Meet the CEOs: MediaCom's Saurabh Chandrashekhar

MediaCom Malaysia's MD Saurabh Chandrashekhar (pictured) describes his first impression of advertising as if experiencing a trading floor at a stock exchange combined with the rush of a cricket match. Although he was initially shaken by the unfamiliar environment in the advertising industry, he immediately found the untethered style of working and expression to be energising.

Over the years, Chandrashekhar has risen up the ranks to lead various teams and found himself constantly adapting his leadership style for people. He believes that a one-size-fits-all framework may not always be the most effective leadership style. Dive deep into Chandrashekhar's inspirations, struggles and beginner's guide to advertising!

A+M: What was your first job?

Chandrashekhar: The first time I got paid for work was when I helped one of my mother’s friends who was a school teacher. I was asked to check and mark mathematics answer sheets of her students. I received a princely sum of SG$8 for a week’s work. Even though it was 23 years ago, I will never forget the exact amount I got paid for it and the sense of pride that came with it!

My first full-time work was for an insurance company selling insurance solutions in India. It was a filler for the few months one gets during undergraduate studies and was surely an early initiation into "pay-for-performance" compensation!

A+M: What was your first role in advertising?

Chandrashekhar: My first role in advertising was as a media planner with Maxus in India. This was a time when Maxus was coming up as a new agency, having taken a re-birth from its days as Maximise. We had won Nokia which was one of the strongest, most loved brands in India. I had joined fresh out of my post-graduate studies, and to join a fast-growing agency working in the hottest category was a privilege. To date, I regard that team as the best team I have seen in my working life.

A+M: What was your first impression of advertising?

Chandrashekhar: I have to admit, I was a little shaken at first as it was a different world of work that I had been exposed to growing up. The untethered style of working and expression very quickly became energising. Within my first week at work, I experienced the energy of a trading floor at a stock exchange combined with the rush of a cricket match. Each and every person at Maxus and GroupM was a genuinely caring person and was focused on delivering only the best. That’s a rare combination and still continues!

A+M: Who was the mentor who influenced you the most and how?

Chandrashekhar: Ajay Gupte, who joined Maxus as the leader of the Nokia business, was a big influence on not just me but each and every one of us in the team. There were many things that stood out when one was around him – his love for media, his absolute grasp of the fundamentals and the poise that he brought to the room were just what I (and many others in the team) needed in order to power through long days at work.

One particular incident has still stayed in my memory – as a fresh media planner, almost all my time was spent on competitive analysis and data crunching. As it had to happen, an error in my report happened and landed in the client’s inbox! As a first instinct, I called Ajay and told him what had happened. He calmly listened to me, (although he was on leave!) and told me to call the client and tell him I’d be correcting the report and resending it.

He assured me he will speak to the client if it escalates and in turn asked me to assure him that the same mistake won’t happen again! I did what he said, and to my delight, there was no escalation. It was an eye-opening moment for me.

A+M: What's the harshest criticism you've received and how did you cope with it?

Chandrashekhar: I’m fortunate to have gotten criticism and feedback which was always constructive, be it from my clients or my team. Around the two to three-year mark in my career in media, I was told by a client to "elevate my thinking" which was feedback so broad I couldn’t understand it. I was forthright in asking what it exactly meant until I understood it fully and in a way that I could go back and work on it.

On that occasion, it was about inducing creative thinking in media. I ensured I tackled it in the best way – whether it was sitting through every brainstorming session I could and signing up for trainings or just spending time with the most creative in the agency. What has always helped me is to understand the root of the feedback and address it in one’s own way.

A+M: Describe your own management style now as a leader

Chandrashekhar: I find myself constantly adapting my style for people. So it would be situational leadership that I find myself practising every day, listening and solving as we go along. Each situation demands listening intently, however, each situation may not fit into a framework and hence, bringing a personalised response to every hearing is something that I bring to practice in everyday management. It takes up time but it's been worth the investment.

A+M: What's one thing you wished employees understood about being a leader?

Chandrashekhar: I wish everyone understood the role they play in each decision. By expressing what they feel at the right time to their leaders, they are making a decision more objective, stronger and inclusive. The more they realise that, the better it is for them to understand that not everyone can be kept happy every time.

A+M: What do you do during your free time?

Chandrashekhar: I love being outdoors, and spending time running, playing football and working out. My kids are eight and three years old. I like to read and spend time every weekend reading along with my kids reading and re-learning art and craft.

A+M: Where do you find your inspiration?

Chandrashekhar: I stay inspired by the creativity of human beings and the spirit of enterprise in everyone around. The world is so big, and there’s so much to experience that the possibilities are the inspiration.

A+M: If not in advertising, where would you be?

Chandrashekhar: I would love to be the drummer of an indie music band. If not drumming, I would be producing the music.

A+M: What advice do you have for someone looking to start a career in the industry?

Chandrashekhar: Three things come to mind:

1. Choosing the right anchor: It is very important to deliberately choose positive influences and people who will not tell you what you want to hear.

2. Staying the course, keep breaking the mould: One must give themselves time to observe one’s own work and the work of other people. It's important to invest in building one’s skills, especially in the areas of creative thinking and business outcomes.

3. Look back, and share often: Change happens fast in this industry so it’s important to keep looking back at one’s journey with pride. And be shameless with sharing – whether it's an ad you found funny or an idea you feel could help someone else’s campaign or just your latest strategic plan appreciated by the client.

A+M: What issue would you like to see the industry change in 2022?

Chandrashekhar: We have become a victim of our own actions, in that we have devalued our worth and our work.

I hope we all realise the force that we are for not just our clients’ businesses but the wider role we and our clients play in society.

The power of communications goes broad and I hope this realisation comes quick and comes through in our proposition to our clients.