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Dr Kiran Veigas is Vice President & Head - Corporate Marketing, Branding & Communications at Happiest Minds Technologies. He has 24 years of industry experience spanning various roles in Digital Marketing, PR, Business Strategy, Business Development, Product Management and Product Development in IT/Telecom. Kiran’s prior work experience includes L&T Infotech; he handled various business and technology roles during his 12-year tenure and also incubated the company's Shared Marketing Services. His educational qualifications include a Doctorate in Marketing (specialization: Gen AI) from SSBM—Geneva, an Executive Management Program (GMITE) from IIM-Bangalore, and a BE degree in Telecommunications Engineering from BMS College of Engineering. In his spare time, Kiran is an avid aquarist, budding guitarist and also has a keen interest in photography. Kiran was conferred the Chairman’s Award for his tremendous efforts and his role in successfully executing Happiest Minds IPO – Sep 2020. He has also won various industry Awards: DMA Trailblazer Rising Star CMO 2021, Emerging CMO of the Year Award 2021 by Enterprise IT World, Digital Marketer of the Year -2017 by IAMAI and Moneycontrol.com.

CMO COUNCIL: How do you describe your leadership style?

Dr VEIGAS: I believe that my leadership style is motivational, collaborative and empowering. I foster a culture of shared vision and open communication, where team members feel valued and inspired to contribute their best ideas. I also encourage continuous learning to help sharpen our skills and respond more effectively to market changes and customer needs.

CMO COUNCIL: What factors contribute most to your success?

Dr VEIGAS: A blend of strategic vision, adaptability, and a strong focus on data-driven decision-making has been crucial. Additionally, building and nurturing strong relationships with both internal teams and external partners has helped me in my professional journey.

CMO COUNCIL: How much is customer experience, brand protection, purpose, and corporate social responsibility part of your remit in the company?

Dr VEIGAS: Customer experience and brand protection are integral to our marketing strategy. We also place a strong emphasis on corporate social responsibility, ensuring that our initiatives align with our company's values and contribute positively to society. At Happiest Minds, our CSR initiatives under the umbrella of ‘Circle of Happiness’ focus on helping underprivileged kids and women. I have been a part of the core organizing team of the Annual Happiest Minds Run for five editions, and each run is dedicated to a social cause. This year’s run was dedicated to contributing towards women education in STEM.  

In addition to the business goal of being a billion-dollar company, we also have a stated goal of achieving carbon neutrality in our operations by 2030 and have embarked on a series of ESG initiatives under the banner of ‘dCarbon’.

CMO COUNCIL: What has been your biggest accomplishment in the last 12 months?

Dr VEIGAS: On the personal front, I have recently completed a doctorate program in Marketing from Swiss School of Business & Management, Geneva. As part of my research on “leveraging Gen AI for B2B Marketing and Branding”, I have interacted with 200+ marketers and AI technologists for my quantitative research as well as 20 Marketing/AI leaders for my qualitative research. 

CMO COUNCIL: What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given? Or what career advice would you give to emerging marketing leaders?

Dr VEIGAS: The best advice I've received is to stay curious and never stop learning. For emerging marketing leaders, I would emphasize the importance of adaptability, building strong relationships, and a customer-first strategy.