Business: Marico Innovation Foundation

Purpose of the Role:

To build and fortify the thought leadership positioning of Marico Innovation Foundation by harnessing collaborations and new initiatives.

Qualification & Experience:

- MBA in marketing or equivalent degree

- 4-6 years of experience

- Experience in collaborations, program management, media & communication, event management will be appreciated

Key Deliverables of the Role:

- Collaborations Lead: Create and manage collaborations with ecosystem players and other stakeholders of various MIF programs

- New Initiatives lead: Launch and drive new programs in Innovation

- Innovation for India Awards Lead: Drive existing key programs like Innovation for India Awards biennially

- Brand Custodian: through PR and social media campaigns encompassing new program launches, existing program amplification and thought leadership

Responsibilities:

- Collaborations: Continuously scope the innovation landscape to on-board relevant partners across government, accelerators, investors, educational institutes, entrepreneurship communities, international foundations, media among others

- New Initiatives: Launch, execute and monitor new programs to support and scale up Innovations in India

- Innovation for India Awards: Lead planning and execution of this flagship biennial program which includes but not limited to new large-scale partnerships, outreach, identification of winners, content curation, event management, vendor management and post event amplification

- Brand Custodian: Strategy and execution of thought leadership and Innovation inspiration through PR, social media campaigns, website and new digital assets, be it existing program or new programs and overall MIF profiling

Competencies - Must Have- :

- Strong execution capabilities

- Impeccable Communication skills

- Opportunity seeking and ability to connect the dots

- Strategic thinking

- Passion to work in the Indian start-ups space

Skills and Competencies:

- Understanding of evolving communication tools for social media, PR and third-party collaborations

- Ability to work with multiple teams within Marico and externally

- Ability to manage high stake individuals

- Collaborative mindset

- Analytical bent of mind

Reporting Relationships

- Reports to Head - Marico Innovation Foundation

Other Interfaces:

- External ecosystem (Cohort Entrepreneurs, Investors, VCs/ PEs, incubators and accelerators, other foundations and Government bodies focussed on entrepreneurship/ innovation)

- Senior Leaders (Chairman of Marico, Members of Governing Board)

- Start-up founders from existing cohorts

- Agency partners (social media, PR, events, others)

The future of the Incumbent (Value proposition to the candidate):

- Opportunity to initiate and usher a cohesive ecosystem to make Innovation mainstream in India

- Opportunity to create exciting properties and new brand initiatives to build strong sector presence

- Opportunity to work with external organizations including leading media platforms to promote unheralded Innovations in India

About Marico Innovation Foundation

Born out of the entrepreneurial zeal of Harsh Mariwala, Marico Innovation Foundation (MIF) is a not for profit arm of the parent company Marico Limited. Harsh Mariwala himself has seen the discontinuous impact of innovation on his own business and hence wanted to help India become an innovation-nation. It was founded in 2003 at a time when - innovation- was not the buzz word for corporates or the government. Innovation was often confused invention or - jugaad- . There was ample innovation happening in India but there was no entity supporting it to achieve scale.

Over the past 16 years, MIF has grown to be a torch bearer of innovation and works with a two-fold aim:

1. To inspire India to innovate

2. To create a deep-rooted impact on those who are innovating

INSPIRE through:

Innovation Awards: A flagship program for MIF where undiscovered, breakthrough innovations are handpicked through a robust process. Some of the select winners have been identified way before their time, these include Rivigo (logistics start-up), ISRO (recognized for their frugal innovation), Goonj (known for its quick response in disaster relief) to name a few.

Innovation Book: In 2020, MIF published a second book on - Innovation sutras- that brings out business insights of scaling up journey of 8 Innovation Award winners. The first one launched - Making Breakthrough Innovations Happen- is a best seller in its genre even today.

Digital Media: MIF has created a community of innovators through the weekly newsletter InnoWin that goes out to a curated list of entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, media and innovation ecosystem. Many of them have now turned into green balls, championing the cause of innovation

IMPACT through:

Scale-up Program: This is a 360-degree sector agnostic growth program where MIF works with select innovations to help their business achieve scale. We wish to help innovative enterprises become mainstream so that they can scale to add value to India's economy.

Innovate2BeatCOVID (launched in March 2020): In a dynamic format, MIF, A.T.E. Chandra Foundation and Mr. Harsh Mariwala in his personal capacity came together to offer a total grant value of INR 250 lakhs. MIF invited medtech entrepreneurs, corporates and innovators to devise cost-effective, creative and scalable solutions to combat short supply of ventilators, personal protective equipment and other respiratory solutions that can aid the medical fraternity. This grand challenge has now concluded with the selection of India's top 5 innovative, built-for-India solutions offering grants and hand-on support to scale.

Innovate2Cultivate (launched in August 2018): MIF launched its first sector specific program with a sharp focus on the agricultural sector. The Program aims to bring agri-innovations to scale and eventually double the coconut farmers- income through increase in production or productivity. The aim is to infuse and nurture innovations in agriculture and shift the needle in the sector by reducing inputs and/ or improving productivity or yield.

- Our vision encompasses the innovation ecosystem in India. Marico Innovation Foundation believes that Innovation can spur creation and sustenance of successful and enduring Indian brands. That will enable India to reposition itself as a global economic superpower.-

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