Tell me about yourself
I’m a performance-driven digital marketing professional with 13+ years of experience across Search, Social, Programmatic, SEO, and Analytics, working with both global pharma brands and high-scale digital platforms.
Most recently, I worked as Senior Global SEO & SEM Manager at Novo Nordisk, where I managed ₹10+ crore annual media budgets across multiple geographies, focusing on ROI improvement, cost optimization, and scalable frameworks. I partnered closely with regional teams, agencies, medical, and brand stakeholders to align performance marketing with business and compliance objectives—especially critical in a regulated pharma environment.
Before that, at Quikr, I led full-funnel acquisition strategies across India, handling rapid market expansion, city-level GTM planning, and P&L-driven optimization.
My core strength lies in building performance marketing centers of excellence, scaling acquisition while improving CPA and ROAS, and translating data into actionable business insights.
How would you define and implement a multi-country performance marketing strategy?
I approach multi-country strategy in three layers:
Market maturity assessment – I classify markets into mature, emerging, and nascent based on digital penetration, conversion infrastructure, media costs, and data readiness.
Core framework with local flexibility – The funnel structure, KPIs, attribution logic, and learning agenda remain centralized, while messaging, channels, and budget split adapt locally.
Benchmark-led governance – Mature markets focus on efficiency and marginal gains, while emerging markets prioritize scale and learning velocity.
At Novo Nordisk, I followed this approach across multiple regions—setting CPA and CTR benchmarks, standardizing dashboards, and aligning country teams while allowing local execution freedom. This ensured consistency without slowing down growth.
How do you decide budget allocation across channels for optimal ROI?
I treat budget allocation as a dynamic, performance-led process, not a fixed plan.
I start with historical performance across channels—CPL, CPA, LTV contribution, and funnel drop-offs. Then I factor in incrementality, not just last-click returns.
For example:
- Search often captures high intent, so it gets protected budgets.
- Social and programmatic are optimized based on assisted conversions and audience scalability.
- Underperforming channels are not cut immediately—they’re put into test-and-learn buckets.
At Novo Nordisk, this approach helped us reduce CPA by 22% while maintaining scale, even with regulatory constraints. The key is constant reallocation based on real business outcomes, not vanity metrics.
How do you design full-funnel campaigns?
I design campaigns starting from business outcomes, not channels.
I map the funnel as:
- Upper funnel: Awareness, education, trust-building (especially critical in pharma)
- Mid funnel: Consideration, remarketing, content-led engagement
- Lower funnel: High-intent search, retargeting, conversion optimization
Each stage has distinct KPIs, creatives, and bidding strategies. I also ensure measurement continuity, so upper-funnel efforts are evaluated via assisted conversions and brand lift, not just last-click.
This full-funnel approach helped me improve conversion rates by 18–45% across different roles by fixing leakage points rather than just scaling spend.
How do you approach A/B testing and CRO?
I run CRO as a structured experimentation program, not random testing.
Every test starts with:
- A hypothesis
- Success metric
- Minimum sample size
I test across:
- Creatives and messaging
- Landing page structure
- Audience segmentation
- Bidding strategies
At both Novo Nordisk and Quikr, consistent A/B testing helped lower CPL by 20%+ and improve Quality Scores significantly. I also document learnings centrally so successful tests can be scaled across markets.
How would you build digital capability in less mature markets?
I follow a crawl–walk–run model.
- First, I ensure basic hygiene—tracking, analytics setup, conversion events, and reporting clarity.
- Second, I introduce standard playbooks for media execution and optimization.
- Third, I upskill teams via training modules, SOPs, and live use cases.
At Novo Nordisk, I created documentation and training frameworks that reduced dependency on agencies and improved decision-making speed. Over time, this shifts markets from execution-led to insight-led performance.
How do you ensure leadership gets actionable insights, not just reports?
I believe dashboards should answer questions, not just show numbers.
I design reporting in three layers:
- Leadership view: Business KPIs, trends, risks, opportunities
- Country view: Channel-level performance and optimization levers
- Execution view: Granular metrics for daily actions
At Novo Nordisk, I built Power BI dashboards that reduced manual reporting by 40% and enabled faster decision-making. Every report ends with ‘So what?’ and ‘What next?’ insights.
How do you connect digital marketing with P&L outcomes?
I treat marketing spend as an investment, not a cost.
