Mumbai, India · Since 2009

Brand Builder.
Marketing Leader.
Creative Thinker.

Head of Group Media & Innovations, SVP at Motilal Oswal. 15+ years rewriting how brands speak, look, and live in people's minds — from a Rs. 11 website to CNBC studio takeovers.

15+ Years
35+ Awards
₹11 Origin story
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Motilal Oswal· Netflix India· Hindustan Unilever· Visa· Axe· Closeup· BGMI· Surf Excel· Bumble· UpGrad· CEAT Tyres· Godrej· OnePlus· Franklin Templeton· Motilal Oswal· Netflix India· Hindustan Unilever· Visa· Axe· Closeup· BGMI· Surf Excel· Bumble· UpGrad· CEAT Tyres· Godrej· OnePlus· Franklin Templeton·
The story

From Rs. 11 to building icons

"Main udna chahta hoon, daudna chahta hoon, girna bhi chahta hoon... bas rukna nahi chahta."

Born into a family of builders — a real estate entrepreneur father and a High Court criminal lawyer mother — Varun was never built for classrooms. He was built for doing.

At 17, he launched Varun's Blue Pencil Studio offering brand and website design at Rs. 11 — the cost of a Mumbai rickshaw ride — to prove a point: good design should be accessible. The Times of India, CNBC Young Turks, and Bombay Times took notice.

After studying at Coventry University London and earning an MA in Marketing Communications from University of Westminster, he returned to India and spent 11 years across Dentsu Webchutney, Isobar, Jack in the Box, The Glitch — leading campaigns for Netflix, Visa, Surf Excel, Axe, and more.

Today, as SVP & Head of Group Media & Innovations at Motilal Oswal Financial Services, he has rebranded a 40-year legacy, created India's first viral investor collaboration, taken over a CNBC studio, and branded an entire Mumbai metro station.

Watch his TEDx Talk →

2025 — Present
Head - Group Media & Innovations, SVP
Motilal Oswal Financial Services
2024 — 2025
Head of Marketing, SVP
Motilal Oswal — Wealth Management
2022 — 2024
VP Marketing
Motilal Oswal — Broking & Distribution
2021 — 2022
Director - Business & Client Relations
The Glitch (WPP)
2020 — 2021
Head - Partnerships
White Rivers Media
2018 — 2020
Group Head, Client Servicing
Isobar (Dentsu)
2016 — 2018
Associate Business Director
Jack in the Box Worldwide
2014 — 2016
Account Manager
Dentsu Webchutney
2009 — 2014
Founder
Varun's Blue Pencil Studio
Portfolio

Selected Work

Driving brand communications for India's most loved household names — Hindustan Unilever, Brooke Bond, Closeup, and more.

Surf Excel — HUL
Surf Excel · HUL
Daag Achhe Hain — Brand Film
Surf Excel · HUL
Surf Excel Digital
Surf Excel · HUL
Surf Excel — Haar Ko Harao
Red Label Tea & Closeup
Red Label Tea
Surprise Visit Campaign
Red Label Tea
Ganpati Campaign
Closeup
Closeup — Brand Film

Campaigns crafted across India's top agencies — Dentsu Webchutney, Isobar, The Glitch, Jack in the Box — for brands spanning gaming, education, fintech, and consumer tech.

UpGrad
UpGrad
UpGrad Campaign — Film 1
UpGrad
UpGrad Campaign — Film 2
UpGrad
UpGrad Campaign — Film 3
BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India)
BGMI
BGMI Campaign — Film 1
BGMI
BGMI Campaign — Film 2
BGMI
BGMI Campaign — Film 3
Visa
Visa
Visa — Brand Campaign
Visa × PVR
Visa + PVR Collaboration

Breakthrough digital campaigns for Netflix India — blending on-ground activations with immersive digital storytelling to launch some of the platform's biggest shows.

Netflix · On-ground Activation
Money Heist Mumbai — On-Ground Experience
Netflix · Never Have I Ever S2
Never Have I Ever — Campaign Film 1
Netflix · Never Have I Ever S2
Never Have I Ever — Campaign Film 2
Netflix · Never Have I Ever S2
Never Have I Ever — Campaign Film 3
Netflix · Never Have I Ever S2
Never Have I Ever — Campaign Film 4
Netflix · Ray
Ray Campaign — Film 1
Netflix · Ray
Ray Campaign — Film 2
Netflix · Ray
Ray Campaign — Film 3

Social-first campaigns designed for engagement, shareability, and cultural resonance — from viral investor content to FMCG social plays.

