ABOUT RAMA

Rama Bijapurkar is sought after business advisor, passionate ‘people’ researcher, prominent independent director on India Inc’s boards and author of widely acclaimed books on the Indian market and Consumer India. Recognised as one of India’s thought leaders on business-market strategy and India’s consumer economy, Rama describes her work as “bringing market focus and consumer insight to business strategy and providing the ‘people lens’ to understand India’s economy better”.

Ms. Bijapurkar has been visiting faculty at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) for over two decades, teaching second year MBA students and offering executive education programs on customer-based business strategy.

She is among India’s most experienced independent directors having served on the boards of several of India’s blue-chip companies. Present boards include Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd., Cummins India, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd, Gokaldas Exports Ltd. Sun Pharma. Past boards served on include Infosys, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Bharat Petroleum, National Payment Corporation of India, CRISIL, Godrej Consumer, Nestle India etc. In addition, she has been on the governing councils of institutions like IIM Ahmedabad, Institute for Human Development and National Institute of Bank Management.

Other past professional activities and experience include senior fellow of MasterCard Centre for Inclusive Growth and member, eminent person advisory group to the Competition Commission of India and fellow, Centre for Emerging Market Economies, Fletcher School. Previous work experience includes employment with McKinsey & Company, Marg Marketing and Research Group (now Nielsen India) and MODE Services (now TNS India) followed by own consulting practice from 2000.

Ms. Bijapurkar has been a dominant voice in the media on business and policy issues in her areas of interest. She is the author of “Lilliput Land – How Small is Driving India’s Mega Consumption Story”, “We Are Like That Only – Understanding the Logic of Consumer India”, “A Never-Before World – Tracking the Evolution of Consumer India” and “Customer in the Boardroom – Crafting Customer-Based Business Strategy”

Ms. Bijapurkar holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Physics from Delhi University and a post graduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

She lives in Mumbai

www.ramabijapurkar.com