Head of Marketing & Products and Sr EVP at UTI Mutual Fund
Linked In - @Gaurav Suri
Twitter and Instagram - @gawruv
An army kid having lived a nomadic existence I have completed my BE from REC Bhopal and finished my PGDBM at XLRI in marketing and operations. Shifting Schools every couple of years enabled me to appreciate the diversity of our land and ability to fit in very fast – deal with multiple cultures, food, language, geography.
They have never come in the way for doing something new. The army cantonments were a pristine environment which provided access to the best of facilities in growing up years and one could learn anything one wanted to. The background was middle class with strong values focussing on building integrity, character and conviction instilled by my parents.
I was and remain the proverbial Chet Morten [Hardy Boys ( Franklin W Dixon)] with multiple interests battling for time – from philosophy to fiction, philately to travelling and now chronicling the travels thru a camera, cooking, music and movies – anything which helps appreciate people and nuances of behaviour better. It’s the restlessness to remain curious and explore which resides strong in me.
Married to Bhavana a fellow Xler and HR professional who is now working on her passion project of incubating a new category (CEO caregiver saathi), I am constantly challenged by my daughter Vaanya as being uncool (find it difficult to decode snapchat/ tiktok).
Professional Journey -
A consumer behaviour student I have worked in strong pull oriented categories (FMCG) and learnt the art and science of applying understanding across a strong push driven concept like insurance and asset management (BFSI) with the realisation that the ability of the function to align and help deliver business objectives keeps you in good stead.
In my current role as Sr EVP at UTI AMC he works at the intersection of technology, data and customer experience and Product development. I am passionate about creating value for the business and lead teams which have created iconic platforms in the category like Swatantra (Investor education) or FAA both in their decade of existence.
I was and remain the proverbial Chet Morten [Hardy Boys ( Franklin W Dixon)] with multiple interests battling for time – from philosophy to fiction, philately to travelling and now chronicling the travels thru a camera, cooking, music and movies – anything which helps appreciate people and nuances of behaviour better. It’s the restlessness to remain curious and explore which resides strong in me.
Married to Bhavana a fellow Xler and HR professional who is now working on her passion project of incubating a new category (CEO caregiver saathi), I am constantly challenged by my daughter Vaanya as being uncool (find it difficult to decode snapchat/ tiktok).
Professional Journey -
A consumer behaviour student I have worked in strong pull oriented categories (FMCG) and learnt the art and science of applying understanding across a strong push driven concept like insurance and asset management (BFSI) with the realisation that the ability of the function to align and help deliver business objectives keeps you in good stead.
In my current role as Sr EVP at UTI AMC he works at the intersection of technology, data and customer experience and Product development. I am passionate about creating value for the business and lead teams which have created iconic platforms in the category like Swatantra (Investor education) or FAA both in their decade of existence.
I am also part of the team which drives digital transformation in the organisation , create a strong data practise and helps create the right solutions in the form of products and offerings . I have also participated in AMFI led "MF Sahi hai campaign" for the industry.
At the beginning of the career when I joined Britannia , fell in love with the discipline of sales and led successful teams which delivered stellar results . Demand creation and operational efficiency using transportation models were some of my key learnings.
At the beginning of the career when I joined Britannia , fell in love with the discipline of sales and led successful teams which delivered stellar results . Demand creation and operational efficiency using transportation models were some of my key learnings.
Handling the Youth portfolio I was part of some iconic communication for Little Hearts, 50-50 ( out/not out) and Snax. I also oversaw the diversification into snacking which bombed at the marketplace but left learnings for life.
At Perfetti, learnt to handle the pace of a duopoly market in bubble gums , building in a high rhythm of schematic and thematic and did some memorable campaigns. Later on, led the sale team in South and handled the integration of Perfetti with Van Melle. Cost consciousness was a key value embedded during this stint.
At MetLife I led the marketing and Product development function. The Shift to a push driven world made me question my decision from FMCG but fell in love with the thought required to build consistency at multiple touch points and build the brand during early days.
Over the years have the privilege of working with really smart individuals who I have learnt from and led high performing teams.
2. How according to you has marketing evolved over the years?
While a lot of change have happened over the years on how we go to market, reach out and communicate or discover things about people, the fundamentals of being true to the customer. Getting to know them intimately and then showcasing how we add value in the life of the customer is still integral to the art and science of marketing.
Brand building especially in financial services is about alignment- understanding how you are perceived by customers, partners, employees and how you want to be perceived.. putting this understanding in practice across every aspect of the firm to make perception reality.
To understand evolution of marketing you need to understand about the evolution of environment and consumers.
In the pre internet era it was about living within means, choice constrained – supply shortage, non-availability of products, license raaj, media choices were limited. There used to be a shortage of goods, waiting periods. Quality of products and getting it right the first time mattered.
In the 90’s and early days of liberalisation, there was rising affluence, rapid urbanisation and rising incomes created opportunities for marketers to look at form over function. The brand and the retail environment both paid a crucial role.
In the last two decades or so with the advent of mobility coupled with internet access has made things more complex. There is democratisation of access, seamless and interconnectedness of people and devices pose a challenge of a different kind.
At Perfetti, learnt to handle the pace of a duopoly market in bubble gums , building in a high rhythm of schematic and thematic and did some memorable campaigns. Later on, led the sale team in South and handled the integration of Perfetti with Van Melle. Cost consciousness was a key value embedded during this stint.