Motilal Oswal — Social Series
Viral · Investor Series
Investor Hit Mein Jaari — Vijay Kedia
Social Series
Taunts with Love
Emotional Series
Papa Dil Se
Surf Excel Social
Surf Excel
Surf Excel Digital Campaign
Surf Excel
Surf Excel — Daag Achhe Hain

Narrative-first brand storytelling across financial services, consumer goods, and technology — campaigns that moved culture, not just metrics.

Motilal Oswal
India's Bullish Run In Stock Markets
Visa
Visa — Brand Film
Visa × PVR
Visa + PVR Campaign
Godrej — Script
Script Brand Film
Closeup
Closeup — Brand Film
Red Label Tea
Red Label — Surprise Visit
Red Label Tea
Red Label — Ganpati
Surf Excel
Surf Excel — Brand Film

Over 3+ years at Motilal Oswal, built an in-house marketing powerhouse — rebranding a 40-year-old legacy, driving India-first media innovations, and creating campaigns that bridged finance with culture.

🏢 CNBC-TV18 Studio Takeover — India First
🚇 Malad Metro Station Branding
🎙 Vijay Kedia Viral Collaboration
🏆 35+ Awards in 4 Years
Brand Films
India's Bullish Run
Brand Film
India's Bullish Run — Then, Today and Tomorrow
Stock Markets
Brand Film
Stock Markets Can Thrill, Stock Markets Can Kill
Let your money work
Brand Film
Let Your Work Money Do The Work
Experience Builds Expertise
Brand Film Series
Experience Builds Expertise — Vol. 1
Experience Vol 2
Brand Film Series
Experience Builds Expertise — Vol. 2
Experience Vol 3
Brand Film Series
Experience Builds Expertise — Vol. 3
Experience Vol 4
Brand Film Series
Experience Builds Expertise — Vol. 4
Experience Vol 5
Brand Film Series
Experience Builds Expertise — Vol. 5
Experience Vol 6
Brand Film Series
Experience Builds Expertise — Vol. 6
Options Store
Options Store
Product Film
Options Store Campaign
Performance Ads
Performance Ad 1
Performance
Performance Ad — Vol. 1
Performance Ad 2
Performance
Performance Ad — Vol. 2
Social Media Series & Playlists
🎙

Corporate Mushaira

A unique cultural content format blending Urdu poetry with corporate insights — an India-first branded series.

View Playlist →
📢

Investor Hit Mein Jaari

The viral investor collaboration series featuring Vijay Kedia — India's first influencer-meets-financial-education content play.

Investor Hit Mein Jaari
Viral Series
Investor Hit Mein Jaari — Vijay Kedia
Full Playlist →
💙

Papa Dil Se

Emotional storytelling series around fathers and financial planning — connecting human values with wealth management.

Papa Dil Se
Emotional Series
Papa Dil Se
😄

Taunts with Love

Relatable social content format using humour and taunts to make investing conversations accessible to everyday audiences.

Taunts with Love
Social Series
Taunts with Love
📊

Financial Budget Series 2023

Real-time topical content series around Union Budget announcements — making complex financial news digestible.

View Playlist →
Topical Films — Cricket
Cricket Topical 1
Topical
Cricket Film — Vol. 1
Cricket Topical 2
Topical
Cricket Film — Vol. 2
Cricket Topical 3
Topical
Cricket Film — Vol. 3
Cricket Topical 4
Topical
Cricket Film — Vol. 4
Cricket Topical 5
Topical
Cricket Film — Vol. 5
Recognition

Awards & Accolades

🏆
2025
Brand Builder of the Year
The Great Indian BFSI Awards 2025
🥇
2024
Rising Star of the Marketing World — Gold
Economic Times · Shark Awards
🌏
2019
South Asia Young Achiever of the Year
Campaign Asia
2019
Rising Star of the Year
Media Ace Awards — Exchange4Media
🎖
2019
Best Client Servicing of the Year
Helios Awards, Turkey
🌟
2018
Top 10 Young Maheshwari Professional
Maheshwari Professional Forum
🎓
2013
Outstanding Contribution by a Student
MKS College (Ritambhara College)
🏅
Career Total
35+
Industry awards across 4+ years at Motilal Oswal alone
Press & Media

Features & Coverage

TEDx Talk
TEDx Talk
"I Didn't Fail Exams. Exams Failed Me."

A candid, searingly honest talk about reimagining education, finding your path outside the system, and why failure is the best teacher. Watch Varun's TEDx talk that inspired thousands.

Watch on TED.com →
Campaign Coverage
Role Moves & Recognition
Let's connect

Say Hello.

Whether it's a collaboration, a conversation about brand strategy, or just an exchange of ideas — Varun is always up for a good chat.