Ogilvy's Shouvik Roy to join G.O.A.T Brand Labs

G.O.A.T Brand Labs has announced the addition of the president of Ogilvy and industry veteran, Shouvik Roy, as the chief of brand marketing. With over 14 brands in their growing roster of D2C acquisitions, the stage is set to build the next set of D2C superstars.

And that’s music to the ears of Rishi Vasudev, co-founder of G.O.A.T Brand Labs, who brought Shouvik on board. He said, “Shouvik is one of the most intelligent and creative people I know. So, when the opportunity opened up, there was no question of who would be perfect for it. Shouvik’s journey has been a delight to witness and I particularly admire his work with Paper Boat to bring it into the spotlight. With him on board, G.O.A.T Brand Labs’ expertise has more than doubled and we’re very excited that he’s decided to join us to build the future of our brands. And the future of D2C.”

Roy has over two decades of experience in brand consulting, strategic planning, marketing strategy, advertising and digital transformation. In the past, he has worked with brands like Coca-Cola, Dabur, Samsung, SBI Card, Godfrey Phillips India, National Geographic, Colorbar Cosmetics, BMW, Cars 24, Pernod Ricard India and Paper Boat, the last of which has raised a total of over $103 million in funding. He has also co-founded two successful startups in the branding and communications space. His last venture, Brand Planet (Elephant) was acquired by YAAP in 2016.

Over call, Roy tells us that he had been in touch with founder Rishi Vasudev since its founding in 2021 and they had been in touch since then.. "Prior to that, I was playing a more consulting/advisory role where I was talking about specific brands. Then I met the e-commerce team and the team here at G.O.A.T. and I realised that I wanted to play a bigger role than an advisory role," says Roy.

In the next month I began to have conversations with WPP about quitting his job. He adds that he wasn't on the job market at all, that the role in a way, fell into place.

Roy adds that he’s been an entrepreneur for over 17 years. His last venture was Elephant - based in Delhi that he had sold and exited the company. Its now become YAAP digital.

"This is my first job in 2022, which is a proper paid role and not an entrepreneurial venture. Ogilvy was a good place to work but the idea of creating something new - working with Indian founders and entrepreneurs has always been something I loved doing," he says.

"In my previous life I have worked very closely with entrepreneurs. That’s a far more exciting space for me than being a cog in the wheel which is a part of a larger ecosystem. When Neeraj started PaperBoat, he came to me with the aam panna and jaljeera drinks and I had the opportunity to sample them before anyone else did. I have no qualms with how things shaped up at Ogilvy, but I felt I was meant to do something different," says Roy.

He tells us that there are about 14 companies in G.O.A.T's portfolio right now. "We’re going to do a deep dive into these brands and identify potential superstars in the D2C space and start investing in those brands to build scale, customer loyalty, experiences, and so on."

He acknowledges that working on some of these brands will require more effort than others. To begin with, the company will start with 4-5 brands that already have their marketing infrastructure in place in order to figure out how to build on that and help them grow.

"When it comes to the entire D2C ecosystem in India, we have barely scratched the surface of what we’re capable of. Thanks to the pandemic, a few more customers have come on board and started buying stuff online but the industry will take time to develop. The ecosystem we’re focussing on is the fashion and lifestyle segment where the penetration is very low. It’s a deep growth area for us because its not in line with the rest of the world."

He adds that the jewellery brand Voylla and fashion brand Label Life - are brands he is looking forward to working on.

Neeraj Kakkar, CEO of Hector Beverages, has also worked with Shouvik on his brand, Paper Boat, in the past as well. He said, “Shouvik’s energy and passion are unparalleled. He’s one of the most exceptional marketers I have ever seen in my life. I’m impressed with his ability to integrate the brand’s vision into his life. He’s self-motivated, dedicated and has a burning desire to create a difference.”

Shouvik’s diverse expertise has also led him to work with Shantanu Upadhyay, Co-Founder and CEO of Kati Patang, who said, “He can very easily straddle between the business of design and the design of the business. He came in very early during the conceptualisation of Kati Patang and I deeply appreciate the clarity that he brought to the table in terms of the strategy, design and what the brand needs to stand for.”

Kunal Jeswani, CEO of Ogilvy India, who’s worked closely with Shouvik in the past said, “Shouvik Roy has been a fantastic partner and leader during his time at Ogilvy. His move to D2C branding with G.O.A.T Brand Labs will fire up every start-up that has the benefit of his insight, his counsel and his drive to create real impact."