Vitasta Kaul: A Conscious & Passionate Professional Enriching The Industry With Her Marketing Experiences
Vitasta Kaul
Marketing Leader
Could you give a brief account of your professional background and experiences? What is the motivation that fuels your daily routine?
My professional journey began 16 years ago, in 2007, when I joined an IITB startup, Mexus Education an EdTech company. In my six-year tenure there, I grew from the position of a content writer to a senior managerial role, handling projects targeting India and MEA markets. During my stint there, I was instrumental in building 1,00,000+ minutes of multimedia content, building a repository of over 50,000 learning resources, 300+ retail SKUs, 6,00,000+ online subscribers, and a business impact of over 15 crores in revenue.
Later, in 2013, I ventured into the F&B space with a brand called Urban Spice, along with two partners. In the first year, we launched 10 COCO (company owned, company operated) kiosks in prominent corporate parks, became exclusive F&B curators for the biggest names in music and cultural events and clocked a first year revenue of Rs. 40,000,000. In this period, I also pursued an Executive Programme at IIM Calcutta. Post that, I exited from Urban Spice, and did consulting for a brief period, where I got exposed to so many different organizations, leadership styles, business models, and more.
It was in 2015, that I met the founders of CREDR, a fast-growing used two-wheeler brand. That informal catchup actually culminated into several conversations, and I decided to join them full-time. I spent 8 years with the organization before parting ways with them this year. I am currently pursuing an Executive Programme from INSEAD and I look
forward to graduating in July of this year.
By constantly stepping out of my comfort zone and being surrounded by some of the most amazing people along my journey, I have had the best learning experiences. What truly keeps me motivated is the thrill of building something truly spectacular out of unstructured problems. Large canvases, big ideas, and great colleagues continue to remain my key sources of inspiration and motivation. And that will never change.
You possess sixteen years of work experience. How has your path to success been and what is your success mantra?
Success is a subjective term and as one grows in their professional journey, ones personal milestones also keep shifting. What defined success for me in 2010, is obviously vastly different from my current definition. Basically, success is a byproduct of excellence. If you keep pushing to become better and deliver better each time, success will follow. Also, don't compare yourself to others. Everyone's journey is unique and so is the timeline of their achievements. Running after success takes away focus from 'what needs to be done'. My mantra has been to enjoy the journey and give my 100 percent. Success will be an eventual byproduct.
What are some of the latest strategic plans you adopted to expand/optimize operations and engage new audiences?
We thrive in the times of the omnichannel experience, where there exist different promotional channels. Some of the latest strategic plans which I adopted were centered around building awareness and engagement. Digital platforms allow us to build very personalized and targeted communication capsules for different cohorts. As a marketing leader, I would advise brands to invest in a marketing automation and analytics tool. The kind of agility, augmentation, and RoI that these tools are able to generate for brands is truly amazing.
By constantly stepping out of my comfort zone and being surrounded by some of the most amazing people along my journey, I have had the best learning experiences. What truly keeps me motivated is the thrill of building something truly spectacular out of unstructured problems. Large canvases, big ideas, and great colleagues continue to remain my key sources of inspiration and motivation. And that will never change.
Create a 'Culture of Performance' by fostering an environment of trust & intention. Performance is merely an output, know that people will perform if you create an empowering workspace where they are not afraid to take risks & learn
You possess sixteen years of work experience. How has your path to success been and what is your success mantra?
Success is a subjective term and as one grows in their professional journey, ones personal milestones also keep shifting. What defined success for me in 2010, is obviously vastly different from my current definition. Basically, success is a byproduct of excellence. If you keep pushing to become better and deliver better each time, success will follow. Also, don't compare yourself to others. Everyone's journey is unique and so is the timeline of their achievements. Running after success takes away focus from 'what needs to be done'. My mantra has been to enjoy the journey and give my 100 percent. Success will be an eventual byproduct.
What are some of the latest strategic plans you adopted to expand/optimize operations and engage new audiences?
We thrive in the times of the omnichannel experience, where there exist different promotional channels. Some of the latest strategic plans which I adopted were centered around building awareness and engagement. Digital platforms allow us to build very personalized and targeted communication capsules for different cohorts. As a marketing leader, I would advise brands to invest in a marketing automation and analytics tool. The kind of agility, augmentation, and RoI that these tools are able to generate for brands is truly amazing.
Consumers these days are very well-informed, so brands must leverage customer touch points such as the website, social media pages, and business pages to gather positive customer reviews. This is the organic way to success. Let us also be fully cognizant of the advent and impact of artificial intelligence. Brands that hop onto that bandwagon as early adopters will definitely have an edge over other competitors.
Lastly, build a solid backbone of customer experience, right from ideation to pre-sales and after sales. This will ensure healthy customer retention, which eventually reduces customer acquisition spends.
Tell us about your leadership and
governance approach.
I believe in setting high standards of integrity and character. We are all human and are bound to make mistakes. True leaders will always take account ability and coach teams rather than throw them under the bus. It is also important to be well intentioned for your team. Building more leaders within teams, allowing room for dissent, being open to feedback, and steering clear of promoting personal agendas at the workplace are a few guidelines that I follow personally.
What were some of the toughest challenges you have encountered in your journey so far? How did you overcome them and what did it teach you?
I have worked extensively with technology-first companies for a large part of my professional career, building automated solutions for scale and efficiency. This has given rise to several instances of team downsizing and consolidation. Letting go of team members that you have nurtured is one of the toughest things to do for a leader. In such situations, I have found it helpful to be completely honest with my team and communicate with clarity and empathy.
What is the future destination you are heading towards?
In the medium term, my goal is to take on a larger, strategic role in an organization, where I will get to build go-to-market strategies for new markets and be recognized as a 'Growth Leader'. I am also very keen on mentoring and coaching younger leaders and B-school students.
In the long term, I would like to build a sound & sustainable business with responsible community ethics at its core. I also want to author a book and mentor young adolescents on sustainability and community animal welfare.
Vitasta Kaul, Marketing Leader
A staunch professional and business leader, Vitasta holds diverse experience working across different industries such as EdTech, F&B, Consulting and Automotive.
Lastly, build a solid backbone of customer experience, right from ideation to pre-sales and after sales. This will ensure healthy customer retention, which eventually reduces customer acquisition spends.
Tell us about your leadership and
governance approach.
I believe in setting high standards of integrity and character. We are all human and are bound to make mistakes. True leaders will always take account ability and coach teams rather than throw them under the bus. It is also important to be well intentioned for your team. Building more leaders within teams, allowing room for dissent, being open to feedback, and steering clear of promoting personal agendas at the workplace are a few guidelines that I follow personally.
What were some of the toughest challenges you have encountered in your journey so far? How did you overcome them and what did it teach you?
I have worked extensively with technology-first companies for a large part of my professional career, building automated solutions for scale and efficiency. This has given rise to several instances of team downsizing and consolidation. Letting go of team members that you have nurtured is one of the toughest things to do for a leader. In such situations, I have found it helpful to be completely honest with my team and communicate with clarity and empathy.
What is the future destination you are heading towards?
In the medium term, my goal is to take on a larger, strategic role in an organization, where I will get to build go-to-market strategies for new markets and be recognized as a 'Growth Leader'. I am also very keen on mentoring and coaching younger leaders and B-school students.
In the long term, I would like to build a sound & sustainable business with responsible community ethics at its core. I also want to author a book and mentor young adolescents on sustainability and community animal welfare.
Vitasta Kaul, Marketing Leader
A staunch professional and business leader, Vitasta holds diverse experience working across different industries such as EdTech, F&B, Consulting and Automotive.