Celebrating Susmitaa Nag: Where brand building meets business leadership

In an industry where marketing is often associated with campaigns, communication and consumer attention, Susmitaa Nag has built a career around a broader view of the discipline, one that connects brand building with business growth, consumer understanding and long-term value creation.

Today, as she celebrates her birthday, we look at the journey of a marketing leader whose career spans nearly three decades across product development, category management, brand building and P&L-led business leadership, and who is now taking that experience into the boardroom and advisory space.

Susmitaa currently serves as an Independent Director at the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) and describes herself as an IICA-certified Independent Director, Fractional CMO and Brand Architect. Her profile notes 27 years of corporate leadership and 22 years of P&L accountability across organisations including Samsung India, Jubilant FoodWorks and Akzo Nobel India.

Her current work brings together several strands of her career, from strategic growth and brand building to financial oversight, governance, risk and compliance, and consumer intelligence. Through ThnqInkByld, she also advises businesses on scaling sustainably within robust compliance frameworks.

The Fenesta Growth Story

One of the most significant chapters of Nag's career has been her more than 11-year association with Fenesta, where she served as Chief Marketing Officer until 2025.

Under her leadership, Nag credits the business with 6X growth, while expanding its presence to 927 cities and international markets. She also led the brand's evolution from a windows and doors player into a more aspirational, design-led lifestyle and luxury brand.

The transformation went beyond communication. Her mandate covered product strategy, innovation, omnichannel marketing and consumer-facing initiatives, while creating greater alignment between sales, service, product and marketing. The objective was to build a consumer-first brand while strengthening the underlying business.

Her approach to brand building was also evident in Fenesta's 2025 association with War 2. Nag said she led the brand's first-ever, first-in-category association with the film, a move designed to take Fenesta to newer audiences at scale. The partnership saw Fenesta feature in the film's teaser, which was showcased across 500-plus cinema screens in more than 100 cities. 

From Product Marketing to Category Building

Nag's career began in product and market development, before moving through increasingly senior roles across Jubilant, ICI Paints, Akzo Nobel and Samsung India.

At Akzo Nobel, she worked across product marketing and new product introduction, while her earlier roles at Jubilant included product and market development responsibilities. At Samsung India, she took on category and retail leadership roles. Her profile credits her with scaling LED TV contribution from 5% to 28% of category revenue, alongside driving pricing, go-to-market, marketing communications, training and market-sensing initiatives.

Across these roles, a consistent thread has been the intersection of consumer insight and commercial growth. From developing products and categories to repositioning brands and building new markets, Nag has worked across multiple dimensions of the marketing function.

Learning, Evolving and Sharing

Her career has also been accompanied by a continued focus on learning. Nag's executive education includes programmes at IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, ISB and the National University of Singapore, covering areas including leadership, neuroscience, management and design thinking.

That curiosity has extended into emerging areas shaping the marketing industry. In recent years, she has actively participated in conversations around AI, consumer intelligence and the changing role of technology in marketing. She was among the industry leaders who participated in the Financial Express Agentic Marketing Forum 2025, which focused on the impact of Agentic AI on marketing and customer engagement. 

She has also continued to contribute to the learning ecosystem as a visiting faculty member, engaging with young professionals around marketing strategy, brand storytelling and creative leadership. 

From CMO to Boardroom

Nag's move into independent directorship marks another evolution in a career that has consistently expanded beyond traditional marketing. The experience she brings to the boardroom combines commercial understanding with brand, consumer and strategic perspectives, giving her a view of businesses that extends from the market to the balance sheet.

Alongside her advisory work, her focus on governance and sustainable growth reflects a broader understanding of the role business leaders are expected to play today.

From building categories and scaling businesses to shaping brands and mentoring emerging talent, Susmitaa Nag's journey reflects the changing role of the modern marketing leader.

As she enters another year, her career stands as a reminder that effective marketing leadership is not only about creating visibility. It is about understanding people, identifying opportunities, building businesses and staying relevant as the market evolves.

Here's wishing Susmitaa Nag a very happy birthday, and another year of meaningful growth, fresh ideas, purposeful leadership and new possibilities.