Kulfi Collective is a modern media network that builds brands and studios that function at the intersection of content, commerce and culture. We bring together creators and technology to create innovative content at scale around the passions of young people in India and across the world.
Kulfi operates through three verticals – Supari Studios (branded content), Post Office (motion design & new mediatech) and Keeda Media (original content). As a combined entity, we are reimagining the future of storytelling for an open, decentralized web 3.0, especially in the spheres of gender & identity, music & culture, gaming & sports as well as finance & entrepreneurship. Kulfi is on a mission to make the world (wide web) a better place, one incredible story at a time.
In this segment, Shirley D’Costa – Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Kulfi Collective, Farah Kapadia – Head of People & Culture at Kulfi Collective, Anvita Arora – AVP – Brand Partnerships at Supari Studios, Aunnesha Sen – Executive Producer – Post Office, Nidhi Mathur – Senior Manager – Business Development & Strategy at Vitamin Stree&Maanvi – Editorial Lead at Vitamin Stree share their experiences and breaking the gender stereotypes and how she continues to inspire many other women who are true leaders in the making
Shirley D’Costa – Chief Business Officer (CBO) at Kulfi Collective
Journey
My career has been driven by my sense of curiosity, understanding what makes people tick and wanting to learn and do new things. Along the way I’ve managed to do some work I’m incredibly proud of. I began as a strategy planner in advertising, but moved against current popular advice and shifted to digital. I led business at a digital startup that was acquired and became one of the top ranked digital agencies. Currently I head growth and strategy at Kulfi Collective and it’s three verticals: Supari Studios, Post Office Studios and Vitamin Stree. Every job I’ve had has allowed me to push for innovation, while teaching me something new every day.
Inspiration and Inspiring the Team
When I began, it was primarily men in leadership positions, and changing that narrative for those who come after me has been a key driver for me wanting to make something of myself. Luckily in the past 18 years, I’ve come across mentors and peers who I deeply admire and have learnt much from.
One of the first women from the industry I had the privilege of learning under was PreetiMascarenhas. With her drive and spunk she’s a force to reckon with, and continues to be an inspiration two decades later. SonalJhuj, my classmate and friend, has been both a personal and professional inspiration. She is phenomenally compassionate, empathetic, driven, creative and a great example of leading with humility .Another person I really admire is Shikha Gupta, for her honesty, her fearlessness, for being decisive, and for the focus and clarity she brings to any conversation.
When it comes to the team, I strongly believe that you only grow by growing those you work with. So I focus on investing time, enabling them and doing what it takes to help them reach their personal goals and build their careers.
Empowerment of Women
In an industry like ours, impostor syndrome is rampant amongst women and non-binary genders, and we’re going to need all the support we can get to get that seat at the table. So I think it is critical that we celebrate each other not just during special days but round the year.
Farah Kapadia – Head of People & Culture, at Kulfi Collective
Journey
Post my graduation, I was quite confused and did not have an idea of what I wanted to do with my life. But guess what, 15 years later, here I am today, Heading the People & Culture team at Kulfi Collective. It’s been a crazy journey for sure!
I definitely have learnt a few important things on the way:
- Work hard, stay positive! Be honest in your work and you will get recognized.
- There will always be conflicts, but all you have to do is stay true to yourself in the process.
- Follow your instinct, you will never go wrong.
- Be patient. You will face a lot of challenges on your journey, meet very different people but do not give up on your dream.
Inspiration & Inspiring the Team
I realised this very late about who my inspiration is. But it’s always been my Mum. The 3 most important things I have learnt from her – Honesty, Helping Others and Celebrating Life. These learnings have played a big role in my career and have made me what I am today. These are also the things I always keep in mind when I am trying to inspire my team.
Empowerment of Women
In my opinion, women empowerment is all about treating women just like any other gender, accepting their viewpoints / their choices in their personal and professional lives, and providing them with equal opportunities and resources.
AnvitaArora, AVP – Brand Partnerships at Supari Studios
Journey
From the outside I’m sure it looks haphazard but I’ve been fortunate to have been in the right companies at the right time which has allowed for a significant amount of learning and growing – personally and professionally.
I’ve always followed my gut and instinct and to date it’s not let me down (fingers crossed, of course). Apart from doing incredible work at each of the companies, I’ve been able to walk away with a strong support system. I’m still friends with people from my first ever job!
Inspiration & Inspiring the team
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with many inspiring women leaders, who over time have been great mentors and strong support systems, be it Ogilvy, DDB Mudra, 22Feet or Kulfi Collective.
The first being boss-lady Vanaja Pillai who changed the trajectory of my career, for the better. The second being the women at Kulfi who I learn from on a daily on how to claim your agency in any and every room. Another inspiration is Cindy Gallop who’s mission to disrupt old world thinking when it comes to advertising and marketing is one I fully subscribe to. Last but not least, my parental unit who are the greatest support system when in need of a confidence boost while firmly keeping you rooted in reality.
