Malavika has 40 years of experience in communication and entrepreneurship.

Malavika founded Brand Circle in 2018, a Consultancy Firm working in the areas of Digital Communication, Storytelling, Mentoring Start-ups, Women Entrepreneurs and Corporate Leaders.

In her earlier avatar she founded and ran Saatchi & Saatchi Focus in India for 25 years. Brand Consultancy, Strategic Planning and Training are her focus areas and she has worked on a wide plethora of B2B, B2C and B2E brands.

Brands included Abbott, AIS, Alcatel Telecom, Astra Zeneca, BASF, Bosch, BPL, Coats, Ecomaster Corporation, Essar Steel, Deccan Herald, HMT Watches, Hewlett Packard, ICICI Bank, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Infosys, International Instruments, McDowells, Caterpillar, Consolidated Distilleries, Godrej Real Good Chicken, Hyundai Santro, JK Tyres, Mead Johnson, Medybiz, Microsoft, MTR Food, Nandi Housing, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pampers, Pfizer, Reliance Polymers, Tata Coffee, Tata Tea, TNT, Toyota Innova, 24/7, Wipro and Visa.

Malavika has been a full time and part-time entrepreneur as well when she built up the family business which was into packaging for heavy machinery, interior decoration and furniture making, after her father’s death in 1978.

After her accountancy training and MBA from IIM, Bangalore Malavika joined HMT Watches. She then ran her own interior design and packaging firm before joining Saatchi in 1993 after a stint at Mudra Communications. Malavika trained briefly at Saatchi & Saatchi in London, New Zealand and Singapore.

Malavika was one of the first Gurukul Chevening Scholars, selected by the British Government for a special program under Lord Meghnad Desai at the London School of Economics on Globalization. This scholarship was given to 12 young achievers who had attained a position of leadership in their respective fields, by the British Government. Malavika was the only person chosen from advertising and academics.

Malavika is the first woman to win the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIM Bangalore in 2013. And is also the first woman to deliver the Foundation Day Lecture at IIM Bangalore in 2018.

She is on the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Management, Vishakapatnam, on the Governing Council of Mount Carmel College and on the Advisory Board of the NSRCEL of IIM Bangalore. She was President of the IIMB Alumni Association and the Advertising Club Bangalore. She is currently Chairman of the Big Bang Awards Committee and Treasurer of the Advertising Club Bangalore.

Malavika was a classical Bharata Natyam dancer and has performed all over the country besides winning several awards. She also learnt Carnatic classical music She loves reading, writing, people watching, consumer research and counselling young people.