I always link:
- Spend → Leads / Conversions → Revenue proxies → Long-term value
I track CAC, marginal CPA, and efficiency curves, and I actively participate in budget forecasting and reconciliation. This P&L mindset helped me balance growth and efficiency, especially in high-budget environments like pharma and marketplaces.
How do you manage alignment with country teams?
I position myself as a partner, not a controller.
I align early on objectives, constraints, and success metrics. Regular performance reviews focus on learning and improvement, not just gaps. This builds trust and adoption of centralized frameworks while respecting local realities.
Why do you want to join Dr. Reddy’s?
This role uniquely combines strategy, execution, capability building, and analytics at a global level—exactly where my strengths lie. I see this as an opportunity to help build a future-ready performance marketing COE that delivers measurable business impact while respecting regulatory and ethical boundaries.
If performance is flat but efficiency looks good, would you still push for scale?
I wouldn’t scale blindly just because efficiency looks good. My decision depends on marginal returns, not average performance.
I look at:
- Marginal CPA as spend increases
- Conversion elasticity by channel
- Whether the plateau is demand-led or execution-led
If marginal CPA remains within business thresholds and there’s unmet demand, I’ll selectively scale. If not, I’d focus on unlocking new demand—through new audiences, upper-funnel investment, or funnel optimization—before increasing spend. At senior levels, protecting long-term efficiency is as important as short-term growth.”
How do you decide when to stop investing in a weak-ROI but strong upper-funnel channel?
I never evaluate upper-funnel channels purely on last-click ROI.
I look for:
- Assisted conversions and path analysis
- Brand search uplift over time
- Geo or time-based holdout tests
- Cost per incremental visit or engaged user
If a channel drives incremental demand and improves downstream efficiency, I continue investing with controlled budgets. If uplift plateaus despite optimization, I either redesign the role of that channel or redeploy spend. The decision is evidence-based, not opinion-based.”
How does your strategy differ between mature and nascent markets?
In mature markets, the focus is on efficiency, marginal gains, and advanced optimization—CRO, audience refinement, and automation.
In nascent markets, the priority is:
- Learning velocity
- Infrastructure readiness
- Establishing benchmarks
KPIs also differ: mature markets optimize CPA and ROAS, while nascent markets focus on data quality, funnel completion, and scalable reach. Applying the same expectations to both is a common leadership mistake.”
What would you centralize vs localize in a global COE?
I centralize frameworks, not execution.
Centralized:
- Measurement models and KPIs
- Attribution logic
- Tooling and dashboards
- Experimentation playbooks
Localized:
- Messaging and creative nuances
- Channel mix
- Regulatory interpretation
- Tactical optimizations
This ensures global consistency while preserving local agility.
If last-click shows search dominating, how do you validate that?
I assume last-click over-credits search unless proven otherwise.
I validate by:
- Reviewing assisted conversion paths
- Checking brand vs non-brand split
- Running geo-lift or budget holdout tests
- Observing impact on brand search when upper-funnel spend changes
Search often captures intent created elsewhere. Senior marketers need to distinguish intent harvesting from intent creation.
Risks of a single global dashboard & how would you design it?
The biggest risk is oversimplification without context.
I design dashboards in layers:
- Executive view: trends, risks, opportunities
- Market view: benchmarks vs peers
- Execution view: channel-level diagnostics
I also include clear data definitions and confidence flags so leaders don’t misinterpret early-stage or low-volume markets.
How do you justify higher spend when finance wants cost cuts?
I don’t argue marketing metrics—I argue business scenarios.
I present:
- Incremental revenue or outcome projections
- Marginal ROI curves
- What happens if we don’t invest
Framing spend as an investment with controlled downside changes the conversation from cost control to growth management.”
Two markets want the same budget—how do you decide?
I evaluate on four dimensions:
- Marginal ROI
- Strategic importance
- Scalability potential
- Learning value
Sometimes the right decision isn’t the highest immediate ROI, but the market that builds future capability. Transparency in criteria ensures fairness and alignment.”
How do you stop teams from running low-impact tests?
I introduce test prioritization frameworks.
Each test is scored on:
- Potential impact
- Confidence level
- Effort required
Only high-impact tests enter the roadmap. This shifts culture from ‘testing for activity’ to ‘testing for outcomes’.
A failed test that created long-term value?
