Santosh Desai
About
One of India's best-known social commentators, Santosh Desai is a bestselling author, columnist and a leading ad professional. He is also the Managing Director & CEO of Future Brands Ltd, one of the biggest retail companies in India.
In 2010, he published his book on India titled Mother Pious Lady: Making Sense of Everyday India.
His principal area of interest lies in examining the evolving nature of consumer culture in India & understanding the relationship between culture, brands & the consumer, which has led him to start his column City City Bang Bang featured in the Times Of India.
City City Bang Bang looks at contemporary Indian society from an everyday vantage point. It covers issues big & small, tends to avoid a judgmental outlook, & tries to understand what makes things the way they are.
He has addressed several national and international seminars, and has been a keynote speaker at advertising forums in India, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Lebanon and Bali.
Santosh has served as a guest lecturer at various national & international universities and has addressed the global management boards of several multinationals including Microsoft, Philips, Hershey’s, Unilever, Coca Cola and Reckitt Benckiser.
Awards and accomplishments
Awards and accomplishments
- Santosh is a member of the ‘Advisory Council on Communication’ (ACSAC), ‘NACO’ sub-committee on communications, and a trustee at the ‘Center for Media Advocacy’.
- He is on the boards of ‘ING Vysya Bank’, ‘Mumbai Business School’ and ‘Future Consumer Products limited’, and on the Governing Councils of ‘Mudra Institute of Communication’, Ahmedabad & ‘Praxis Business School’, Kolkata.
Why Santosh Desai?
Having spent 21 years in advertising, Santosh is a veteran in the domain and has been involved in strategically building many key brands for numerous local and multinational organizations. His ability to explain the most complex concepts through the simplest, everyday references; connecting culture and marketing together, he is the very definition of ‘brand guru’. His desire to look at things with innocent doubt helps in the emergence of fresh perspectives & a clarity of a new kind, making him an inspiring speaker.
