About — Ninth Atlas India Intelligence

I have spent my career on one problem: turning scattered market signals into a call someone can act on. First inside the world’s leading research houses, then on the operator side — shaping portfolio strategy, GTM, and new-venture bets — and now, packaging that judgment as intelligence for the capital trying to enter India.

What I bring to the read

The research spine

A decade across Nielsen, Kantar and GfK — building shopper, innovation and syndicated practices from scratch. I know what the data can and can’t tell you, because I built the instruments that produce it.

The operator’s eye

Insight and strategy leadership at Sanofi, Go Air and a multi-vertical venture — portfolio strategy on an ₹1,100 Cr business, GTM for new categories, P&L-aligned decisions. I’ve had to live with the calls, not just make them.

The India lens

Every role has been about adapting global strategy to Indian reality — cultural cycles, regulation, channel truth. That translation, from outside assumption to ground truth, is exactly what these briefs sell.

Career in brief

2024 — present

Head of Research, Business Planning & Strategy

First Living Space, Mumbai

GTM strategy for two high-growth verticals; built a 40+ sprint customer-understanding engine; created an industry-first customer Happiness Index; led funding-round discussions with sovereign wealth funds and PE firms.

2021 — 2024

India Lead, Consumer Insights & New Product Planning

Sanofi India

Insight-led portfolio strategy for a ₹1,100 Cr diabetes business; built a forecasting model adopted globally as best practice; shaped brand positioning and innovation roadmaps to Indian cultural and regulatory realities.

2019 — 2021

Deputy General Manager, Consumer Insights & Analytics

Go Airlines

Established the insights function from scratch; shifted the airline from instinct-led to data-driven decisions; delivered 8% digital-spend savings; partnered on the digital-transformation roadmap.

2010 — 2019

Insight & account leadership

GfK Nielsen · Kantar TNS · Nielsen

A decade in the world’s leading research houses — co-founded and scaled a Shopper Research vertical to ₹15 Cr, grew innovation and non-FMCG practices, and ran marquee accounts across categories and regions.

Track record

₹1,100 Crbusiness portfolio strategy led (Sanofi diabetes)

₹15 Crresearch vertical built from scratch (Nielsen)

40+rapid research sprints in a single engine

Globalforecasting model adopted as best practice

Education & certifications: MBA, Marketing (ICFAI) · Digital Strategy Specialization (IBM & Darden) · Pricing Strategy Optimization (University of Virginia & BCG) · Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce.

Healthcare / PharmaAviationFMCG & RetailLiquor Co-Living & Real Estate TechAI SaaSBroadcast MediaLifestyle

Himanshu Mishra