“The ability to strive for commercial wins with an inherent sense of purpose is what excites me most about the business world.”
Kanika Mittal (Business Head,Twitter India)

Kanika Mittal serves as the Business Head of Twitter India, the world’s popular microblogging and social networking service that’s home to a world of diverse people, perspectives, ideas, and information.

In an exclusive conversation, Kanika Mittal shared insights about her exhilarating journey, experience, the philosophy that drives her every day, and much more.

Give Us A Glimpse Of Yourself And Walk Us Through Your Exciting Journey.

I am the Business Head for Twitter India, and leading Revenue and Brand Solutions across industry verticals, namely Auto, CPG, Tech, OEMs, M&E, BFSI etc. During the course of my tenure, my focus has been to land a strong positioning for Twitter with brands centred around Purpose and Innovation, and help both diversify and grow the business in a sustainable and scalable fashion. My aim is to drive impact across the 4Ps: Purpose, People, Profit, and Presence and continue to put Twitter on the map by making it the platform of choice through Thought Leadership, Focus on Creative Ideas, and Passion for driving meaningful work with brands.

Prior to Twitter I was the Marketing Director at Reebok India and led the brand through an intense repositioning exercise from a mass sports brand to a premium fitness brand. At Reebok, I also created #FitToFight: a disruptive women’s movement where Reebok put the female consumer front and center of all strategy and execution. It became a wake-up call for the industry at large with many competitive players launching similar initiatives afterwards. #FitToFight was supported by celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Government bodies like the Ministry of Women and Child Development, and social change-makers like Kalyan Satyarthi Foundation. An important component of my journey with the brand was leading the Digital Transformation of the retail giant and paving the way in Digital Innovation and Omni Channel Experience.

What Fascinates You The Most About The Business World? What Are Your Strengths?

The ability to strive for commercial wins with an inherent sense of purpose is what excites me most about the business world. Creating a winning impact for my clients while also being able to pursue passion projects that have a meaningful contribution is a mantra I most resonate with and bring with me on the job every day.

As for my strengths: Empathy, Integrity, Compassion & a strong passion for my purpose as a leader is what keep me going. I value the needs of my teammates and make sure to keep the team’s wellbeing at the forefront. Integrity & respect toward my work has always been a guiding principle throughout my career journey. My ability to be compassionate is what pushes me to strive every day to win with purpose and fuels my passion for work.

What Is Your Leadership Philosophy? What Factors Do You Keep In Mind While Taking Business Decisions?

As a leader, my core philosophy is that people are the business’s biggest asset & therefore investing in people is my utmost priority. I strongly believe that a leader is only as good as his/her team & therefore nurturing my team’s abilities, helping them conquer their challenges and always being their biggest cheerleader is crucial to my leadership style.

What I also diligently try to ensure is that I am always able to walk the talk, because it is only when the leader embraces and puts to action the strategies and decisions in their work, that the team sees merit in it. I’m also a strong believer of the statement that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’, therefore, I always strive to create a positive culture & create a shared vision that drives the team. My aim is to build a team whose greatest differentiator is their compassion & who always aims to ‘win with purpose’.

I rest all my business decisions on three Key Pillars:

My more strategic inclination makes the long term vision & viability of a business decision a vital aspect that influences my judgement.
Internal & external ramifications of the business decision are equally crucial, often we only focus on the external implications however, the internal ramifications are as significant.
Finally, the commerce of it all, whether or not it is a reliable commercial decision comes into play before I conclude on the path I finally choose to take.
How Do You Stay On Top Of The Industry Trends? How Do You Implement Them?

Consistent investment in self-learning & development is my way of always staying connected to what’s happening in the industry. I ensure I continue to learn something new every day whether it’s via reading, listening to podcasts or connecting with a passionate peer group. Working at Twitter helps in this regard as well, as it keeps me at the center of What’s Happening!

Mention The Awards And Milestones Received By You So Far.

I am grateful to the industry for recognising my work and passion for it on several occasions. I am honoured to have been recognized in Exchange4Media 40 under 40, Social Samosa Superwomen, in the list of Top 50 Brand Leaders in Asia, felicitated at The Women Economic Forum. I have also been fortunate to have won Effies, Clios, and other such recognitions for my work. I am an active speaker, jury member at leading industry forums and am an evangelist about Businesses that are built on Purpose and Passion and continue to advocate these two the most through my work and outreach.

As A Source Of Inspiration For Many, What Would Your Advice Be For Females, Who Also Want To Stand Tall In The Corporate World?

Nurture your ambition. Embrace it like an essential part of yourself and never feel apologetic about it. As women, we wear many hats – mother, daughter, wife, homemaker, professional, artist etc. But our ambition is personal and it’s a hat we wear for ourselves, so wear it with pride and fully commit yourself to it and your dreams will follow.