Selected as WCRCINT India’s Transformational Leaders, Gurpreet Singh of WOB is a charismatic leader in the alcobev industry. His disruptive and game changing strategies have made him a truly transformational leader.
Designation: C0-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, WORLD OF BRANDS (former Head of Marketing, United Breweries Ltd)
Company Name: WORLD OF BRANDS, a recently formed startup in the alcobev & alcobev related technology space. World of Brands is a company which owns, partners and acquires relevant alcobev brands, across trending consumer taste-segments. It is also creating a disruptive technology platform which brings consumers closer to alcobev brands, from around the world.
In conversation with Gurpreet Singh
What makes a reliable and trustworthy business leader?
A reliable and trustworthy business leader is someone who is a visionary, has a strong business acumen and commands respects from the team they lead. Their critical function is to grown and manage the business effectively and deliver on the business objectives for all the stake holders. For this they need to be able to take calculated risks when taking key business calls.
The other set of qualities a business leader should possess to be effective, is being honest, transparent, accountable, empathetic, competent, and consistent. By possessing these characteristics, they can inspire their team to work towards achieving the company’s goals and build a strong reputation for the business.
How have you re-strategised and adopted to the digital transformations globally?
The extent of digital transformations taking place is immense. The key objective for us was to adopt the relevant ones in the alcobev category in India. Since the alcobev category is not prevalent on e-commerce in India it is completely devoid of granular consumer data which has become the norm for most other consumer product categories.
Within the tech-vertical at our startup ‘World of Brands’ we undertook a mission is to empower alcobev consumers in making discerning brand choices. Towards this we are creating a community where consumers will build meaningful relationships with alcobev brands in the real and the virtual world. We see technology as the key to enable this vision and we aspire to continuously innovate and be the partner of choice for our key stakeholders. To enable this vision, we have created distinct but integrated business verticals all of which play distinct roles in easing the lives of the brand owner, the customer (trader) and the consumer.
We endeavour to resolve the brand owner’s need for consumer insights, by generating large scale data analytics built on consumer’s buying behaviour. We are doing this with the help of our SAAS based POS system which helps collect this consumer data. We are creating dynamic consumer segmentation which is driven by our artificial intelligence and machine learning engines. Powered by big data we will provide brand owners segmented and accurate media and promotion analysis with clarity on ROI, while ensuring considerably reduced wastage and spillage, with real-time control on their spends.
The WoB platform can be used to increase awareness, consumer penetration, brand performance for existing & established brands as well as for new brand introductions which struggle in a media dark environment. Eventually this will allow brand owners to create targeted communication, ensure an ongoing lifelong rewards program and build a strong relationship between the consumers and their brands. The stores participating in this will benefit from brand owners directly targeting their consumers and building consumer loyalty with their stores. Ultimately the consumer is the winner. They will receive a plethora of offers from brands, customised to their buying behaviour.
What are the clear changes that you have made to your journey in the last decade?
The last decade has actually required me to make a plethora of changes. Career within the corporate set up transitioned into a leadership role as the Head of Marketing at United Breweries and this also meant being part of the small illustrious management committee team which together assists the Managing Director in running the business and in taking all key strategic business decisions. This transition necessitated my orientation changing from seeing the business from the lens of the marketing department or the new product new product development wing which I was overlooking, to seeing the business from a P&L lens. The learning was immense and I greatly benefited from it, especially when it came to setting up my own startup ‘World of Brands’.
What is the current vision and mission at your current role?
Our vision is to empower the alcobev consumers in making discerning brand choices. We envision a community where consumers will build meaningful relationships with alcobev brands in the real and virtual worlds. Powered by technology, we aspire to continuously innovate and be the partner of choice for our key stakeholders. The ground work for this has been created over the past year and over stores have already been on-boarded on our SAAS based POS system which besides resolving for the outlet’s billing requirement also collects the consumer data needed to empower all the stake holders in the eco-system – consumers, brand owners and retailers.
We are also creating a portfolio of relevant alcobev brands, across trending consumer taste-segments. The first brand has already been launched under the name Great Indian Gin. The consumer insights used when creating this brand and its strategies have quickly catapulted this brand to a leadership position across all the states where it has been launched. In a crowded Gin market, the Great Indian Gin is in the top 3-5 brands across each state of launch in under a year of its existence. The innovation funnel created at World of Brands has another 4 products at different stages of development, one of which is scheduled for launch across a host of markets this summer.
How do you draw a balance between target orientation and empathetic and compassionate leadership?
The purpose of a business is to achieve its set of business objectives and be profitable for its stakeholders. In my experience I have found that recruiting people with business management skills-sets instead of just domain expertise is a key starting point. The domain knowledge is usually a given but many people focus only on this when recruiting. Having recruited such individuals it is important to then feed this unique skill-set of theirs and create an environment which is entrepreneurial in nature and is free from fear of failure. Only then will these business managers feel empowered to perform to the best of their abilities. In addition to this it is important to treat people the way you yourself expect to be treated. This simple act of empathy goes a long way in creating an environment of excellence and belonging.
What has been your greatest strength and weakness in context of leadership?
Creative thinking, entrepreneurial skills, decisiveness and adaptability all came quite naturally to me. I had to work a lot harder on ‘displaying empathy’ which is a bit different from just having empathy. The areas which I considered my weakness which I have had to work exceptionally harder to rectify were at times micromanaging things which stemmed from my need for perfection.
