" I am a life-holic": Brand Wagon's 'After Hours'

My Job

As the CMO & Head Direct Sales & Ecommerce at Max Life Insurance, I have direct functional responsibility of varied verticals comprising brand & marketing, media, marketing, direct sales, e Commerce, research, corporate communication and end to end customer value management.

With such a diverse portfolio there is never a dull moment in my day. I am privileged to have a very committed, passionate and a stable team who’s been with me since the time I joined Max Life. Together we have achieved some wonderful milestones including many industry firsts, for e.g.  first of its kind  service to sales model which has become an industry benchmark.

Additionally, as an Executive Committee member at Max Life Insurance I have been part of key strategic decisions that have made Max Life the most admired life insurance company.

The Weekdays

Hectic but exciting. I try and hot the gym at least thrice a week and those days are the most satisfying. I end up feeling light and easy and most guilt free on my gym days. The energy is of a very different order. The habitual relaxed newspaper reading over steaming cup of tea does end up getting compromised on these days. However my hour long commute to work ends up giving me enough time to catch on the news in the car. I have recently started practicing 15 minutes of meditation preferably in the morning itself and this has now become an integral part of my life. It has a very calming effect and when I enter office, I am ready to start the day with positive energy and work without biases or any kind of stress. Except official engagements I prefer to be home with family and avoid any social engagement on weekdays.

The Weekends

Saturday is a day of outings, socialising, shopping, household chores, movies, plays, live shows and what not. Since I plan my Saturdays well in advance, I can pack in a lot. This is the day I live for. After my gym and meditation, I catch up with friends for a relaxed lunch at Delhi Gymkhana. At least once a month my lunch date is with my son and it's great to hear his teenage stories and catch up on all that’s happening in his life. Our gym interests are common and we exchange a lot of notes on fitness. Evening outings are with my husband as he works through the day. We enjoy watching movies, plays and all kinds of musical live shows. A gig in town is booked in advance and at least 3 out of 4 Saturdays we manage to unwind in different ways.

Sunday is exactly the opposite. Except for the morning yoga session, it is all relaxed. Managing kitchen and home, afternoon siesta and a recorded English movie on TV completes the day. I spend at least an hour or so in the evening searching and reading interesting stuff, mostly latest trends on the net. I enjoy writing articles on consumer and business trends and this keeps me abreast of the latest in the world. I am basically a life-aholic and as much as I enjoy my weekends, I do look forward to getting at my desk come Monday morning.

The Toys

My ipad is a constant companion, when I am at home or even when I am travelling on work. I not only do my work on it but watch movies and play around with apps and am active on social networks. Between my Samsung S4 and Apple ipad my communication channels are active all through my waking hours. I research a lot and am also fairly active on Facebook, Twitter and my blog and of course e mails. Having worked in the car industry before joining Max Life (as Director Marketing - General Motors), I enjoy my Audi and all the comfort that it offers. I have the largest collection of Sufi music from around the world and I love to unwind my day by listening to my favourite Sufi music on the Bose AirPlay.

The Logos

I am not very brand conscious and can wear even street fashion but I do like a few  brands. Anita Dongre is my favorite for Indian wear. Her styles are very elegant and very wearable at all kinds of occasions. My favorite casuals brand is the Japanese brand UniGlo. It has yet to enter India but I do manage to stock up from my various visits to Bangkok, KL etc. I also wear a lot of Zara especially jackets and Marks &Spencer.  For accessories, Gucci, Michael Kor and Movado, Calvin Klein  for glasses, bags and watches are some of the brands that I indulge in regularly. When it comes to perfumes there are many but my favourite is Davidoff cool water.