BullzI Inc.

Author: Sanjeev Roy

  • Chief Strategy Officer – CSO for a Top 5 advertising agency network

    The agency is a very powerful brand in the country. Besides advertising offices in 6 cities, it also has a large presence through various divisions and companies in its very large marketing services network. It is already rated very highly on ‘Reputation Studies’ and is now looking to further strengthen its product.

    The CSO will be one of the three legs of the stool that will define the agency’s point of view on brands and communication, its quality standards and value addition to clients. The other legs are the Agency Head and The Chief Creative Officer. This person will then build the capabilities in strategic planning to deliver on this POV/Vision.

    The candidate needs to be a well known advertising professional (12 years +) with atleast 5 years in Planning. Alternatively could also be from a brand marketing company with strong ‘Consumer Insights’ experience and a history of having been part of some stellar advertising campaigns. Exceptional communication skills, the ability to carry along peers, open mindedness, ability to lead a group of highly talented individuals are absolute prerequisites for this position.

    Compensation will be very attractive and include company shares as well.

    Please call Sanjeev Roy at: +919811110747 or email at :sanjeev@bullzi-inc.com immediately.

  • Head – Human Resources – Top 5 ad agency

    One of the best known brand names in the business. With a very strong HR culture.

    Position is based in Mumbai. Reports to the CEO. Is part of the Senior Management team that runs the agency. Responsible for multiple locations and multiple divisions. Dotted line reporting to the regional HR Head.

    The key tasks:

    – Partner the CEO in helping realise business objectives from the Talent point of view

    – Work with CEO in the change process currently underway

    – Build on the strong talent retention and L&D practices built

    – Align all SBU heads to talent strategy and manage their requirements

    – Find solutions to talent acquisition issues

    – Other OD initiatives as neccessary

    The Person

    – Seasoned HR professional with experience of managing multiple locations and divisions

    – Minimum12 years experience of which atleast 4 in leadership role

    – Has experience of working in the services sector

    – Ideally someone who has exposure to media/communication/entertainment OR other ‘creative’ businesses

    – Able to work in ‘chaotic’ environments

    Interested candidates please write in confidence to :sanjeev@bullzi-inc.com. You can also call at: +919811110747

  • BullzI Rebuttal #2 – Do men make better leaders than women?

    In this the 2nd poll in BullzI Rebuttal we take up yet another ‘politically incorrect’ topic.

    We have heard this often enough – from both men and women. We have heard it being refuted strongly and supported equally vehemently. Arguments have ranged from ‘Look at Indra Nooyi, Kiran Shaw, the ICICI women….” to “Exactly! Look at them and see what has happened…”

    The question still remains:

    In the corporate world…..

    {democracy:3}

    Let us also hear your views on the subject. Share experiences, statistics. We KNOW you have an opinion about this.

  • Summary – BullzI Rebuttal #1 : Workplace Prejudice

    Thank you all for the wonderful responses and participation.

    As the poll clearly suggests, prejudice, in some form or the other exists in corporate India. Some of you have also asked for answers on how does it get tackled. There are no simple easy answers but here are some of the things that are being practised.

    Equal Opportunity Employer
    “Equal opportunity is a descriptive term for an approach intended to provide a certain social environment in which people are not excluded from the activities of society, such as education, employment, or health care, on the basis of immutable traits. Equal opportunity practices include measures taken by organizations to ensure fairness in the employment process.” – Wikipedia

    “: an employer who agrees not to discriminate against any employee or job applicant because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, physical or mental disability, or age” Merriam Webster’s Online Dictionary

    When a corporation declares itself as such it commits to having representation of all segements in its employee base. It also commits to having representation, of women, coloured, Hispanic etc at senior levels as well. At a functional, operational level it boils down to ‘minimum quotas’. I know of a certain corporation which hired a woman in a very senior position in marketing because they were short on women in senior positions.

    Importantly, in such an organisation, there is a clear message that gets communicated that biases and prejudices on the basis of sex, colour, ethnicity etc will not be allowed to come in the way of work or careers.