I’m always thinking people first.
I’ve taken a little bit of everything I’ve learned from my previous experiences to ensure that my teams always feel like they have the autonomy they deserve and the support they need.
Empowerment of Women
Women lift economies. Keeping them sidelined or silenced is a disservice to the country. But, we’ve got a long way to go before we see equality, most of us will almost certainly not see it in our lifetime but it’s our job to pave the way for the future generations as best we can.
Aunnesha Sen – Executive Producer, Post Office
Journey
I’ve been on this journey for 8 years so far and it’s been one of growth with learning. I’ve fallen, gotten bruised, cried, but have always gotten back up to strive ahead. As an intern in a production house, I was in awe of people who seemed to have everything within control, multitasking and juggling between projects with ease. Today I know where their confidence came from. From knowledge, understanding and experience. And mine has been rich even in a short span. Sometimes the learning has come from saying the wrong thing at the right place, so that I knew better the next time. I’ve earned both my stripes and my scars, and I’m damn well proud of it.
Inspiration & Inspiring the Team
I am inspired by the expansive minds of those around me. I am a seeker of experiences. And so I find my inspiration from my parents, my partner, my friends and family, sometimes even from a good film or a book. The source is infinite. Surrounding oneself with open and warm human beings can make a vast difference. And I try to be just that for my colleagues and juniors. I seek to create a space for them where they can speak their mind, challenge themselves, each other and me, yet stay grounded and close to reality. It’s not easy with our industry wide long hours and the stress that comes with creativity, but it’s not impossible and that keeps me going at it everyday.
Empowerment of Women
For every woman to hold their own, they have to be valued, respected and seen every day of the year. Not just cis women, but also non-binaries, transgender persons, disabled persons, minorities and marginalised persons, of every kind. We cannot be kept invisible throughout to be highlighted only on one day. It’s a daily struggle and we need men to show up everyday to this struggle just as we show up. Equality doesn’t mean that men end up on the losing side and women win, it’s not a fight against one another. The scales have to balance and the men have to stop feeling threatened over it. From having their agency, to access to education, to equal rights to equal pay, empowering women means giving them what is rightfully theirs.
Nidhi Mathur – Senior Manager – Business Development & Strategy at Vitamin Stree
Journey
I’ve primarily worked in the startup ecosystem and I love the fast-paced environments, the daily creative and out-of-the-box thinking and the feeling of success that comes with executing something that was born from just a single idea. Regardless of industry, I think a lot of work in startups comes down to problem-solving and doing what needs to be done in order to propel growth. At Vitamin Stree, it’s been an immensely satisfying journey of not just finding partners to help us grow, but also finding the right ones that are aligned to our value system.
Inspiration & Inspiring the Team
In recent times, the interns at Vitamin Stree have been hugely inspiring. They’ve attended college, completed multiple internships and networked during a pandemic well before they’ve even turned 20. Beyond their hustle, it blows my mind how nuanced and well-thought out their feminism is, how they value mental health and how empathetic they are.
In the teams that I’m a part of, I like to make sure that there is transparency in the overall mission and we’re all aligned on the goals that we’re working towards. I like creating spaces that are collaborative and allow for different perspectives to be shared openly.
Empowerment of Women
Empowering women and no binary folks happens more in action than in words or campaigns. Identifying the ways that systems disempower or unconsciously bar them from success and making an effort to change these things is important. It could be making sure that there’s a balance of genders in leadership positions, making sure that there is no pay gap between genders, ensuring that POSH policies protect them, or even making sure that menstruators have access to products in their bathroom. There’s no one-size-fits-all to empowering people but more than anything, I think having a proactive mindset about empowering women and no binaryfolks are necessary.
Maanvi, Editorial Lead at Vitamin Stree
Journey
My journey with Vitamin Stree has been one which has been challenging and exciting at the same time. I have had the opportunity to learn, and unlearn many things; while at the same time working on interesting ways of storytelling for the Vitamin Stree audience. I think it’s important for one to always keep learning in a professional setting, and ensure that one is always curious about things. Along with that, my big learning from my journey with Vitamin Stree has been to focus on micro-impact ie. the small feedback we get from the audience on how our content is impacting and reshaping their everyday lives.
Inspiration & Inspiring the Team
I have been inspired by thoughtful and empathetic leaders that I have seen in the workplace. And I hope to take that — more than anything else — as a goal to inspire the team. To do good work, but at the same time, to not lose focus on the importance of collaboration and working together.
Empowerment of Women
I feel that it is essential to empower women, in all walks of life. However, how empowerment is happening needs to come from women and their demands. We can’t look at empowerment of women without looking at systemic changes that need to occur to ensure all women — irrespective of caste, gender, or religion — feel empowered in their own right.
