Suhel Seth: An extraordinary life of an effective communicator 

Suhel Seth (born 28 May, 1963) is an Indian entrepreneur, businessman and columnist who is the founder and managing partner of consultancy firm Counselage India.

Seth is also a columnist, actor, keynote speaker, and a TV Pundit.

He has served in the past as Chairman, Marketing Committees of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and is also on the Experts Committee of Indian Railway Board.

Early life and education

Seth was born in Calcutta and lived there with his parents till the age of 28. His father owned a chemical factory in Calcutta, which was closed down on account of the then prevailing political unrest, largely due to Naxalite activities, union conflicts, and strikes.

Seth was educated at La Martinière Calcutta, where he was a member of the debating team and at St. Joseph's College, Nainital. He then pursued his higher education from Jadavpur University.

Career

In 1996, Seth and his brother founded the advertising agency Equus. He also founded Quadra Advisory with Shunu Sen.He started Counselage India, a consultancy firm in 2002, of which he is still a managing partner.

Seth was inducted to the global Advisory Board of the San Francisco-based blogging platform LiveJournal Inc. in 2008. After working with the Tata Group during the management crisis to reconstruct their brand image in 2016, Seth was hired by the Adani Group as a brand consultant in 2018. 

Seth is an established speaker on social and commercial trends for the Indian consumer base at business, advertising, and marketing events, including several Indian Institute of Management (IIM) colleges. He is a regular columnist for the Financial Times, Hindustan Times, The Telegraph, and the Indian Express.

Seth is also a theatre enthusiast and has performed in over 135 English plays, and six films.

Books

Seth has four books to his credit. His first book, In Your Face, is a compilation of interviews and columns by him published in different national dailies and magazines. He has co-authored the book ‘Kalighat to Calcutta’ with Khushwant Singh and R. K. Laxman.

His last individually authored book ‘Get to the Top’, published in 2011, acts as a perfect guide for the aspirational Indian. It tells readers how to get ahead in life by connecting with the rich and famous. He has also co-authored ‘The Target’ with Shantanu Guha Ray. It talks about the downfall of business tycoon Jignesh Shah's global empire.

Filmography

Seth has acted in several English plays as well as few Bollywood films. He sits on the international board of Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).

His first role, in the movie Rog, was one that he took up on the request of a friend. He did a very small role in the critically acclaimed movie ‘Ek Din Achanak’ in 1989. He was then seen in the much-acclaimed multi-starrer ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, where he played the father of one of the female leads. Seth was also part of the critically acclaimed film ‘Guzaarish’. He was last seen in the 2015 film ‘Calendar Girls’, playing a character based on liquor baron Vijay Mallya.

Philanthropy

Seth also sits on the board of the Max Foundation that works to provide access to cancer treatment for people across the globe. He is a donor at the Partition Museum established in Amritsar in 2017. He made a donation of Rs 50 lakh towards a gallery in the museum, which is dedicated to his parents. He has a seat on the advisory board of the Indian Head Injury Foundation (IHIF). The foundation works towards building brain trauma care systems in India.

Consulting 

Suhel Seth is a trusted advisor to big entrepreneurs , business owners and founders of business and his counsel is valued by the biggest family businesses of India. Advising them on a multitude of strategic issues Suhel Seth has craved out a special niche for himself and what he has to offer.

Personal Life 

Suhel Seth is married to Lakshmi, a model, and they together have a daughter, Gayathri, and the family spends its time between their homes in Delhi and Goa when Seth is not jet setting around the world.

Suhel Seth’s life is the envy of many with his high profile gatherings and his rolodex. His persona is larger than life and sometimes can be very intimidating for others who do not know him well. Suhel loves reading, loves to party and loves to entertain. He has a sharp wit, which is on display in his columns, his social media content and in his appearances on TV and in his speeches.

Suhel Seth has lived many lives in one, having seen and experienced the finest things in life and having made a lot of friends and some enemies also along the way with his direct approach.

Suhel is a stickler for being on time and is always prepared for his meetings.

Suhel Seth’s life can be summed up with the french expression joie de vivre, which simply means exuberant enjoyment of life. Suhel epitomises joie de vivre.

Suhel Seth, who started in advertising and marketing, has come a long way and seems like he has a lot to accomplish, enjoy and give back as he goes on with an extraordinary life.