My career has moved between two roles that most people treat as separate — the strategist who designs the plan, and the operator who has to make it work on the ground. I’ve done both, often on the same project.
As a CEO and senior operator, I’ve led turnarounds and growth programs across consumer goods, D2C, and durables — including building an omnichannel sales and marketing strategy that grew a food business 4.5x, launching a new air-conditioner range that grew volume 50%, and running direct sales forces through a disciplined diagnose-pilot-scale model that doubled productivity.
Before that, my academic background gave me the analytical grounding for this work: a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and Biomedical Engineering, an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad — India’s top-ranked business school — and a second Master’s from INSEAD, one of the world’s leading business schools, where I was awarded the Eli Lilly Scholarship. I also scored 770 on the GMAT and cleared the CAT, one of the most competitive entrance exams globally, to gain admission to IIM-A.
Credentials at a glance:
- MBA, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A) — India’s #1-ranked business school
- Master’s, INSEAD — Eli Lilly Scholar
- B.Sc., Physics & Biomedical Engineering
- GMAT: 770 | CAT: qualified for IIM-A
- Former CEO — consumer goods & D2C turnarounds
Vijay Makwana 