We once tested aggressive retargeting frequency that hurt short-term CTR. While the test ‘failed’, it revealed audience fatigue thresholds.
That insight helped redesign our frequency caps globally, improving long-term conversion quality and brand trust. Failure is only wasted if learning isn’t captured and scaled.”
Balancing performance with medical/legal compliance?
I integrate compliance early, not as a final checkpoint.
I use:
- Pre-approved content blocks
- Modular creatives
- Early medical alignment
This reduces iteration cycles and allows performance teams to move fast without risk. Compliance and performance are partners, not opposites.
High-performing but ethically questionable campaign—what do you do?
I would pause or redesign it immediately.
Performance never overrides patient trust, regulatory integrity, or brand credibility. Long-term value in healthcare is built on trust, not just conversions.
Handling a country head resisting central guidelines?
I start by understanding why—local constraints, past experiences, or perceived loss of control.
Then I pilot central guidelines in a limited scope, demonstrate value, and scale collaboratively. Influence works better than enforcement at senior levels.
Upskilling teams without making them feel audited?
I position enablement as a career accelerator, not governance.
Training is practical, co-created, and outcome-driven. When teams see personal growth and better results, resistance disappears.
Performance marketing in pharma in 3–5 years?
It will be:
- Privacy-first
- AI-assisted
- First-party data–led
- Education-driven rather than purely promotional
Success will depend on trust-building, smarter measurement, and integrated omnichannel journeys.”
Your first 90 days in this role?
First 30 days: Listen, assess maturity, understand constraints
Next 30 days: Fix measurement gaps, align KPIs, standardize basics
Final 30 days: Pilot COE frameworks, demonstrate quick wins, build momentum
The goal is credibility first, transformation second.
🔖 PERFORMANCE MARKETING COE —CHEAT SHEET
🎯 YOUR CORE POSITIONING (OPENING FRAME)
I build scalable performance marketing engines that balance growth, efficiency, and compliance across markets.
- 13+ years | Global + India scale
- ₹10Cr+ budgets | Multi-country exposure
- Pharma + Marketplace experience
- Strong in ROI, analytics, capability building
🧠 HOW YOU THINK (MENTAL MODELS)
- Decide using marginal CPA, not average CPA
- Scale only where incremental ROI stays healthy
- Upper funnel → demand creation
- Lower funnel → demand harvesting
- Never judge upper funnel on last-click
- Centralize frameworks, localize execution
- Enable > Control
🌍 MULTI-COUNTRY STRATEGY
- Mature: Efficiency, CRO, marginal gains
- Emerging: Scale, learning velocity
- Nascent: Infrastructure + benchmarks
- Mature → CPA, ROAS
- Emerging → Cost per engaged user
- Nascent → Data quality, funnel completion
💰 BUDGET & P&L LENS
- Incremental outcomes
- Opportunity cost of not investing
- Marginal ROI
- Strategic importance
- Scalability
- Learning value
📊 ANALYTICS & ATTRIBUTION
- Pure last-click attribution
- Assisted conversions
- Brand vs non-brand split
- Geo / time holdout tests
- Downstream efficiency impact
- Exec view (trends & risks)
- Market view (benchmarks)
- Execution view (diagnostics)
🧪 EXPERIMENTATION & CRO
- Clear hypothesis
- Business impact metric
- Minimum sample size
- Impact × Confidence scoring
- Central test backlog
- Documented learnings
⚕️ PHARMA-SPECIFIC PRINCIPLES
- Compliance involved early, not last
- Use modular, pre-approved creatives
- Performance never overrides:
- Patient trust
- Ethics
- Brand credibility
🤝 STAKEHOLDER & PEOPLE LEADERSHIP
- Listening
- Pilot wins
- Data-backed storytelling
🚀 90-DAY PLAN
🔮 FUTURE OF PERFORMANCE (PHARMA)
- Privacy-first measurement
- AI-assisted optimization
- First-party data
- Education-led journeys
🗣️ PHRASES THAT SIGNAL SENIORITY
- “From a marginal ROI perspective…”
- “This is a demand creation vs demand capture issue…”
- “We should optimize for long-term value, not just short-term efficiency…”
- “The data suggests directionally…”
❌ AVOID SAYING
- Tool-heavy answers
- Channel obsession
- “Best practice says…”
- Over-promising certainty