    The flip side is that it leads to very ‘politically correct’ environments where you choose all your words carefully, least you offend someone or land in some trouble. I guess it will even out as we go along.

    The Sexual Harassment Act
    I am using the term ‘Act’ here loosely to denote the whole set of procedures and bodies that have come up specifically to address this issue. For a complete guideline on this issue please read http://www.indiatogether.org/combatlaw/vol2/issue3/harass.htm

    The awareness of the fact that the distressed party (largely women) can seek redressal, will in itself go a long way in dealing with this issue. It needs to be part of stated policy and procedures in a company. HR departments need to be extra vigilant in spotting the first signs (and there will be many signs from a harassed person) and nip it in the bud, publically if neccessary. Point to note here, the harassed person needs to know that if redressal is not forthcoming from within the organisation, she/he can seek it from outside as well. There are NGOs that will provide help.

    Culture of Meritocracy and Competence
    As some of you have mentioned, your organisations have transcended these biases and are run on the basis of merit and competence. It also seems to be truer of younger organisations. When the culture, systems and processes are transparently designed to operate on the basis of merit and competence alone, prejudices and biases remain minor irritants that do not really affect people. The ‘elite’ in the organisation will be those who are best equipped for their roles and not the caste brother, fellow Bengali (or whoever) or the ‘man’ just because he is a man.

    The opposite of course is equally true and here the role of the Leader cannot be stressed enough. If he plays favourites on lines of race, caste, sex etc., the organisation will follow suit with double the enthusiasm. HR has a huge role to play here to spot these tendencies and eradicate as quickly as possible.

    Managed Diversity
    One of the traits in common amongst successful teams is their ability to manage diversity. It is the existence of different skills, personalities that makes for a balanced team. And all organisations are a sum of many different teams. Organisations can institutionalise the celebration of diversity. Depending on size, geographical location etc. organisations can celebrate different festivals, have special food days in canteens, run internal campaigns around ‘mother’s day’, ‘woman’s day’…..just different ways of saying all of this is equally important.

    A Looming Challenge
    Whereas we are learning, as a nation, to live with and respect many of these differences, the coming years are going to throw up a challenge much bigger with the potential to change the corporate landscape completely. As India Inc battles with trying to find talent to run their growth engines, we are already beginning to see increasing numbers of people from small towns, non-English medium backgrounds entering the corporate world.

    Their numbers will invariably increase and the meritorious amongst them will knock on the doors of the corner cabins with increasing frequency. How is the old gaurd going to fight their feeling of superiority born from their command of English and their large town upbringing? How will it assimilate the new workforce in its leadership and still be outward looking? Hmmm….food for further thought.

  • National Head – Communication Planning

    Location – Mumbai
    Responsibility – National

    One of the largest and fastest growing Media Agencies is on an aggressive path of gearing up to achieve its objectives of being the most admired and respected brands as well.
    The agency has the advantage of being able to chart out its plans and strategies and implement without having to refer to ‘bosses’ in other markets for decisions. It is already a very large entity with presence across the country.
    This agency is looking for the best talent that will provide the leadership now and into the future. A key position is that of a Communication Planning Head.
    This is a role that will;
    – Advice clients on how the promotion money needs to be distributed between various touchpoints, activation programmes. The logic, measurement metrics, ROI considerations…
    – Serve as a focal point of the brand with various marketing services teams (in-house, outsourced).
    – Drive knowledge on new media, consumer insights, category knowledge

    The Person will also set up this practice within the agency system. Recruit, train, create best practices.
    The position will administratively report to the President of the agency but functionally partner the President in realising the vision of the agency.

    Some required skills/knowledge and qualities:
    – Knowledge of various consumer touchpoints and their role in a marketing programme
    – Knowledge of measurement tools for advertising expenditure
    – Knowledge of media
    – Insatiable curiosity about New Media, consumption habits of people, new tools of measurements
    – Good with numbers
    – Experience of driving strategic initiatives on large businesses successfully
    – Outstanding communicator
    – Mature, patient, creative

    Please apply in the strictest confidence to sanjeev@bullzi-inc.com OR call him on +919811110747.

