The Marketing Nomad

A nomad in the true sense, Divya Batra is also a corporate stalwart, who ensures to make the most of her passion for travelling and marketing. She has played a big role in launching brands like Qua Natural Mineral Water, Lindt Chocolates, Illy Coffee, Kohinoor Premium Basmati Rice, Kohinoor Spices, and Kohinoor ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook foods across all sales channels in India. In a conversation with Corporate Citizen, Divya shares her journey so far, her experience of travelling to 17 countries, how she applies her travel learnings in the corporate world, and more.

"My corporate life has benefited from my travel experiences. Any professional who wants to excel should exercise critical thinking. Be innovative, cooperative, work hard and be a team person and focus on networking"

- Divya Batra

Divya Batra

Corporate Citizen: Tell us about your growing-up days.

Divya Batra: I was raised in a little town in Haryana called Hisar. My education was completed at St. Sophia School. I always did well academically and was a well-rounded student. For me, both studies and extra-curricular activities were equally important. Hence, I focused on both for overall development. When I look back, this played a major role in shaping my career. I played volleyball at the state level and took part in quiz contests, math Olympiads as well, etc. Being a professional Rajasthani folk dancer is a matter of pride for me, as I also got a chance to perform in front of Sonia Gandhi at the national level. For every annual event in which I participated, I was always the main performer. I was also a part of numerous cultural clubs during my college days and took part in festivals at Delhi University. My graduation from Hindu College was a turning point where I learned that I am more of a creative leader. I then started looking for possibilities, and later, came to Mumbai for a post-graduate diploma in marketing, advertising, and events.

CC: How has your education shaped you as a person to take on the challenges of the corporate world?

My educational path has chiselled me into what I am today. I’ve learned through school that perseverance, determination, and hard effort may lead to chances I never imagined were possible. These virtues come in handy whenever I take up any project. I’ve been shaped by my education to look deep within, push past mental barriers, and rise to any challenges.

CC: What made you choose to do what you are doing?

I suppose it’s my curious nature and my will to grow beyond boundaries. I gained knowledge about the development of brands while working at Narang Group. This insight heightened my love for this industry. All of which inspired me to help a new brand succeed each time I represented it. Success is the best flavour of all. It was a smooth process from brand development to marketing to advertising. I worked there for five years, launching numerous brands there, including Russians Standard Vodka, Lindt Chocolates, Illy Coffee, Orangina, and Qua Natural Mineral Water.

CC: And what’s the fascination with food?

I enjoy trying new food and the experience that it brings along. As my love for the ingredients and recipes grew with time, I wanted to work with culinary goods and explore dining at new establishments.

CC: Tell us about that one corporate piece of advice that changed your life.

It was during my McCormick, India days. The then director, Mr Mehta once during our conversations advised me to accomplish fewer, better, and more significant things, which boils down to quality over quantity, And so, refrain from doing much. Do less. But the same should be executed very well. I believe it is the counsel I heed and always impart to my team. This advice is quite close to my heart and I always incorporate it and spread its essence too.

CC: Some history about your career ascent. Where in your job journey do you believe you learned the most?

I started working for McCormick, the top-ranked spice firm in the world, and they bought Kohinoor Basmati Rice from India. When I started as a marketing manager, I oversaw new product development, brand marketing, and branding for a variety of categories, including rice and ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook spices. It exposed me to a variety of target groups and FMCG food goods, starting with commodities. I think McCormick was the teacher from whom I learned the most. I had several categories to manage, and the digital channel was among the most thrilling elements we introduced. I began Brand’s digital journey via social media and e-commerce. Developed McCormick India’s digital strategy in collaboration with RGA, a Singapore-based agency.

And then with the aid of the Dentsu web chutney, we put the same into action by identifying a target demographic, creating a content theme, and developing an e-commerce strategy for India. Several digital campaigns for Mother’s Day, Women’s Day, Family Day, etc. were launched and carried out with success.

I worked and finished my MBA part-time. I also maintained adding classes, like IIM Bangalore’s creative marketing degree. I had already grown interested in technology. I, therefore, completed a Digital Marketing course at ISB Hyderabad and added it to my resume. Which aided me in developing the strategy for handling FMCG products, commodity products, category management, new product management, etc.

"I’m most inspired by Indra Nooyi. Her journey, perseverance, hard work, and life balance are admirable. She had a tremendous impact on modern women, particularly in the corporate sector when it was uncommon to see female CEOs or women in other leadership positions. She was followed by events that led to changes. More women are speaking up"

CC: You have handled diverse roles so far. Which was the most challenging one?

The one in McCormick was challenging where I was managing the Kohinoor Basmati Rice brand. A lot of things had to be taken into consideration. And we were up for it. We had to establish strategies for managing that category, create plans for certain geographies, and comprehend the instability in the commodity market and frequently changing pricing because it is a commodity after all.

Our expertise was understanding and being aware of India’s many regions making us the category leader. Understanding the customer is a big task, their likes and dislikes are our priority. Different consumers have various eating habits and are searching for various advantages. Some Basmati buyers are searching for colour, others for aroma, and still others for length. It presents several challenges and differences. It was a variety of items for different people, not just one product for everyone. It significantly improved my comprehension of Indian consumers’ diverse wants.

