The Brand Called You

Branding is what people say about you when you are not in the room. It is not always about the companies we work for, it is also about our branding. The value, the skill set, and the experience we bring to the table in any field. The elevator pitch is not always required to promote our companies, but ourselves too for being in a position we deserve, to sustain in the position we hold, and to grow further to where we want to reach. It starts with the right mindset and thoughts, and today we have a pioneer of branding to talk about its importance, enabling us to become leaders in life. Tune in to listen to this enriching conversation. About Suneel Agarwal Suneel Agarwal is a Brand Architect, Communication Coach, and a Transformation Speaker. He is a Thought Leader in Branding and developed innovative concepts like Visible and Invisible Branding. He mentors CEOs to young executives to groom new champions in Public Speaking as well as leaders.

The hue and cry around climate change are real and are getting serious with each passing day. While some of us are pertinently working to defer the disasters, some aren’t even bothered. Despite the pool of knowledge around us regarding the environment and its deteriorating conditions, we least realize that even our food habits affect the earth massively. Although the percentage of vegans and vegetarians is as small as 6-11% in this world as per the United Nations’ figures, the hatred towards factory farming is ever-increasing. From Hollywood celebrities like James Cromwell, and Ellen Page to famed comedians like Frank Ferrante and Russell Brand to the Gen Z and millennial influencers all are the flag bearers of veganism and vegetarianism. While they might be the front-runners for the cause, Clive Dsouza is here with us who will reason the cause and explain why this lifestyle is towards sustainability and a better world. About Clive Dsouza Clive is the Founder and CEO of Vvegano. Clive is a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst, and Financial Risk Manager by qualification, and has been working actively in Banks and Financial Institutions in India, UAE, and the Netherlands over the last decade. However, being an animal lover, he decided to turn vegan 8 years ago when he learned about the unnecessary cruelties involved in the Meat, Dairy, and Leather Industries.

The increasing presence of women as entrepreneurs has led to significant business and economic growth in the country. Women-owned business enterprises are playing a prominent role in society by generating employment opportunities in the country, bringing in demographic shifts, and inspiring the next generation of women founders. We have brought Mrinalini Venkatachalam, Regional Director, SE Asia, and Oceania, WEConnect International to discuss the same with us. About Mrinalini Venkatachalam Mrinalini Venkatachalam is the Regional Director, SE Asia, and Oceania for WEConnect International. Mrinalini has worked to bridge the gap between unmet social needs and service providers, giving large corporates, government agencies, community organizations, and social enterprises the platform to create measurable social impact. She has been awarded the Singapore Women's Weekly's Great Women of Our Time award in the Public Service and Education category and has recently been nominated as one of Cleo Singapore's 2016 top ten Changemakers.

Manik is the Founder and CEO of Therma, a technology startup whose mission is to help protect our food, health, and planet. Previously, Manik co-founded the Governance Lab (GovLab), an innovation center at NYU that develops technology solutions to improve government. He has been recognized amongst the Top 100 Harvard Alumni in Technology, a past Affiliate of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, and previously held positions at global investment firm D. E. Shaw & Company and the White House National Economic Council.

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 is about the benefits and the challenges that people face in this digital age and how we can live in this digital world without facing any problems. About Moshe Y Vardi Moshe Y. Vardi is a University Professor, the George Distinguished Service Professor in Computational Engineering, and Director of the Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology at Rice University. He is the author and co-author of over 600 papers, as well as two books: Reasoning about Knowledge and Finite Model Theory and Its Applications.

Poor quality education is leading to poor learning outcomes in India, ultimately pushing children out of the education system and leaving them vulnerable to child labor, abuse, and violence. Many classrooms continue to be characterized by teacher-centered rote learning, corporal punishment, and discrimination. We have brought Vikas Pota, Founder and CEO, of T4 Education to talk to us about quality education. About Vikas Pota Vikas Pota is the Founder & CEO of T4 Education, a digital platform he established as a response to the challenges posed by the pandemic on education, globally. Prior to T4, in the education sector, Vikas set up and ran a philanthropic foundation focused on teachers where he launched and ran the Global Teacher Prize as a way of shining a spotlight on the greatness of the profession. Vikas serves on several non-profit boards including The Education Outcomes Fund, Artists in Residence, Global School Leaders, Queen Rania Teacher Academy, Educate Girls, and Teach for All.

Starting a Business is one of the biggest challenges any entrepreneur will face. There are many questions to answer at the very beginning when starting a business, but the most difficult one is the question of what exactly you want to do. Today we have Poornima Shenoy, CEO, Hummingbird Advisors; Author, Accelerating Her Business to talk about her experience of starting a business. About Poornima Shenoy Poornima Shenoy is the CEO, of Hummingbird Advisors. She is the author of Accelerating Her Business. She has worked as a leader in the corporate sector and as an entrepreneur. Currently, she is on the Board of many companies: Dixon Technologies, NSEIT, Padget Electronics, and Coforge Business Process Solutions. Poornima has been the founding President of the Indian Semiconductor Association and has played a key role in the formation of the Electronics Sector Skills Council ESSCI.

Storytelling is an ancient art form and a valuable form of human expression. Because story is essential to so many art forms, however, the word “storytelling” is often used in many ways. Ameen Haque, Founder, Storywallahs; Business Storyteller and Story Coach is here to talk to us about the same. About Ameen Haque A two-decade-long career in advertising and a parallel journey as an actor in Theatre has cultivated in me a deep belief in the power of stories to change the world. I firmly believe that STORY IS POWER and help leaders and organizations leverage the power of stories. As a Story Coach, I train leaders and entrepreneurs in storytelling, crafting narratives, telling their personal stories, story spot, and using story and story-based frameworks to help organizations navigate change, align culture & values and inspire action along with desired goals.

Support women on their way to the top. Trust that they will extend a hand to those who follow. Today we have  Donna Orender who speaks to us on leadership, change, gender equity, and diversity. About Donna Orender Donna Orender is the Founder and CEO of  Orender Unlimited & Generation W She is the former President of the Women’s National Basketball Association of the USA. She has been recognized as one of the top 10 most powerful women in sports. She is recognized by Newsweek as amongst the 100 most influential people. She is also a best-selling author of the book WOWsdom! The Girl's Guide to the Positive and the Possible.

The trend of coaching has increased significantly in recent years and so does their need. A coach helps individuals uncover their potential, climb up the career ladder and improve their life overall by asking the right questions. Be it a Career coach, an executive coach, or a life coach, people are realizing the importance of hiring coaches and at the same time, people are showing interest in becoming a coach themselves to impact others' lives positively. Well, today we have invited Deb Crowe, Executive, and Business Coach to share her insights with us. About Deb Crowe, Executive, and Business Coach Deb is an executive and business coach. She's a heart-centered thought leader. I firmly believe that every single imperfection adds to your leadership. In today's world, everyone is imperfect, and my mission is to show that you don't have to be “perfect” to be a caring, effective, heart-centered leader. She's an Executive Coach for Senior Leaders.