  • Head – Legal and Compliance – Ecom MNC

    Managerial Responsibilities

    · Member of the Executive Management team – providing strategic advice & counseling on legal, regulatory & law enforcement issues with a view to value add and align with the Company overall Country strategy & plans.
    · Supervise & manage the India Legal, Law enforcement and Trust and Safety Teams.

    Corporate

    Supervise Legal team to ensure statutory compliance for the five local entities:
    · Board meetings, General meetings, etc… Filings required, Resolutions & Signatory authorities & secretarial duties
    · Corporate record keeping
    · Manage corporate matters for Mauritius Holding entities in conjunction with Mauritius Consultants.

    Commercial: Core Business Teams i.e. Marketing & Category

    Supervise & provide support to Legal Team on various commercial ventures & contracts:
    · Review all Indian agreements for compliance with local law and for compliance with our AG guidelines
    · Ensure compliance with contract process by business unit
    · Advise business unit on appropriate terms and conditions for strong agreements
    · Provide business unit training on negotiation strategies, key terms of agreement, processes, term sheets, risk management.
    · Review Onsite Promotions, contest, lottery etc.., for compliance with local law and ensure online processes are correct.
    o Intellectual Property:
    § Review marketing materials for compliance with our policies, local advertising regulations and consumer protection laws. Recommend changes and ensure compliance with modifications.
    § Drive our VeRO Program to promote VERO enrollment in India amongst Brands & rights owners.
    § Impart training & awareness internally amongst CS representatives, Marketing & Content Teams on the VeRO programme.
    § Identify high risk brands/rights owners and suggest reasonable process or institutional methods to address increased risk from the said brands.
    Litigation
    Develop Litigation strategy for the company and execute with support from Legal Team i.e. Manager Litigation & Law Enforcement.

    · Mitigate litigation exposure on customer complaints, or from Govt/statutory authorities.
    · Ensure timely and preemptive action to avoid litigation wherever possible
    · Determine effective litigation strategies for pending litigations with support from external counsels
    · Manage external counsels within budget parameters

    Regulatory
    · Advise Country Manager, BU Heads on changing legal environment and legal risks associated with existing and new business ventures.
    · Review current processes and procedures for compliance and suggest potential risk mitigation strategies

    Law Enforcement Team
    · Create awareness of our business through outreach /workshops/presentations with LE.
    · Conduct risk mitigation exercises with LE through Outreach & proactive & reactive case referrals
    · Supervise Fraud Investigation Team in handling customer disputes.

    Government Relations
    · Assist GR in setting up meetings with local officials where necessary & provide legal support on legal aspects related to Internet /ecommerce /E-payments…
    · Attend meetings as necessary.

    Payments & New Ventures

    · Advise Payments business on Internet Banking regulations, FEMA, Fraud & risk management while processing credit card payments etc…
    · Merchant Banking Agreements. Credit Card Gateway contracts & arrangements with Banks.

    Product Development

    · Review PRD. BRD’s scoping documents for new Product launches, draft RFP’s & third party Product Development contracts, Support Product Team in Project Managing large contracts to closure by coordinating with Intl Tax Teams, Global Procurement teams, Insurance teams etc..
    · Ensure active coordination between Product, India Legal & Global Patent team

    Human Resources
    · Assist HR in employment agreements and employee issues that arise.
    · Assist HR in employee training on code of conduct, sexual harassment, company culture, and any other required HR training. Localize such training where necessary.

