Being a ‘creative person with a nerdy side’, Almas has made a career out of her contradictive personality traits and became a brand strategist. She has spent 12 years as a brand strategist/consultant, working closely with senior managers and creative teams to bridge communication gaps, while transforming vague visions/ideas into creative output.
She is constantly learning because consumer behaviour is always changing, and that intrigues her. She says she was once told NASA should have sent me to Mars because I am ‘curiosity’. She already holds a master’s degree in Communication and Media Studies, which changed her perspective on people, their motivations, their struggles, goals and influences.
‘This ability to see people objectively makes me a good strategist. I think it’s my superpower. As I grow in my career, I would like to put my superpower to some good ‘socially responsible’ use. One other thing about me … I love watches but can never be on time!’
Top achievements
- Helping several brands find their purpose, personality, voice and tone
- Her research has helped a traditional brand (SugarFree) redefine its target audience and engage with them with content relevant to the target group while staying true to the brand
- Part of the award-winning team implementing Pearson India’s re-brand
What attracted you to the MBA programme at Kent Business School and why?
I was looking for programmes that incorporated sustainability and entrepreneurship. I was told by many career advisors, hat I should consider an MBA, especially as I had over 10 years of work experience. However, my heart was keen on learning sustainability and entrepreneurship. After some research I found the MBA at Kent … and I stopped looking for any more programmes. I was attracted to the modules, and their focus on socially responsible management. I met some MBA alumni on LinkedIn and asked them about the course … and voila! I am here.
What are your motivations for undertaking an MBA
As you climb up Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you start to question your purpose in life. While I love being a strategist, I was battling an internal conflict, especially working for the start-ups in Bangalore (The Silicon Valley of India). It bothered me that organisations don’t often live by their brand promises, values and purposes, which would eventually make customers feel betrayed and hurt the brand in the long run. While I had all this research, I couldn’t influence business strategies and decisions, and that motivated me to take up an MBA.
What are your future aspirations?
As I started thinking about an MBA, I also wondered if I could be an entrepreneur? Or could I use my branding and MBA skills to help group social enterprises or responsible brands. I would also like to explore opportunities for creative communication and make sustainable goals more exciting to customers.
What is your best advice for those wanting to progress in business?
One thing that changed my mind was this question ‘do you learn like a child or like an adult?’ There are so many people who learn like an adult and I want to go to them and say ‘Learn like you are learning this for the first time, and see how new ideas your brain can come up with’.
“50 first ideas are rubbish. Discard them.”