2023: My best year yet! ??

2023 was a wild ride filled with new channels, cutting-edge tech, and personal growth that would knock your socks off. I couldn't have done it without my fantastic team of 7 superstar content marketers, digital marketers, and web developers (that’s you guys Mohamed Sharukkan , Neethu Shibu , Sathish Rangarajan , Suchitra Ramesh , Fazil A. , Jagan arasu and Kangkhita Pujari ), and a special shoutout to my manager, Ashwini Asokan for being the guiding light in this crazy year. Together, we took 2023 to new heights and made it a year to remember.

Here are my biggest highlights from 2023

REBUILD’23 Jamaica: The Caribbean Carnival ??

What an adventure! Bringing together 60 enterprise leaders, crossing oceans, and spinning logistics for a crew of 75 - because who doesn't thrive on a challenge, am I right? ??

Massive shoutout to the phenomenal Krithika Anand , who made "organized chaos" an art form. ?? Huge thanks to all the CxOs and VPs who shared their wisdom. You guys made problem-solving look like a walk in the park! ??♂???

And can we talk about the magic that happened when leaders from diverse industries worldwide collided? Strangers turned comrades, chit-chatting, swapping stories, cracking jokes – they even took the party to ice cream joints and watering holes! ????

Rebranding: Uncomplicating Enterprise AI ??

This was one of my most challenging, yet rewarding projects I have ever worked on. 2 sub-brands of Mad Street Den were merged into Vue.ai which moved on from being “Leaders in Retail AI” to “The only AI stack you need” for enterprises across industries. We reimagined our mission, vision, and value statements and gave our brand a complete makeover, including a shiny new logo. Working on this project with Shradha R , with Ashwini Asokan and Ashwin Ramasamy supporting us, was an absolute thrill.

The AI Transformation Podcast ??

I had the pleasure of co-hosting 6 episodes of The AI Transformation podcast, an exclusive leadership podcast featuring enterprise CxOs along with Ashwini. Murali Sundararajan (CIO, Victoria's Secret), Pankaj Rai (He/Him/His) (CIO, Aditya Birla), Kirk Ball (ex-CIO, Giant Eagle), and Andy Walter (ex-SVP, IT, P&G) shared their incredible journeys, strategies, successes, and failures. They even gave top-notch advice to aspiring CXOs. Trust me, these episodes were pure gold.?

REBUILD Virtual Roundtables ??

Organizing these roundtable discussions with Andy Walter and featuring enterprise leaders was eye-opening. I learned so much about innovation, tech, and the challenges that keep leaders up at night. It was a fantastic opportunity to broaden my horizons and gain valuable insights into how enterprise leaders think and operate.

The Offsite: Welcome to the jungle??

January 2023 treated me to Mad Street Den's annual offsite at the idyllic Anaikatti village near Coimbatore. Imagine a train ride with 250 people, filled with cards, music, and endless fun. We kicked off with some 'serious' stuff: workshops, presentations, the whole shebang about where the company's headed (spoiler: it's awesome) and hands-on demos that made us feel like tech wizards. And then came my favorite part, a quintessential MSD party! The evening shenanigans included dancing, laughter, and enough stories to last a lifetime.

Who says work can't be a blast? ???

5 years at MSD ??

I hit my five-year milestone at Mad Street Den in September, and boy, what a ride it's been! ??

Back in September 2018, I walked through the doors as a wide-eyed digital marketer, armed with nothing but a passion for pixels and a curious mind. I've formed unbreakable bonds with my incredible managers, my teammates, and the fabulous folks all across the company. And let's not forget the countless laughs and memories we've made over lunch, coffee breaks, parties, and even during intense table tennis, foosball, badminton, and football matches. Heck, sometimes we even built bonds while pretending to work (shh, don't tell anyone)!

This journey wouldn't have been half as fun without the incredible marketing team at MSD! Thank you Padma Srinivasan , Shradha R , Sharon Amrolia , Rashmica Rajendhran , Krithika Anand , Shruti Verma , Santhoshi Natarajan , Jeevithan R , Anusha Manivannan , Priya Ravichandran , Dharshana Vannia Rajan , Balaji Gurumurthi , Jaeyanth JKV , Nihar Mehta , Keerthivasan M , Mathiazhagan R , Mamta Nahar , Sakshi Singh , Dharshini Balamurugan , Padmashri Ramanujam , Priya Kanakadhara N. , Anisha Rajasekar , Simran katariya , Guru N. , Abhirami Rao , and Mohan Sekar !

Thank you, MSD, for five extraordinary years of growth, learning, and unforgettable moments. Here's to many more years of AI-powered adventures, incredible friendships, and endless innovation! ????

Conclusion

So there you have it, folks. The year 2023 was a rollercoaster of excitement, challenges, and incredible moments. I'm proud to have been part of it all, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Cheers to more epic adventures and laughter-filled memories! ????