    Finance
    · Support finance teams on issues related to direct & indirect taxation, customs & excise, service tax etc…

    Administrative:
    · Keep legal Billing System matters up to date
    · Complete weekly report on a regular basis including metrics on the following areas:
    o Contracts requested for the week, contracts signed, number of such agreements, running quarterly totals
    o Ensure contract database includes all Indian agreements.
    o Number of pending lawsuits, number settled for the week, summaries of any court hearings, number avoided during the week, and quarterly running numbers.
    · Attend weekly Executive Management Team meetings to provide updates followed by 1:1 meetings with CEO and also attend regular APAC regional meetings
    · Attend staff meetings of business units
    · Provide regular training to business units on new and existing policies, processes, and guidelines.
    · Manage Legal & Law Enforcement budget on a quarterly basis

    Trust and Safety Team (TnS) & Fraud Investigations
    · Manage TnS in Site Operations and Policy issues
    · Manage the TnS & Fraud Investigation Team in India

    Detailed Job Description for TNS Functional Head

    · Help develop and execute law enforcement strategy across India
    · Help maintain and develop strong relations with Indian law enforcement community
    · Educate law enforcement community, government regulatory agencies, as to safe trading practices ( ref. Trust and Safety Strategy)
    · Work closely with TnS Director in coordinating any serious fraud investigations or urgent cases;
    · Provide high level of service on law enforcement inquiries
    · Develop proactive leads for law enforcement regarding suspicious fraudsters and cyber crime affecting our IT Platforms;
    · Provide testimony and evidence in support of police prosecution;
    · Support the TnS Director in policy development with input from India law enforcement perspective;
    · Communicate regularly with TnS Operations team to understand and provide new fraud trends and risks learned from law enforcement community with the goal to prevent new types of fraud and risk exposure
    · Support global, regional eBay law enforcement inquiries;
    · Utilize LE tools like aLERT and Case Management System;
    · Participate in regional law enforcement best practice sharing.

    Other Skills
    · Strategic Thinking with foresight/vision to envisage situations/issues
    · Strong analytical skills
    · Strong communication and presentation skills to effectively explain eBay’s unique business model, LE disclosure policy, Trust and Safety strategy to law enforcement and other government agencies
    · Able to effectively manage multiple tasks or projects in a fast-paced, matrixed environment
    · Internet savvy with good computer skills
    · Ability to assimilate facts and circumstances
    · Ability to opine quickly/provide recommendations
    · Practice and display judgment
    · Be a business-friendly enabler
    · Be passionate about the subject
    · Resilient/Tenacious; display balanced/measured aggression when required
    · High Energy
    · Ability to blend well in a young culture like eBay

    Please apply in the strictest confidence to sanjeev@bullzi-inc.com OR call him on +919811110747.

  • Its Never Too Late

    The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

    I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being.

    She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”

    I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.

    “Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.

    She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”

    “No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

    “I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.

    After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milk-shake.

    We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine” as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

    Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

    At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

    Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.”

    As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ” We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.
    There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
    We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!

    There is a huge difference between growing older and
    growing up.

    If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

    Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.
    The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”

    She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”

    She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

    One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

    Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s never too late to be all you can possibly be.

    Source: This story came to me through many forwards. I am still looking for the original source to thank. I thought it was just too inspiring not to share.

  • Chief Operating Officer

    For a Web Solutions Company. Position is based out of Mumbai.
    Ideal candidate will have minimum 7/8 yrs of web marketing and development experience. Has experience of running P&L Operation. Is passionate about the internet and has a clear vision of where the space is headed. Entreprenurial in spirit and looking to lead an already successful operation to its next level of growth.
    Please apply in the stictest confidence to sanjeev@bullzi-inc.com

  • CV Crimes -1

    If a person has a short stint (less than 3 months) in an organisation, is it OK to avoid its mention in the resume?

  • Nurturing to grow strong roots

    One day I decided to quit. I had spent years trying to be successful and things just did not seem to move forward at all.
    I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality. I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God .”God”,I asked, “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?” His answer surprised me “Look around” He said. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo? “Yes”, I replied. “When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed.But I did not quit on the bamboo”.
    “In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant.
    But just 6 months later the bamboo
    rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.”

    Source: Preachings from a religious text