What has been your driving force or philosophy in life?
Embracing personal growth and development, and committing to a lifelong learning journey has been a key philosophy in life. This has helped expand my knowledge, skills and experiences, and has led to a greater personal and professional fulfillment. This has also harboured constant learning and creative thinking. I have also endeavored to cultivate positive relationships built on empathy, compassion, trust and understanding. This has helped build strong connections with others, and create a sense of community and belonging. Last but not the least I live in the present and savor the experiences and opportunities that life presents. This has helped me cultivate mindfulness and presence, and also reduce stress and anxiety.
How do you plan to drive your business at a global level at your current role?
As a co-founder at World of Brands I am deeply involved on both aspects of the business – building a portfolio of enviable brands and also bringing to the table the deep consumer insights that is the basis of building all the tech innovations that we are creating. I am hopeful that the brands we are building are not just amongst the best in India but also achieve global quality standards. In doing so we are preparing the grounds for our export operations from this year. These brands built in India will be the pride of Indians across the world. The brand name on our first brand launch – the Great Indian Gin, is a testimony to this. On the tech innovations we can quite easily adapt and deploy the solutions we are creating for the Indian alcobev market to other markets (countries) as well. Our findings show that many of the problems on consumer insights that our market faces here are also faced by others markets as well.
Your top leadership goals during tough times?
During tough times, the goals of a leader should be focused on navigating the organization through the difficulties and ensuring that the business stays afloat. It is important to communicate effectively with their team by providing regular updates on the situation and being transparent about the challenges the organization or a project may be facing. During such times it is important to get everyone to focus on the essentials which could mean identifying the critical functions of the organization and ensuring they continue to operate effectively. This can also mean taking tough decisions about non-essential functions such as cutting costs and reducing staff. During such times it is important to be flexible and adapt to the scenarios as the develop.
One of the most under-rated leadership goals during such time is to maintain a positive attitude. A leader’s positive and optimistic attitude can be infectious and help inspire the team and give them the confidence they need to persevere through difficult times.
Your greatest success mantras?
Never lose sight of the goal. There will be many distractions enroute, stay focused on the ultimate goal, always. This is true not just for business goals but equally true for life’s goals as well.
I am listing down some of the key the success mantras that I typically follow.
- Stay focused on your goal
- Be innovative
- Take calculated risks
- Continuously learn and adapt
- Build a strong team
- Have a positive attitude
- Stay organised and disciplined
- Stay humble and empathetic
How actively have you been personally involved with corporate social responsibilities? What have you felt driving societal responsibilities?
At my previous organization we were very actively involved with various CSR initiatives. The one that we had put the maximum focus on was on conserving and regenerating water, a scare resource and one that our organisation used a lot of. It was therefore only fair that we put our efforts behind this initiative as we had a direct role in its usage and depletion. When visiting some of these sights where such CSR work was carried out and the realization and happiness I have felt to see the real impact these initiatives made to the lives of the people on the ground, is simply unparalleled. At my current startup it is still very early days and we haven’t initiated an impact program on CSR but we most certainly will be creating one very soon.
What’s your vision for the industry and the Indian economy?
The Per capita alcobev consumption in India has ~doubled from 2.7 litres in 2010 to 5.7 litres in 2022 and is likely to increase to 7.6 litres by 2030. This will result in the Indian alcobev industry which is currently estimated at around $52 Bn to grow to ~$140 Bn by 2030. There are many factors aiding this growth which range from ongoing lifestyle changes, social cultural acceptance of the drinking culture and a young audience of adult drinkers which are getting added to the legal drinking age every year. The new affluent consumer led by higher disposable incomes and a changed savings vs spending balance is driving premiumization. All-in-all with a robust and growing economy the alcobev category is poised for a strong growth for a long time to come. The economy overall will continue to remain buoyant as it is benefiting from being in the golden era of reaping the dividend of a young population which has reached its tipping point of having a larger population in the working-class vs the dependent-class of consumers.
About Gurpreet Singh
Gurpreet Singh is the Co-Founder & Director of ‘World of Brands’, a tech & product-based start-up in the AlcoBev category, which has recently launched its first brand, named ‘Great Indian Gin’, in the portfolio of brands that they are building. He is also a Serial Investor, Mentor & Advisor in multiple Start-Ups ranging from Tech, AlcoBev, Apparel, F&B, Talent Management & Creative Agencies.
He is an alcobev authority with 25 years of experience in the sector. At ‘UB-Heineken’ he was an integral part of the exclusive ‘Management Committee’ team which ran the overall business. He has worked across all critical verticals ranging from sales, marketing, new product innovation, business development and strategy; displaying a tremendous amount of thought leadership and vision. As the ‘Head of Marketing’, he created some of the most memorable campaigns, successful sponsorship programs and has been recognised and awarded numerous times by prestigious institutions. He was instrumental in elevating Kingfisher to its current iconic status and has launched some of the most successful brands in the category.
He is passionate about sports, extreme sports, trekking and travelling which includes climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, Everest Base Camp, Kala Pathar, sky-diving, bunjee-jumping, deep-sea diving, shark-cage diving and white-water rafting in different parts of the world.
