Harsh Pamnani — CEO

I am a marketer with deep experience in crafting brand narratives that build trust and drive business growth. For nearly two decades, I’ve worked with unicorns like FirstCry and Icertis, consulting firms like Deloitte, Fortune 500 companies like Cognizant, financial institutions like the World Bank and HSBC, and entrepreneurship enablers like T-Hub and TiE. I’ve also consulted with several VC funds, fast-growing startups, and large corporations. I’ve authored four bestselling books on branding, including Booming Brands (Volumes 1 & 2) — recognized by India’s leading VCs, government and business leaders, and top academicians from Wharton, IIMs, and IMD Switzerland. I also wrote Booming Digital Stars, India’s first book on the creator economy, which was recognized by IIM Ahmedabad. My latest book, From Unknown to Unforgettable, has been called “a masterclass in startup branding” by Deep Kalra, Founder and Chairman of MakeMyTrip. My books have been published by CNBC, Westland, and Penguin. Additionally, I’ve authored 100+ articles in Forbes, The Economic Times, Financial Express, and other leading publications. A 7-time TEDx speaker, I’ve also spoken at IITs, IIMs, The Economic Times Brand Awards, and Josh Talks, and have taught branding and storytelling at institutions like IIM Indore and MICA Ahmedabad. I hold an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from IET-DAVV, Indore. I grew up in small towns in Madhya Pradesh in a middle-class home, as an underconfident student who struggled academically — I scored only 55% marks in Class XII. But I was fortunate to find mentors who guided my transformation. That’s why I feel strongly about helping anyone who feels lost — because I’ve been there too, multiple times.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Marketing and Brand Strategy expert with extensive experience in the Startup and Consulting industries.

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Experience: 15 yrs 3 mos

Skills

Marketing Strategy
Brand Management
Brand Consulting
Storytelling
Employer Branding
Content Creation
Content Management
Internal Communication
Brand Development
Event Management
Entrepreneurship Support
Data Analytics
Research
Data Warehousing

Career Highlights

Authored four bestselling books on branding.
7-time TEDx speaker with extensive teaching experience.
Led major branding initiatives for top firms.

Work Experience

T-Hub

Senior Director & Marketing Head (2 yrs 2 mos)

Icertis

Brand Consultant (2 yrs)

iPamnani

Founder (4 yrs 10 mos)

Cognizant

Marketing Head, Cognizant Digital Systems & Technology (2 yrs)

Content & Internal Communication Head, Cognizant Infrastructure Services (3 yrs)

Firstcry.com

Senior Manager - Marketing (1 yr)

TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs)

Senior Manager - Mentoring (2 yrs)

Deloitte Consulting

Consultant (3 yrs)

HSBC

Software Engineer (2 yrs)

Education

PGDM at XLRI Jamshedpur

B.E. at Institute of Engineering and Technology(IET), DAVV,Indore

Harsh Pamnani

CEO

Hyderabad, Telangana, India15 yrs 3 mos experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Authored four bestselling books on branding.
7-time TEDx speaker with extensive teaching experience.
Led major branding initiatives for top firms.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Marketing and Brand Strategy expert with extensive experience in the Startup and Consulting industries.

Contact

harshpamnani@rediffmail.com LinkedIn

Skills

Core Skills

Marketing StrategyBrand ManagementBrand ConsultingStorytellingEmployer BrandingContent CreationContent ManagementInternal CommunicationBrand DevelopmentEvent ManagementEntrepreneurship SupportData AnalyticsResearchData Warehousing

Other Skills

Business DevelopmentBusiness IntelligenceBusiness WritingCRMChange ManagementConnecting & Helping Entrepreneurs with Inspiring IdeasCustomer AcquisitionCustomer Relationship Management (CRM)Financial ServicesHelping Clients SucceedLeadershipManagement ConsultingMentoringNew Business DevelopmentOperations Management

About

Experience

T-hub

Senior Director & Marketing Head

Jan 2024 – Present · 2 yrs 2 mos · India

T-Hub, with a built-up area of 5,72,000 square feet, stands as the world's largest home for startups. Founded with the support of the Government of Telangana, prestigious institutions like ISB, and several renowned business and academic leaders, T-Hub has been appreciated by many prominent figures—including Ratan Tata and Satya Nadella.
Since its inception, T-Hub has nurtured and empowered over 2,000 startups through its mentoring, incubation, funding, and market access initiatives. It has collaborated with over 100 angel investors and VCs, playing a pivotal role in helping startups secure nearly $2 billion in funding. Some of the T-Hub startups have raised funding on Shark Tank, and several founders associated with T-Hub have been recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Furthermore, T-Hub has forged partnerships with over 600 global and national corporations, fostering collaborations between startups and established businesses. Notably, T-Hub was honored as India's best startup incubator in both 2022 and 2023 by the Government of India.
I lead efforts to manage, nurture, and protect the T-Hub brand, build the brands of incubators within T-Hub, and support startup founders in solving their marketing challenges.

