The Payal Nanjiani Leadership Podcast

Rated in the top 10% globally, this is a leadership and personal growth podcast heard by millions of people. It's the only podcast that gets you to be a transformed leader and grow at your work. Focussed on helping you live a successful and fulfilled work-life, this podcast is hosted by Payal Nanjiani, a world-renowned leadership expert. Each episode is designed to help you grow at your work, improve your performance and be a better leader. You will find a blend of leadership and inspiration, interviews of women and men who have made it, and what it takes to reach your goals.

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The Payal Nanjiani Leadership Podcast

MANAGING YOURSELF LIKE A BRAND EP 414

August 07, 2026 • Payal Nanjiani

0:00 | 25:15

Ambi Parameswaran | Founder.brand-building.com

In a career spanning 45+ years Ambi has handled assignments in marketing, sales and advertising with Rediffusion Advtg, Boots Company, UDI Yellow Pages and over 25 years with FCB Ulka Advertising. He served as VP, then as CEO/ED of FCB Ulka from 2003 to 2013 and was key member of the team that turned around Ulka from a loss making ad agency into a top three marketing communications group.

Ambi has helped build numerous brands including Thermax, Digene, Brufen, Santoor Soap, Sundrop Cooking Oil, TCS, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Indica Cars, Zee TV among others. He has had brand coaching engagements with PepsiCo, Tata Motors, Wipro Consumer, Abbott, TI Cycles, Sun Pharma, D Decor, Nippon Paint among others.

Ambi has been contributing articles to business publications, has conducted branding workshops for Indian/ MNC organizations and industry bodies like CII, FICCI, AIMA, OPPI etc.; he has spoken at five TEDx events, the Kellogg India Summit at Northwestern University and at Cornell University; he is a Adjunct Prof of Marketing at SPJIMR and a guest faculty at IIMC, IIMA, MICA and ISB.

Ambi now has twelve books to his credit including : “FCB-Ulka Brand Building Advertising – Concepts and Cases Book I & Book II [with Kinjal Medh]”; "Building Brand Value - Five Steps to Building Powerful Brands” (Winner of 2007 NTPC – DMA Book Prize], "For God's Sake - An Adman on the Business of Religion", "Strategic Brand Management Indian Version" [with Prof K L Keller, Prof V Swaminathan and Prof I Jacob]. He is the author of bestselling books "Nawabs Nudes Noodles - India Through 50 Years of Advertising" [a finalist at Crossword Popular Book Awards 2017], "SPONGE- Leadership Lessons I Learnt From My Clients" [Fin Express #1 Bestseller], "SPRING- Bouncing Back From Rejection" [Tata LitLive Business Book of the Year 2021 Finalist], 'All The World's A Stage - A Personal Branding Story' and 'Marketing Mixology' [June 2025].

Ambi served as the President of AAAI [2014-16] and President of Ad Club Bombay [2003–05]. He served on the Board of Governors of IIMC from 2007-2017; he has been an independent director on the board of Galaxy Surfactants Ltd, Qube Cinemas P Ltd, FDC Ltd [mrfs of Electral], THG Publications and Rediff.com India Ltd. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from IITM in April 2009 and from IIMC in November 2018. He has a PhD from Mumbai University , an AMP from HBS and Executive Coaching Certification from CFI .