SUMIT RASTOGI
MARKETING HEAD
Gurugram
Summary
Transformational Marketing Leader Key Strengths
With nearly 20 years of experience in the FMCG sector, I excel in crafting compelling consumer engagement strategies and driving brand development across Fabric Care, Personal Care, and Beverages.
- Strategic Visionary: Spearheaded integrated marketing campaigns that drove audience engagement and subscription growth, leveraging data analytics to optimize strategies.
- Brand Architect: Developed and executed brand building and positioning strategies, crafting brand identities and launching innovative campaigns across traditional and digital platforms.
- Partnership Strategist: Fostered strategic alliances with channel partners to enhance market penetration, focusing on geo-expansion and go-to-market strategies that amplified business growth.
- Market Insights Expert: Analyzed consumer insights to identify target audiences and reach them effectively through a tailored media mix, ensuring cost efficiency and flexibility.
- Competitive Advantage: Utilized market research and customer insights to anticipate and counter competitive actions, build customer loyalty, and position brands for enhanced market share and NPS.
- Marketing Innovator: Led marketing functions with expertise in ATL/BTL activities, promotions, advertising, content creation, and cross-promotional tie-ups to maximize brand visibility.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
4029
4029
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
2
2
Languages
Work History
Sr. General Manager Marketing
RSPL Limited
02.2023 - Current
- Strategic Leadership: Designed and implemented comprehensive communication strategies, driving recruitment marketing and employee engagement as a key member of the director’s team.
- Data-Driven Insights: Harnessed analytics to evaluate campaign effectiveness, optimize strategies, and deliver measurable business outcomes.
- Marketing Excellence: Led the development and execution of innovative marketing initiatives, aligning budgets and business plans with organizational goals.
- Brand Portfolio Management: Managed a diverse portfolio with full P&L responsibility, fostering growth through strategic innovation and market positioning.
- Business Expansion: Crafted annual business plans, streamlined operations, and penetrated new geographies through in-depth market research and syndicate studies.
- Media Strategy Expertise: Executed integrated media strategies across offline and digital channels, enhancing brand visibility and audience engagement.
- Product Innovation: Championed new product development (NPD) while addressing market challenges and leveraging competitive insights for differentiation.
- Collaborative Leadership: Partnered with cross-functional teams across campaigns, corporate marketing, product development, digital platforms, and regional markets to drive demand generation.
- Marketing Mastery: Delivered impactful results in brand management, digital marketing, customer insights, product strategy, and emerging marketing technologies.
Senior General Manager Marketing
Wagh Bakri Tea Group
07.2018 - 02.2023
- Brand Revitalization & Creative Vision: Spearheaded product photography and graphic design initiatives, elevating brand image through visually stunning packaging that significantly boosted customer engagement and sales.
- Marketing Process Excellence: Established industry-leading standards in product marketing, managed creative teams to deliver integrated strategies, and drove sales growth through optimized processes.
- Consumer Insights & Campaign Strategy: Leveraged comprehensive research insights (household penetration data, focus groups, product evaluations) to craft targeted marketing campaigns that resonated deeply with consumers.
- Marketing & Advertising Leadership: Directed all marketing and advertising efforts, including strategic media buying and agency management across traditional and digital channels, ensuring seamless campaign execution.
- Innovative Marketing Execution: Successfully implemented the "Shoppers Marketing" concept nationwide, achieving 360-degree campaign visibility and significantly enhancing consumer engagement.
- Team Leadership & Collaboration: Assembled and guided a high-performing marketing team, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
- Brand Positioning & Leadership: Defined and positioned the brand to propel the company towards industry leadership, shaping its identity and perception.
- Comprehensive Marketing Planning: Finalized marketing plans, media/branding strategies, and ATL, BTL, & PR activities across distribution channels, ensuring cohesive brand messaging.
- New Product Development & Business Growth: Presented new brands, concepts, and products, expanded business potential, negotiated strategic contracts, and positioned brands for maximum impact.
- Performance Optimization: Mentored team members to ensure operational efficiency, target achievement, and continuous improvement.
Senior Manager Marketing
DS Group
05.2013 - 07.2018
- Strategic Leadership: Spearheaded the mouth freshener category for iconic brands Rajnigandha, Tansen and Pulse candy , driving marketing strategies and brand management to achieve market dominance.
- Insight-Driven Decision Making: Conducted regular brand health studies to gather actionable insights, informing strategic marketing decisions and driving continuous brand improvement.
- Market Positioning & Innovation: Leveraged consumer insights to develop targeted marketing campaigns, positioning brands effectively to resonate with evolving consumer preferences and trends in oral care.
- Competitive Advantage: Implemented innovative strategies to maintain a competitive edge in a dynamic market, capitalizing on consumer awareness of oral hygiene and the demand for premium, natural products.
Manager Marketing
Fena (P) Ltd.
02.2007 - 05.2013
- Career Progression: Began as a Senior Product Executive and progressed to Category Manager, leveraging strategic skills to drive business growth.
- Business Planning & Strategy: Developed and executed the Annual Business Plan for Fena and Impact product brands, conceptualizing brand roadmaps and marketing calendars.
- Marketing Leadership: Prepared and implemented Annual Marketing Plans & Budgets, ensuring cost-effective media buying and expense monitoring.
- Strategic Partnerships: Initiated strategic alliances and cross-promotion tie-ups to enhance brand association, reinforce brand image, and strengthen in-house promotions.
- Market Research & Analysis: Conducted qualitative and quantitative research to monitor brand performance and competition, identifying market gaps through regular market visits.
- Regional Support: Implemented regional initiatives to support the sales team and maximize brand visibility.
- Media Optimization: Ensured effective use of media vehicles to create brand excitement and maximize ROI.
Senior Officer Marketing
VRS Foods Ltd.
02.2005 - 02.2007
- Marketing Implementation: Executed marketing and branding initiatives for products and outlets across the region.
- Budget Management: Tracked marketing spends against approved budgets to ensure fiscal efficiency.
- Sales & Marketing Alignment: Collaborated with the Sales Team to meet targets, optimize product placement, and execute promotional schemes effectively.
- Market Intelligence: Conducted regular market visits to gather insights and maintain strong retailer relationships.
Education
Executive Program - Digital Marketing and Social Media Analytics
IIM Lucknow
Lucknow05-2023
MBA - Marketing
School of Management Sciences
Varanasi, UP03-2005
Skills
Marketing Strategies
Brand Launch and Positioning
Strategic Thinking
Leadership and Management
Digital Marketing
Analytical Skills
Certification
5S Certificate Course of FAAAAI, Japan, Affiliated to Japanese Management Association Management Center, New Delhi
Timeline
Sr. General Manager Marketing
RSPL Limited
02.2023 - Current
Senior General Manager Marketing
Wagh Bakri Tea Group
07.2018 - 02.2023
Senior Manager Marketing
DS Group
05.2013 - 07.2018
Manager Marketing
Fena (P) Ltd.
02.2007 - 05.2013
Senior Officer Marketing
VRS Foods Ltd.
02.2005 - 02.2007
Executive Program - Digital Marketing and Social Media Analytics
IIM Lucknow
MBA - Marketing
School of Management Sciences