Creative director of a luxury brand, writer (creative, luxury), existentialist, pop-culture observer, eternal oceanista. This blog showcases my journey as a brand director and working with other luxury brands (2017-2024), where I led the brand-building efforts and drove creative communications; as well as my 18 years in luxury media (2001-2019) building and leading 360 content.

2019-date | Brand director of concept-led global (Paris/Mumbai) luxury brand, ANEKA (previously known as Her Story). Conceptualised and creatively directed the independent ATL+BTL brand campaign, Modern Perspectives, which won the global Brands & Communication Red Dot Award 2023 in the Advertising Campaign (Advertising) category. Spearheaded the brand name change towards one that is more inclusive and has a deeper meaning.

Took the young start-up brand from initial offering to proof of concept, and then into a successful flagship and retail format across global touch points (Paris, India, UAE, USA). This includes concept, brand building & awareness, strategy, consumer testing along with creative direction across all touch points: brand content and communications, PR, digital marketing, social media content, communication and performance marketing, campaign conceptualisation and execution, and branding.

Previously, been a consultant for Walking Tree Ventures’ B2C and B2B brands—Her Story (India), Unsaid Library (Europe), Aesthete (India) and Shades of Love (China)—and previously, global luxury jewellery brand, NIRAV MODI, to create a global brand voice and core brand and marketing collateral across online and offline platforms. This included brand building, storytelling, content and collaterals, communications.

Been officially putting words to paper and into print since 2001. Collected the following editorial designations: Op-ed columnist, contributing writer, contributing editor, features editor, digital editor, deputy managing editor (print edition), consulting content director. Built, mentored and trained teams.

Contributing to top-line fashion, luxury and lifestyle media with a strong focus on sustainable luxury. In-depth research-based stories, interviews and editorial features.

Writing, editing and curating content across the following categories: Arts and culture, cinema, literature, fashion, style, sustainability, design, brands and heritage, travel, food, technology, entrepreneurship; with pieces that run the gamut from feature interviews with achievers, fiction, humour and comment pieces, research-based trend stories, reviews and social chronicles, among others.

Written for various publications including Mint Lounge, The Voice of Fashion, Vogue India, Elle India, Conde Nast Traveller, Taj Magazine, The Swaddle, Verve, L’Officiel India, Seventeen India, Mother’s World, The State Times, The Independent Weekly (USA), The Triangle Tribune (USA), Delta Democrat Times (USA).

Launched Verve‘s online edition and their digital department in 2014 as their digital editor: including curating, editing and managing the entire digital publication and all social media platforms’ content, creating the brand language, stylesheet and extensive digital properties. Headed the design and development, including the customised content management system in the backend.

Been a co-founder (with Sahil Parikh) of digital startups, Dimension Ventures Inc (USA) and Synage Software (India) that included providing web services to Fortune 500 companies as well as building one of India’s pioneer SaaS (cloud) products, Desk Away (2007). DeskAway was ranked one of the top 10 productivity tools in the world.

Dabbled with Indian cinema, working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Sony Pictures on writing the English version of the script and subtitles for the movie, Saawariya (2007).

Squeezed into a haloed group of dignified professors invited to contribute to a Student Reference Guide for American college students, with an essay on Modern Indian Drama.

Graduated from St Xavier’s College/ Mumbai University (English Literature, Economics and Politics), with post-graduate research (DIS with Prof. Kimball King) in existentialism and popular culture from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.

Invited to speak at various Rotary and Inner Wheel Mumbai chapters and hold a discussion at Christie’s India. Invited as a speaker at LXMI.inc (For Women Who Mean Business) panel for women entrepreneurs, to give a talk on Your Brand Is Your Business (December 2023).

If you wish to set up a speaking engagement, reach out here.

(All opinions in this blog are my own and not affiliated with any organisation or publication unless otherwise specified as “published in…”)