FCB Ulka ropes in Shalini Rao to lead Strategic Planning for Horlicks

Adding ammunition to the core team of the iconic win of the year – Horlicks – Shalini Rao comes on board to lead Strategic Planning for the portfolio at FCB Ulka. 

Rao comes with close to two and a half decades of rich marketing experience across some of India’s most iconic FMCG brands (Marico, Gillette, Mars), B2B (Tetra Pak) and Service (Taj Hotels). She also lends her expertise to Tata Sons in the area of Customer Centricity. In her last role, she was Global Head of Marketing for Taj Hotels, Palaces & Resorts. A double Masters in Business (from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar) and Marketing (from Griffith University, Australia), Rao has also developed knowledge and position papers on How Half the World Shops, The Consumer Downturn and its varying impact globally, The Digital Consumer, The Next Trillion Consumers and Weddings in India. 

She had attended the Strategic Leadership Program (2014) conducted by Harvard Business School for the Tata Group and was felicitated by the World Marketing Congress as one of the 100 Most Talented Global Marketing Leaders of 2014. 

Debarpita Banerjee, FCB Ulka, President North & East, remarked, “This has been an invigorating year for Delhi office. Our leadership team has seen a fresh influx of talent, helping us keep pace with the growth momentum.” 

Commenting on Rao’s appointment, Banerjee said, “Shalini’s rich and varied marketing and strategy experience is going to be a very valuable asset in building brand Horlicks and its multi-dimensional portfolio. We are delighted to have her on board and look forward to creating some ‘Never Finished’ ideas together.” 

On her new role, Shalini Rao said, “These are challenging times for marketers, and brands need to provide a strong sense of purpose to consumers. I’m excited to be working with the FCB team and look forward to doing some great work on brand Horlicks.”