Growth isn’t just about moving forward; it’s about understanding where you’ve been. Each chapter of my life, from early education to professional endeavors, has been a stepping stone. This timeline isn’t just a record, it’s a reflection of the experiences that have fueled my passion for innovation and continuous learning.
Trace my story…
1993
Hello World!
Arrived on Earth. My mom remembers it clearly. I just remember… nothing. But from what I hear, I was a quiet baby. For the last time ever.
1998
DPS: School of Ambition
Enrolled in a fancy school by my parents followed by financial gymnastics to keep me in because education was non-negotiable. I was a meritorious schoolkid who also was good at drama, quizzes, sports. I had my fingers in many pies. (sometimes literally, if it was lunch break).
2006
Ctrl+Alt+Delighted by Computers
Didn’t own a PC at home, but summer vacations were sacredly booked for computer classes, beyond a point with me as the sole kid in a room full of confused adults.
I was already adept at many software while my school peers were still playing Math Blaster in the school computer lab.
2012
CBS: College of Discovery
I had my eyes set on just one college. SSCBS. SSCBS was different, and I liked different. A rebellious curiosity carried me to an AIR 90 and into their gates. It was here I began questioning norms and testing my own limits.
Society Sandbox
CBS gave you a sandbox, not run of the mill classrooms. You learnt by doing, by making mistakes, by figuring things out. Center of this were societies. I cracked 2 – MIC (Corporate Exposure Cell) and Communiqué (Public Relations Cell)
Bonus: I ended up in the Student Council too.
Designer in Distress
Chap hired as the designer quits MIC at the eve of a major event leaving us with no posters to publicise. I step in and create a poster. A senior, Nayan offers to mentor me in Graphics design. Starts off a beautiful chain reaction.
2013
Levelled up the societies
MIC landed a partnership with FICCI – biggest in CBS history.
At Communique, the flagship event “Prodigy” is elevated from a regional gig to a national-level spectacle. I lead a 35+ student team.
I also get chosen to manage CBS’s official social media channels
2014
MMT - Interning Where India Holidays
My first taste of the corporate world. Got paid in experience (and cafeteria coffee). I worked in marketing research and learned that behind every data point is a human story waiting to be understood.
2014
Championing for social impact
Participated in DU’s Innovation Challenges on a 2 year Student research programme
Our team propsed a PPP model for health insurance for domestic workers. We won the ‘Most Innovative Idea’ at DU’s most prestigious conclave and got funded by Delhi Government for Rs. 3 Lakh
2015
Bye, CBS – You’ve Been Real
I said goodbye with a trophy in hand for contributions to The PR Cell and a much better version of myself
2015
VMock: The First Career Chapter
I joined a fast-growing startup straight out of college as a marketing analyst. Quickly got upgraded to “wearer of many hats”
Pivot to Sales – Said Yes, and then learned how
CEO spotted something during an offsite & the next thing I know, I’m offered a role the Founder’s Office attached to sales.
Sales was chaos. I began untangling the Sales Spaghetti. I proposed structure. Somehow didn’t get laughed out of the room.
2016
Built my First Product!
To scale the sales team globally, we needed a CRM. So I was tasked with building it leading a team of 4 devs before I knew what “agile” meant. Not pretty, but it worked. It wasn’t held together with a roadmap, but duct tape.
2017
Back to Marketing, Baby
With sales stable, I finally helmed VMock’s marketing team. Revamped the content strategy, wrote their first brand book, and led revamp of key projects like the website and blog.
2017
Chocolate Meets Checkout
My partner wanted to take her desserts online. I built a website that did just that complete with cart flows and delivery tracking. Love makes you learn fast.
2018
MICA - School of Mad Men & Metrics
Jumped into MICA to learn the magic behind great brands. Did an MBA in Marketing. It wasn’t Hogwarts, but close enough—except we used Post-its instead of wands. Lived, laughed, and learned consumer psychology like my life depended on it.
2019
Pidilite and the Street MBA
I got my hands dirty with real India. Spent two months convincing cloth traders in Surat and artisans in Dharavi that Fevicryl Fabric Glue could fix their world. Glued myself to the field. Learned how real people buy (and how).
2019
A Spartan Semester in USA
Selected as one of 12 students to represent MICA in the US. I saw what global business classrooms looked like — and brought back a bigger worldview.
2020
Goodbye MICA!
Cool place, can recommend. Majored in Marketing Analytics, which was way more challenging than I had anticipated! I still can’t believe we made a Python project that could identify if a picture was of a dog or a cat & perform Market-Basket Analysis on actual InstaCart datasets.
Btw, I was also in TEDxMICA in their Creative team.
2020
Target: HCI & Retail
Joined Target as a Researcher. Many research initiatives later, I became the go-to for customer insights. Users spoke, I translated.
Empathy became my language. Data, my accent.
Building Joy at Work
During the pandemic, co-founded The Happiness Squad to spark joy at work. We didn’t just boost morale—we became morale influencers. From virtual events to mental health support, we tried to make Friday feel like Friday again. It caught on organisation wide!
2022
CodeRED Hackathon & Target Accelerator
Made it to the finals. Idea was loved. Got invited to incubate it for 6 months. Built things. Broke things. Built them again. The pitch became a prototype.
The best part? We worked like a startup, inside a Fortune 50 company.
2022
Product Fellowship: Road to Destination
The Fellowship is a program to identify Product Management Talent within Target and to promote them into Product Roles. I spent 6 months under the most amazing mentor – Senior PM Jennifer Pinto (SHE’S THE BEST), shipping features and figuring out what “being a PM” actually means (hint: nothing like CEO of the Product but more like an Orchestra Conductor, I like it anyway).
2023
Certified Design Thinker
Brought design thinking to the product table. Trained by Marty Cagan’s SVPG. Earned IBM’s Design Thinking badge. Basically became dangerously empathetic. I started being part of Design Thinking workshops, that guided teams from “What now?” to “Aha!”
2023
You Got to Be Kidneying me!
Turned 30. Got kidney stones as a gift. Kidney stones led to infection, which led to 2 back to back surgeries and lifelong dietary restrictions. AT THE PEAK OF MY PRODUCT JOURNEY.
2024
Sabbatical & Side Quests
After ensuring sucession planning at Target, I took time off for myself.
Paused. Reflected. Healed. Traveled. Re-centered. Also worked quietly on two side projects—Agriphotovoltaics (green power!) and Hacker Hostel (stay curious, literally).
Currently looking to get back to the corporate grind with the experience of a 31 year old and the energy of a 20 year old!
If nothing else, that’s who I am. A lifelong learner. A curious builder. And someone who’s just getting started.