At MetLife I led the marketing and Product development function. The Shift to a push driven world made me question my decision from FMCG but fell in love with the thought required to build consistency at multiple touch points and build the brand during early days.
Over the years have the privilege of working with really smart individuals who I have learnt from and led high performing teams.
2. How according to you has marketing evolved over the years?
While a lot of change have happened over the years on how we go to market, reach out and communicate or discover things about people, the fundamentals of being true to the customer. Getting to know them intimately and then showcasing how we add value in the life of the customer is still integral to the art and science of marketing.
Brand building especially in financial services is about alignment- understanding how you are perceived by customers, partners, employees and how you want to be perceived.. putting this understanding in practice across every aspect of the firm to make perception reality.
To understand evolution of marketing you need to understand about the evolution of environment and consumers.
In the pre internet era it was about living within means, choice constrained – supply shortage, non-availability of products, license raaj, media choices were limited. There used to be a shortage of goods, waiting periods. Quality of products and getting it right the first time mattered.
In the 90’s and early days of liberalisation, there was rising affluence, rapid urbanisation and rising incomes created opportunities for marketers to look at form over function. The brand and the retail environment both paid a crucial role.
In the last two decades or so with the advent of mobility coupled with internet access has made things more complex. There is democratisation of access, seamless and interconnectedness of people and devices pose a challenge of a different kind.
We went from a linear, retail-focused model (the "first moment of truth"), to today’s iterative, digital-centric model of customer behaviour (the "accelerated customer decision journey").
IWWIWWIWI is kind of defining this shifting balance of power.
Media fragmentation and ways to reach customers have become more complex therefore require a skillset of different kind to personalise and talk to a market of one.
Today the problem of plenty has led the marketers to simplify the choice architecture and create a trust building experience . The plethora of choices leave people confused more than educated.
Let me trace this for you with the help of evolution of packaging
3. Where do most of your marketing budgets go, traditional or digital?
This question really needs to have context . The task of optimising marketing budget is to deliver the desired objective for the business. So if the media or access to information in consumer’s life is changing so will the media mix for the marketer. Having said that the definition’s and boundaries are also getting blurred at the edge of what was traditional and digital.
IWWIWWIWI is kind of defining this shifting balance of power.
Media fragmentation and ways to reach customers have become more complex therefore require a skillset of different kind to personalise and talk to a market of one.
Today the problem of plenty has led the marketers to simplify the choice architecture and create a trust building experience . The plethora of choices leave people confused more than educated.
Let me trace this for you with the help of evolution of packaging
- Labels on products hade regulatory requirements - Utilitarian
- Active ingredients and calories – form
- Organic / Consciousness and choices define packaging of today
3. Where do most of your marketing budgets go, traditional or digital?
This question really needs to have context . The task of optimising marketing budget is to deliver the desired objective for the business. So if the media or access to information in consumer’s life is changing so will the media mix for the marketer. Having said that the definition’s and boundaries are also getting blurred at the edge of what was traditional and digital.
Last year has shown us that behaviour change can happen overnight and we as marketers should be ready in ways to anticipate and serve consumers in a form and manner so desired by them. We have a fair balance of traditional and digital at our firm.
4. How can one reach the top echelons in marketing?
4. How can one reach the top echelons in marketing?
- Be consumer obsessed
- Retain your curiosity and observation powers
- Upskill/ reskill and keep abreast of your environment in an agile way
- Read and interact with diverse subjects to be able to connect dots between unseemingly connected things
- Speed and agility – Do learn do
- And above all ..have your feet on the ground.
5. How will marketing change in the next decade or so?
The core of marketing will be to provide value to customers no matter what era.
More than ever it is about alignment.
- CEO - balancing short term but long term – opportunities
- CFO- Aligning on metrics and measurability
- CTO- Technology and investments
- HR- Talent/ Skills/ Incentives
- Future of consumer
- Real time , time starved , consumers in control , context and purpose
Marketing will become a technology hub. In-demand skills will cover analytics, data, insights, CX, UX, AI and machine learning, to name a few.
As voice activated interfaces such as Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri get more advanced there will be more companies that begin to experiment with these technologies in an attempt to break down the barriers separating them from the consumer.
The future of the UX industry will be in how well designers can adapt to emerging technologies such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), continuing to create experiences for users which are innovative, intuitive and bespoke to the users of the future
Creativity will become even more important. Creativity gives purpose to intelligence. It absorbs data and then uncovers insights. Creativity powers transformation. And transformation yields impactful and sustainable experiences for your customers.
Data will fuel efficiency of marketing activity and more information you will have which can be used to provide value to the customer, the more power you have .
Activate purpose – Conscious consumerism - Think about unlocking the Power of movement and social pressure to drive human behaviour.
6. Which is your favourite book and why?
Difficult to chose one .. At any points in time I have multiple books being read – Atomic Habits or The road less travelled – Scott Peck, Man’s search for meaning – Victor Frankl.
I gorge on fiction which helps explore my boundaries and go beyond it . Sharpens the imagination so whether its was ACK comics, Asterix , Jeffrey Archer or fountain head or motorcycle diaries or abundance by peter diamandis – have all left an impression on me.
I read Yuval Noah Harari from anthropological viewpoint.
- Interviewed by - Sanjana Jain
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