks to the internet revolution. With new platforms emerging in the content space everyday will vernacular content be the key to reach the next billion internet users in India? In the age of binge-watching and short format content, is the current generation a video-only or a video-first generation? When it comes to monetization, how much should one focus on value creation via-a-vis value capture? And finally, what are some of the challenges a founder faces in their journey to success; and what mindset can one adopt to overcome failures in this journey? In episode 10 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we talk about Stories in Your Language with Ranjeet Pratap Singh, co-founder & CEO at Pratilipi, the largest Indian language storytelling platform with over 5 million stories published in 12 languages and over 25+ million active readers. Before Pratilipi, Ranjeet was associated with Vodafone where he looked after Marketing, Retail, and Channel Sales. He has been featured in Forbes 30 under 30 & Entrepreneur India 35 under 35. Find Ranjeet on LinkedIn(https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranjeetpsingh/) Check out Pratilipi at https://www.pratilipi.com/ Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

There is no love greater than the love for food. But is doing business in food loveable, fun, and exciting? What are the watch-outs when one decides to take a plunge to open a food business? The pandemic sent huge tremors in the F&B industry seeing the rise of new ventures. But what is the future of food and how technologically-driven will it be? And finally, does leadership take on a new meaning during a crisis? Is there enough conversation around the mental health of leaders? In episode 9 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we explore the F&B business with Gauri Devidayal, Co-founder and CEO at Food Matters Group which includes brands like The Table, The Table Farm, Magazine St. Kitchen, Iktara, Mag St Bread Co, Miss T Delivery, Mag St Toppings, and most recently, Mag St. Café. We talk about the vibrant restaurant business in India, its evolution, and the joys of entrepreneurship. Join us as Gauri tells us about the hardships she faced when she switched her career into the F&B business, the evolution of the restaurant scene due to the pandemic, and her take on leadership. Find Gauri on Social MediaLinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Is our education system partial or elitist? How can our existing education system be made accessible and equal for all? Is there an educational class divide in the nation? And what can we do to bridge this critical gap so our demographic asset does not turn into a demographic nightmare? And finally, how can new-age technology get integrated into new-age education/lessons for effective learning? In episode 8 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we chat with Akshay Munjal, CEO at Hero Vired, a premium EdTech venture from the Hero Group that enables professionals and aspirants to transform their higher education journey into real-world job opportunities. We deep dive into understanding how the Indian education system is getting an upgrade in the form of Edtech and where exactly we are on the Edtech curve. Join us as Akshay tells us about the Democratization of Indian Education. Find Akshay on LinkedIn Check out Hero Vired on their Website Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

2020 saw the rise of the influencer which completely revolutionized the Indian marketing ecosystem. But what was the journey like for a content creator to commit to being a full-time influencer? What was the epiphany, the journey, and the challenges that led him to reach the covet Million-follower mark? In episode 7 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we chat with Raj Shamani, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and one of India’s most sought-after influencers. Raj was the youngest speaker at the UN headquarters, Vienna, and has delivered 200+ speeches globally.We talk about his learning curve and understand the brand-influencer ecosystem from an influencer’s perspective.Join us as Raj tell us about how a content creator's brain works and his journey from zero to a million + followers. Find Raj on Social MediaWebsite | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

How exactly should a brand go about selecting the right influencer for their campaign. The burden of ‘responsibility’: should the influencer bear it or the brand, or should this burden be shared? How can an influencer’s omnipresence ensure their influence continues to have an upward growth trend. And finally, how can one become an influencer in an already crowded market? In episode 6 of Speakeasy with Dheeraj Sinha, we chat with Apaksh Gupta, founder of One Impression, an AI driven influencer marketing platform that is changing the way brands work with influencers.We talk about the fast evolving Indian influencer ecosystem and how brands are adapting their strategies to make the most of this opportunity.Join us as Apaksh tells us about the rise of the Indian influencer and how an influencer ecosystem with responsibility as a cornerstone will make all the difference. Find Apaksh on LinkedIn Check out 'One Impression' on their website Find Dheeraj Sinha on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Check out our website: (https://speakeasywithdheerajsinha.in/) Follow Speakeasy on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn Find Leo Burnett on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn