Organisations must acknowledge bias and actively address it to drive inclusivity: Anuja Trivedi, Shemaroo Entertainment

In 2014, as the Head of Star Plus, Anuja Trivedi faced a pivotal moment that would define her approach to business challenges. The channel’s GRPs had surpassed competitors like Zee and Colors. Yet a critical question remained: how could these numbers translate to meaningful business impact? Rather than resting on viewership success, Trivedi developed innovative monetisation strategies, bringing in new clients and creating sponsorship models. This ability to see beyond immediate victories to sustainable transformation would become a characteristic pattern in her career.

If you truly understand the consumer, you can drive meaningful impact, Trivedi reflects, looking back on her journey from McKinsey consultant to marketing leader. What guides her approach is what she calls her "A, B, C" values, which include authenticity, boldness, and curiosity. These principles inform not just her personal work but how she builds teams, wherein she seeks individuals who question established approaches and thrive in uncertainty. This mindset was tested during Star Plus's post-COVID recovery when Trivedi contributed to a turnaround from their lowest GRP of 73 to over 200 in just eight weeks.

Throughout her journey, however, Trivedi has observed how workplace environments significantly impact career development, particularly for women. Though she considers herself fortunate to work in media and entertainment, she acknowledges that bias exists and must be actively addressed, and organisations can play a big role in driving inclusivity. She notes, pointing to Shemaroo’s focus on increasing female representation from 23% to a target of 30%, beyond hiring metrics.

As CMO at Shemaroo Entertainment, she now navigates a marketing landscape that has changed. In this interaction, she explains that earlier, you would launch a campaign and wait a couple of months to see the brand's track scores. Today, within hours of going live, you get instant feedback. 

This shift from one-way communication to multi-channel interaction has created new challenges for marketers like herself in extracting meaningful insights from overwhelming data while maintaining consistent messaging across platforms. 

However, Trivedi remains focused on the fundamentals that have guided her career: understanding the consumer, the brand, and what problem needs to be solved. Trivedi also reflects on her cross-industry journey, from consulting to media, sharing key career milestones, inclusive leadership practices, evolving marketing strategies, and personal lessons on balance and resilience.

Edited Excerpts:

From consulting to media and entertainment, your career spans diverse industries. How have these transitions shaped your approach to marketing and strategy?

I started my career in consulting, and that experience taught me to quickly adapt to new industries, ask the right questions, and take a broad view before diving into problem-solving. At McKinsey, you didn’t have one fixed boss, you worked with different teams and clients all the time. That helped me get comfortable with ambiguity, with new people, new sectors, and constantly shifting challenges.

Sometimes the problems had been solved multiple times; other times, they were completely new, or perhaps solved differently in another market like the US. The key was always to identify the problem clearly and then either build a unique solution or learn from what had worked elsewhere.

It was almost like training to think like a CEO, navigating across functions, industries, and situations. Overall, it shaped me to thrive in uncertainty, which, honestly, is how life and business are today.

Looking back at your career journey, what has been a defining milestone or achievement that you are most proud of?

There are many milestones in my career, but a few truly stand out.

One of the earliest was during my time at McKinsey, around 2008. While we don't usually name clients, we worked with a luxury retailer in jewellery and watches. At the time, they were market leaders in watches but struggling with jewellery, despite being one of the few organised players. We helped them craft a strategy to tap into the wedding market, diving deep into consumer behaviour to understand why and when people buy jewellery. Watching their transformation and their stock performance since has been incredible. 

That experience taught me that if you truly understand the consumer, you can drive meaningful impact.

Another defining year was 2014 at Star Plus. It was a dream run. Our GRPs were higher than Zee and Colors combined. But the big challenge was monetisation, how to convert those eyeballs into business impact. That year, we brought in several firsts: new clients like Amazon, new monetisation models, and new sponsorship categories. Many of those ideas later became industry norms, which was incredibly rewarding.

On the content side, one moment I’ll never forget was how Star Plus bounced back post-COVID. We went from the lowest GRP of 73 to over 200 in just seven to eight weeks. 

At Shemaroo, the journey has been equally exciting but in a very different way. We’re a 60-year-old company, but on the D2C side, we operate like a startup. For the first time, I’ve had the privilege of leading a large, talented team, people who challenge and inspire me. The D2C agenda here reminds me of my McKinsey days, asking big questions, stepping back, and rethinking everything from first principles.

We’ve reimagined how we approach broadcasting, how we launch originals, and how we use social media, especially to engage with middle and rural India. Our goal is to go beyond just content and clearly communicate what ShemarooMe stands for.

I’m particularly proud of revamping our website. Another proud moment was our Women’s Day campaign, “Har Role is Her Role.” Shemaroo has always had strong women in leadership, but we hadn’t spoken about it publicly before. This time, we did a social experiment where we asked women artists to illustrate professions like police officers, chefs, and cricketers. Almost all drew men. It made us realise how deep-rooted gender bias still is, even in educational materials like school occupation charts.

We created a new occupation chart showing both male and female role models in every profession. We’ve taken this to multiple schools, created supporting videos, and are engaging with authorities to bring real change. It’s been a powerful journey from idea to action, and I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished in just a month and a half.

Women in leadership roles often face unique challenges in the advertising and media industry. Have you encountered biases in your career, and how do you think workplaces can foster more inclusivity?

We’re relatively fortunate to be in the media and entertainment industry, as there are many incredible women in leadership roles. If you look at the creative side, you have names like Ekta Kapoor, Gul Khan, and Shashi Mittal—women who are truly shaping the narrative. On the agency side, we’ve seen leaders like Hema and Anu Acharya take the helm. And even in media platforms like Amazon and Netflix, especially in storytelling roles, there are strong women setting the direction. Compared to many other industries, I think we have more visible female role models and peers to look up to and learn from. Sandhya at Meta is another great example.

Personally, I haven’t faced bias in my career and consider myself fortunate, but that doesn’t mean bias doesn’t exist. Life isn’t always that straightforward.

Organisations can play a big role in driving inclusivity. The first step is acknowledging that bias exists and actively working to address it. 

At Shemaroo, we’ve launched what we call a "Women's Book"—an internal initiative focused on increasing female representation. We’ve set targets to grow the percentage of women in the workforce. From 23%, we've moved to 26%, and we aim to hit 30% soon. It starts with simple, intentional steps, ensuring equal representation in resumes reviewed and interviews conducted.

Beyond hiring, it’s about creating an environment where women feel supported. For example, we have a mother's room for women returning from maternity leave and flexible work-from-home options for both men and women. This flexibility helps manage what’s often referred to as the “unpaid load,” which disproportionately falls on women. Statistics show that while men in India spend about 30 minutes a day on unpaid work, women average around five hours. So acknowledging that and building support systems is crucial.

We also have a very active "Sisters in Shemaroo" group, where women connect, share experiences, and interact with role models. It’s so active that even the men are a little envious. But honestly, all of this is only possible because it’s supported from the top.

One more important point—safety. In our industry, shoots often go late into the night. At Shemaroo, if there’s no company car, women aren’t allowed to go on late-night shoots. If they must, a male colleague ensures they get home safely. These may seem like small steps, but they’re critical to building a safe work culture, so both the women and their families can feel secure. Especially in media, where long hours are common, this kind of support is essential.

What key skills and qualities do you look for when building your marketing team?

The first quality I look for is curiosity. I want people who are buzzing with ideas—who never settle for “okay.” They should bring their 150% to work, always questioning, exploring, and thinking differently.

Most importantly, I value those who ask a lot of questions and are comfortable navigating the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) nature of our world. They shouldn’t be afraid to challenge the status quo or to sit with uncertainty. Experimentation should come naturally to them.

At the core, I look for authenticity, boldness, and curiosity—those are my A, B, and C.

The role of a CMO has evolved significantly over the years. What do you think has changed the most, and what skills are crucial for marketing leaders today?

The role of marketing has changed rapidly. Earlier, you’d launch a campaign and wait a couple of months to see the brand's track scores and assess its impact. Today, within hours of going live, you get instant feedback, comments on Instagram, early performance data, and signals from your media teams about what’s working and what’s not.

While this pace helps us learn faster, it also brings the challenge of navigating a flood of data. It’s not about how much data you have, but how well you can sift through it to extract meaningful insights and act on them.

The second big shift is the move from one-way communication to a two-way, omni-channel interaction. Consumers now engage with brands through multiple touchpoints—your website, social media, television, experiential platforms—each requiring tailored messaging that still feels cohesive and authentic.

Authenticity is critical today. Gen Z, in particular, seeks brands that feel real, relatable, environmentally conscious—not distant or placed on a pedestal. They care less about how big the brand is and more about how it aligns with their values.

The traditional marketing funnel has become fluid. There’s no linear path anymore. A consumer might see a product in-store but buy it online, or discover something on social media and make an impulse purchase. The funnel is constantly evolving; sometimes expanding, sometimes shrinking.

At the heart of it all, though, the core question remains: Who is my consumer, what is my brand, and what problem am I solving for them today? That part hasn’t changed—the complexity of solving it has.

In the midst of managing high-pressure roles, how do you prioritise self-care and maintain a work-life balance?

I’m fortunate to have a brilliant team. At Shemaroo, there's a clear understanding from the top down that we’re running a marathon, not a sprint. Yes, life can get hectic, but we prioritise balancing the personal and professional.

For me, a few things have helped. First, I genuinely empower my team. I’ve learned to trust them, to avoid becoming a bottleneck in their work or in the organisation’s progress. Empowering them also means standing by them when things don’t go as planned.

Second, I’ve made it a point to be open and vulnerable about where I come from and what I need, both personally and professionally. When you're honest about your situation, people—whether colleagues, bosses, or family—tend to become your biggest supporters. I’ve been lucky to have that support system at every stage of my career. My team, peers, superiors, spouse, child, and parents have all contributed to making both my personal and professional life work.

Of course, there’s no perfect balance every day. Some days, one side takes precedence over the other. But being honest—whether it’s telling my team I need to attend a parent-teacher meeting or telling my child I can’t be there because of work—has made a big difference. I believe people are more understanding when you let them in.

Especially when my daughter was younger, I had to draw boundaries. I realised that getting home at 8:30 PM meant I barely saw her before bedtime. So I told my bosses that I would leave early to spend time with her and resume work after she was asleep. 

There’s no perfect solution, I still struggle more days than I succeed, but what’s worked for me is seeking and accepting support, and being clear about my priorities.

And yes, having those “mommy groups” helps too. It really takes a village and a good group of friends to get through it all.

What’s a piece of career advice you wish you had received earlier in your journey? What is one challenge you hope future generations of women will no longer have to face?

Your career is a marathon, not a sprint. I was always in a hurry to reach the next milestone. Like many of us, I studied hard, joined a good organisation, and immediately wanted to be the top performer in year one. But that mindset can exhaust you and everyone around you.

I wish someone had told me earlier that it’s okay to experiment, to make mistakes, to have a bad quarter or even a bad year. I’ve learned more from the setbacks in my career than the successes. 

Especially as a woman, there are phases when your priorities shift, like wanting to be more present for your child when they're young and then being able to lean into work more when they're older. It’s important to pace yourself based on the phase of life you're in, just like runners pace themselves differently in a marathon.

Another thing I wish I had been told earlier is to prioritise health. I used to eat poorly, skip workouts, and not sleep enough. It catches up with you. One day, you wake up at 35 and think, "What did I do wrong over the last 15 years?" Starting healthy habits early makes a big difference. Thankfully, today’s generation is more mindful, but I can't stress enough how important it is to be physically and mentally fit, especially in these unpredictable times.

Who are your role models in the industry, and what qualities do you admire in them?

One person who’s had a lasting impact on me is Rebecca Campbell. I had the opportunity to interact with her a few times when I was part of Disney.

She’s had an incredible career, leading different parts of Disney, including the parks division, ABC, and later the content studio. What stuck with me most was something she once said: her leadership style is “grit with grace.” That line stayed with me. It’s such a powerful idea.

I believe, as women leaders, we don’t need to give up our grace or try to mimic a traditionally male leadership style to be effective. We bring something unique to the table—and we should lean into that. 

At the same time, we do need grit. And in my experience, women are incredibly gritty. I’ve seen it firsthand—my mother, for instance, is one of the strongest women I know. That combination of resilience and grace is something I deeply admire and strive to embody in my own leadership journey.