Ramanujam Sridhar, an MBA graduate from IIM Bangalore made the switch from finance to advertising in 1983, a courageous move that he has never regretted. Without a single look back he assisted in the creation of market winners like BPL, Digital, Van Heusen, Weekender, United Breweries, Birla AT&T, Videocon, Kurl-on, Wrigley and Dalmia Cements.

In his remarkably successful career he has held positions such as Executive Director at R K Swamy, CEO of Pratibha Advertising and Senior Vice President at Mudra. His success is unrivalled and is the embodiment of good old-fashioned hard work and team spirit.

He is a visiting professor at his alma mater IIM Bangalore as well as IIM Kozhikode, IIM Indore, SDM Institute of Management, Mysore and has delivered a lecture at the Ivy League Cornell University, USA. He has also had the privilege of holding the distinguished title of President of the Advertising Club, Bangalore and is a former President of the IIM ‘B’ Alumni Association.

Along with other experts in the field he has developed a series of Brand Management and Advertising Courses and Workshops. Major Indian corporations and large Multinational companies such as 3M, Tata Tele Services, NDDB and the Hindu, have profited immensely from these seminars

Among the myriad hats he wears, Ramanujam Sridhar also carries the title of the “Third Umpire” in the vast and formidable world of Indian branding. One he often describes as bearing a strong resemblance to a thorny crown. Sridhar has authored several articles addressing a number of relevant issues (sometimes with irreverent honesty but always with facile humor) in the mainstream business press. He has authored the “Third Umpire” column in Business Line and the “Ad Speak” column in the Deccan Herald for several years.

In 1998, he launched his own company, brand-comm, which promises a holistic treatment for brands comprising of the basic factors of identity, positioning, repositioning and strategy. Brand-comm’s impressive list of clientele includes Philips Innovation Campus, Pantaloons and MindTree Consulting, among many others.

Sridhar is a member of the Advisory Council of Bharatidasan Institute of Management, Trichy, and M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Management, Bangalore. Moving into an arena he has long had a keen interest in, Sridhar recently signed on as a professional counselor on a voluntary basis at Viveka Counselling Center.  He is also a trustee in Vishranti, an organization committed to helping senior citizens.

In over twenty years of his career in advertising and marketing he has had his head firmly burrowed in the phenomena that separates the great brands from the mediocre. With characteristic charm and modesty he brushes aside his own contributions to the building of well–known brands in India but the Advertising Club of Madras recently honored him for those contributions. His inspirational book, “One land one billion minds”, that delves into the nuances of the advertising industry in India, is a must-read for anyone in the Industry.