A Meeting of Minds

Deepika Warrier, Chief Marketing Officer of Diageo India - in conversation with Julian Boulding, Founder and President of thenetworkone.

Julian Boulding, Fellow and Former Treasurer of the Marketing Society, writes:

"One of the joys of the Society is meeting wonderfully talented marketers who have risen to become CMO’s – and engaging them in an open conversation, about the challenges they face and how they see the role of the CMO evolving and changing. Deepika Warrier is one of my favourite CMO’s anywhere. I met her on our first ever Marketing Society planning meeting, in Delhi almost ten years ago, when she was a rising star in Pepsi’s marketing department. Now she’s CMO of Diageo India, managing some of Britain’s most iconic brands (notably Johnnie Walker) in the world’s most populous country. We talked about what it means to do business in unfamiliar countries – how to deal with diverse cultures, religions, social classes and peoples with equal respect – how Indians still respect Britain, but why they are more successful at cricket nowadays – and how to manage a complex brand portfolio in an even more complex country, to create a coherent brand experience, without losing sight of the need for creative originality. If that sounds like a lot – it is. Luckily, Deepika talks fast. Please join us for an entertaining and inspiring half-hour: the perfect coffee break!”