Ulka Athalye

Expertise

  • Brand Development
  • Brand Strategy
  • Business Development
  • Global Marketing
  • International Marketing
  • Marketing Strategy & Planning

Industry

  • Automotive
  • Consumer Durables
  • Consumer Goods
  • E-Learning
  • Education Management
  • Hospitality
  • Information Technology
  • Professional Services
  • Software
  • Travel & Tourism

About Ulka Athalye

I am a marketing, communications and business professional with 20 years’ cross-cultural experience working with clients and agencies.

I have worked with international businesses operating across various global markets throughout my career, invariably based at their offices in India. This experience has given me the ability to understand the specific wants and needs of the local market and global leadership competencies and understanding.

Following an MBA at the London Business School, I spent more than ten years leading strategic marketing for the Italian motor vehicle manufacturer, Piaggio. This included time spent in Italy and working on product plans, extensions, development and market entry strategies in India, and export markets such as Nepal, Mexico, Bangladesh, Italy, China and co-ordination strategies with the local team in Vietnam which had its own local manufacturing. We launched several products and improved business revenue throughout this time thanks to the various initiatives that I conceptualised and executed.

Other roles have included working on brand communications at WPP Plc - multinational communications, advertising, public relations, technology, and commerce holding company in London. I have also worked with research and customer loyalty agencies in the UK to enhance their target market profile and generate business locally and international markets such as the US and Canada.

Whether you’re looking to grow market shares or enter new markets or grappling with declining revenues and demand saturation, I work with you to create and implement optimal strategies that maximise your revenue.

I start by identifying the route to growth that is most suited to your unique capability, competitive position, customer needs, and industry life cycle. This results in a differentiated value proposition that is the foundation for crafting the growth strategy and execution blueprint.

Creating a customer-centric strategy is one part of my job.

The second part is to ensure that the execution is in line with the strategy. I do this by formulating plans with inbuilt feedback loops and metrics and mobilising cross-functional teams to deliver integrated implementation.

Marketing is poised to play the role of an organisation-wide co-ordinator and influencer. This approach ensures that your execution stays on target, which in turn boosts demand and sales."

To learn more about the benefits of Fractional CMOs, click here.

How Ulka can help grow your business

After working in-house for a long time, I began consulting as I wanted to help other companies succeed in entering the market in India and those from India to expand overseas. My primary focus is on start-ups at the growth stage and SMEs with ambitions to grow locally and overseas.

My skill lies in helping businesses understand their new target market and creating a strategy that looks at all product and marketing areas from price points to communications to generate an executable plan for market entry and profitability.

India has a lot to offer both as a market in its own right and in terms of exportable products and services. My role is to create realistic and comprehensive pathways between organisations and their chosen market to ensure the greatest likelihood of success.

Recent articles from Ulka

The right marketing consultant could be the key to exploring new markets successfully, with a combination of local commercial knowledge and international business understanding. Continue reading her advice...

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