CC: Do walk us through one of your most memorable projects so far.

The project that stayed with me is the one where we introduced the Kohinoor Basmati Rice line of products to the online and digital marketplace. In terms of the team, we integrated the previous internal staff into the system and invited certain participants from the e-commerce industry. In the beginning, we partnered with Amazon and Grofers. One of our largest client lending partners, Big Basket, was another place we attended.

We gained knowledge through launching the items in collaboration with each of them. We learned and improved the look and feel of the material on Amazon and ran promotions. The product launches conducted in conjunction with the channel partners were successful and a hugely prosperous company expanded its wings.

The Southeast Asia team continues to study the Indian market today and uses our work as a case study. I believe the lesson was that nothing is insurmountable. You must be willing to learn new things. Anyone can do it if you are eager to learn and committed to doing it well. McCormick Kohinoor E-commerce grew by roughly 30 per cent.

CC: You recently joined Haldiram’s Multinational Sweets, Snacks and Restaurant Company. What are some of the diversity-related policies in the organisation that you believe are making a difference?

We are an FMCG company with 107+ retail locations in India and engage in the QSR sector. I manage the brand globally and build brand campaigns.

The mentorship programme is one of the diversity policies in Haldiram’s that feel stands out. We offer a training programme to help staff chart their career paths. With that, we have teams of a variety of ages, religions, and genders. The best teams, in my opinion, are those whose members hold divergent viewpoints and mentalities. India is a multicultural nation. And that is also what our team possesses. The teams we have built have earned our pride. There are people of various backgrounds there.

"I consider myself a true nomad. I’ve been on the road since I was a young child. I inherited my parents’ strong desire to travel. My travels taught me a lot about various cultures, eating customs, and Divya on holiday tastes"

CC: Do walk us through your upcoming strategies in terms of marketing.

Divya on holiday

Making people aware of the variety of Haldiram’s goods is Haldiram’s primary marketing objective. Customers think of us as a typical namkeen juggernaut. But in addition, we offer western snacks like chips, chocolates, and prepared foods. We are developing new categories and are involved in several FMCG products. Making consumers aware of our array of products and their advantages is both our largest strategy and challenge.

CC: What qualities does one need to handle roles like Strategic Planning, Brand Building, Digital Strategy, E-Commerce, and Innovation?

To be successful in all these professions, one needs to possess insights-driven marketing skills as well as a brand-building creative and experimental attitude. Thanks to digital media, you can now target various customer profiles with unique creative ways that cater to their various wants. Additionally, you need to be competent in integrated marketing, including digital, on-field, and TV marketing.

CC: Who has inspired you the most?

I’m most inspired by Indra Nooyi. Her journey, perseverance, hard work, and life balance are admirable. She had a tremendous impact on modern women, particularly in the corporate sector when it was uncommon to see female CEOs or other leadership positions. She was followed by events that led to changes. More women are speaking up. Companies are encouraging more women to hold leadership positions. In 2018, she was among the top 100 CEOs in the world. One of her pieces of advice stayed with me. “One is to be excellent at your work, be courageous and speak your mind”. These words inspire me.

CC: A quote or saying that resonates with your journey?

It always looks impossible until it’s done, according to Nelson Mandela, and it is perhaps my favourite quotation. It holds true to my journey and what I have experienced and achieved so far.

CC: You mentioned that you are a true nomad. Why so?

I consider myself a true nomad. I’ve been on the road since I was a young child. I inherited my parents’ strong desire to travel. They are family- friendly backcountry travellers. During my time in college, I took my first journey overseas. Prior to that, we only did it in India. My dad and I travelled to Europe as backpackers. When we had a Eurorail pass, we could stop wherever we chose to spend the night while travelling. We’d search for the hotel. And that’s where I got the true meaning of a true nomad.

My travels taught me a lot about various cultures, eating customs, and tastes. I’ve travelled around 17 nations, including Australia, the Maldives, New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Canada, and the US. I have travelled to France, Italy, and Switzerland in Europe. I have observed that people are hospitable everywhere I have travelled. Everyone will treat you with respect if you are polite. For me, travelling has been enjoyable. I still like to travel, and I want my kids to develop the same habit.

I have also travelled while working in the FMCG sector for the past 15 years. I’ve always visited supermarkets to check out the goods, the packaging, and the many forms of communication. I regularly receive product samples.

CC: How do you apply your travel learning in the corporate world?

I manage a global job at Haldiram’s, and I am also in charge of export marketing. I am therefore familiar with the goods in Canada and the US as well. For example, when I visited Switzerland, I examined the packaging, especially the chocolates. Therefore, the exposure and education I’ve gained from doing these kinds of tasks were helpful. My corporate life has benefited from my travel experiences.

CC: Any words of advice?

Any professional who wants to excel should exercise critical thinking. Be innovative, cooperative, work hard and be a team person and focus on networking.