Marketing StrategyBrand ManagementStartup MentoringPublic Speaking

Icertis

Brand Consultant

Jan 2021 – Jan 2023 · 2 yrs

Icertis is a SaaS unicorn and a leader in the contract management space. I worked on content and communication projects focused on growing the Icertis' employer brand internally and externally.

Content CreationEmployer BrandingMarketing Strategy

Ipamnani

Founder

Jun 2019 – Apr 2024 · 4 yrs 10 mos

Some of the world’s most iconic firms—Ogilvy, McKinsey, and Landor—were named after their founders. Inspired by them, I started iPamnani—a brand consulting firm focused on storytelling.
The ‘i’ stands for inspiration—because great brand stories don’t just inform, they inspire. And ‘Pamnani’ is my surname, representing a personal commitment to helping brands move from being unknown to unforgettable.
I worked with brands like The World Bank, Icertis, India Quotient, FieldAssist, StarApp Studio, Cipla, and several others on a variety of storytelling assignments.
Along the way, I taught branding and marketing at top institutions—XLRI, IIM Indore, MICA, FLAME, GIM, IBS, and on platforms like Kraftshala. I also delivered seven TEDx talks and authored bestselling books on branding.

Brand ConsultingStorytellingMarketing Strategy

Cognizant

2 roles

Marketing Head, Cognizant Digital Systems & Technology

Jan 2017 – Jan 2019 · 2 yrs

I was marketing lead for Cognizant Digital Systems & Technology (DS & T), one of the three lines of service at Cognizant. Led DS & T's branding initiatives with Harvard Business Review, Gartner & Forrester, and partners, including Microsoft.

Marketing StrategyBrand ManagementPartnership Development

Content & Internal Communication Head, Cognizant Infrastructure Services

Jan 2014 – Jan 2017 · 3 yrs

I led content and communication initiatives for Cognizant Infrastructure Services (CIS), one of the fastest-growing business units at Cognizant. Under the guidance of CIS's senior-most leadership, I started and scaled up multiple internal communication initiatives, out of which, 'Mindset to Win' became one of the most popular and 'first-of-its-kind' employer branding and change management initiatives at Cognizant.

Content ManagementInternal CommunicationChange Management

Firstcry.com

Senior Manager - Marketing

Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 · 1 yr · Pune Area, India

I was responsible for managing all aspects of FirstCry Box program (a brand building model with the lowest customer acquisition cost and highest conversion rate in Indian e-commerce industry).
To increase the brand's reach, revenue & new customer acquisition, I developed & managed alliances with banks, insurance companies, travel portals, catalog players, play schools & many other partners.

Marketing StrategyBrand DevelopmentCustomer Acquisition

Tie (the indus entrepreneurs)

Senior Manager - Mentoring

Jan 2010 – Jan 2012 · 2 yrs · Mumbai Metropolitan Region

Along with the team, I organized TiE Summits 2009 and 2011 - Asia's largest entrepreneurship summits then, and TiE Smashup 2012, India's largest startup event then.
I was responsible for all mentoring, education and funding programs of TiE Mumbai. To increase reach and impact of TiE Mumbai, I developed partnerships with various organizations and created the portfolio of regular and special initiatives with key focus on supporting entrepreneurs at various stages of business life cycle.
I actively supported TiE BizWorld (student entrepreneurship) and TiE Stree Shakti (women entrepreneurship) initiatives. Also, I planned and organized entrepreneurship programs in association with academic institutes, TV channels, and industry bodies such as IIT Bombay, IIM Indore, NITIE, TISS, ET NOW Super Angels, Computer Society of India and Sankalp forum.

Event ManagementEntrepreneurship SupportMentoring

Deloitte consulting

Consultant

Jan 2007 – Jan 2010 · 3 yrs · Cincinnati Metropolitan Area

I worked on Data Analytics engagements with two of the world's largest medical devices companies.
I also led a few research papers on financial services industry topics, out of which, 'Consulting Opportunities from Subprime Crisis' became the best paper in the internal call for papers initiative.

Data AnalyticsResearchFinancial Services