Axis My India ropes in Vikram Sakhuja and Shashi Sinha as members of its Advisory Board

Vikram Sakhuja has been nominated as Chairman of the board.

Axis My India, the country’s leading consumer data intelligence-company, announced the constitution of a pioneering advisory board, with advertising industry experts Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Mediabrands and Vikram Sakhuja, group CEO of Madison Media joining the board. Sakhuja would be chairman of the board.

The company has embarked on an audacious mission of solving the problems of 25 crore Indian households and transforming a billion lives, and the advisory board will serve as the guiding ship to enable the success of these endeavors.

With diversified offerings including but not restricted to new-age advertising solutions, psephology and market research, Axis My India has a physical presence in ~700 out of India’s 740 odd districts and can mobilize engagement with over 80 million Indian households immediately. While this scale presents a plethora of opportunities, it also allows a ring-side view into the country’s socio-political developments and their effect on businesses in real time.

The board’s primary responsibility would be to keep track of the big picture of the organization, anticipate challenges in the ambitious path and suggest mitigation tools to avoid the same. Board members would also be expected to bring in diversity of thought and action, and help broaden the company’s horizons to engage with constituencies and stakeholders out of its conventional realm.

A key focus of the company’s long term vision is to contribute to the development of infrastructure that caters to India’s first gen digital-natives as well as deconstruct the motivations and perceptions that define the workings of the most populous and complex democracy in the world.

Taking over as chairman of the Advisory Board, Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, Madison Media, remarked, “Axis My India has over the years established itself to be the most accurate psephologist in India. Underlying that is one of the most innovative organisations I have encountered, in terms of their leadership, team and processes. As they now roll out more exciting products, they have the potential to provide not only authoritative insights about both Bharat and India, but also create a platform for meaningful dialogue with consumers that can be invaluable for marketers and policy makers. It is my privilege to be able to participate in this journey as an outside-in advisor.”

Giving insight into why the board was formed, Shashi Sinha, CEO, IPG Mediabrands, remarked, “There is tremendous innovation and bustling activity coming out of India’s non-metros. India’s small towns and villages will power its rise to an economic powerhouse in the 21st century. It is my privilege to be able to engage with Axis My India on its larger vision to empower these communities and to be a part of this exercise underpinned in nation building.”

Commenting on the initiation of the board, Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Axis My India said, “Our company is certainly at an inflection point, as we look to take to fruition some marquee ideas - India’s first offline-online people empowerment platform focused on listening and facilitating resolution of various issues of an everyday Indian, the country’s largest syndicated brand study, Consumer Trust Index, as well as aggressively expanding by engaging with all echelons of industry with our superior data and research offerings. Shashi and Vikram along with other advisory board members, with their deep understanding of India’s business landscape will be invaluable as guides and mentors as we navigate challenges in our trajectory towards rapid growth and disruption.”

Axis My India, recently launched Consumer Trust Index (CTI) which is India’s largest syndicated consumption study measuring current product consumption & future purchase intent across 40 categories with yearly 1Mn+ sample spread across 737 districts. The All-Media Measurement module (AMMS) of CTI will capture media consumption habits across touch points - TV, Print, OTT, Digital, social media, daily used apps, Radio, Cinema, OOH. As part of CTI, brands will also be able to do media & product consumption linkage analysis. EY are the process advisors for this study.