Navigating Growth and Innovation Across Global Markets

Ankur Mehra, based in Gurgaon, India, is a seasoned business leader with a deep understanding of partnership-driven growth, digital strategy, and product adoption across diverse markets. With a unique blend of entrepreneurial spirit and global experience, Ankur has influenced sectors from media partnerships to EdTech and digital content creation. His career spans leadership roles with Meta (Facebook & Instagram) and entrepreneurial ventures, leveraging his background as a former Army officer to tackle complex business landscapes. Ankur has recently authored his soon-to-be-published debut novel on the Creator Economy, he’s a visiting faculty talking about digital media, publishes a weekly newsletter and consults Web3 adn EdTech startups on growth strategies

Q1: How your shift from the Indian Army to the corporate world has influenced your leadership?

A: Coming from a military background, it gave my approach as a leader in a corporate life with which I have continued to scale across my workplace. In the Army, one learned the values of strategy, discipline, and flexibility; all these went to the business world really well. Today I could use these as my weapons to lead teams and bring innovation. It taught me how to manage high-pressure situations and imbibed a people-first approach with which I carry my relations with team members and partners across regions.

Q2 : How did you come to take this new gamble in the Creator Economy and in EdTech?

A: I have always admired the sectors that promote creativity and benefits, and the Creator Economy exists as a multifunction area. I also believe that EdTech has the potential to transform the access of education at the global level. Hence, I co-founded an EdTech start-up, where it has created a unique interactive learning ecosystem that soon gained international recognition. And now, as an author into the Creator Economy, it keeps me insightful in both content and technology by exploring how the two platforms really interact to create value for these people.

Q3: Give an example of a plan that made a substantive impact on your growth journey?

A: At the time, in my previous employment role, I was responsible for the leadership of a portion of my product adoption and partnership engagement initiative, which ran across 18 countries. One initiative I was proud of was to increase the revenue of SMB partners by 20 times, without raising operating costs more than 50%. Through particular activations in the markets, coupled with product localization, especially for the newer language markets, we achieved that feat. This did not only drive revenues but also created an affinity for the brand helping us in scaling-up across various regions.

Q 4: How do you respond to the circumstances that make cross-functional team building increasingly problematic across different cultures?

A: For the successful setup of cross-functional teams at different geographies, much emphasis on empathy and adaptation must be placed. I have led partner managers across various countries and have distilled my learning to the nuances of each team’s personality. Open communication, joint problem-solving, and alignment of objectives in accordance with cultural variables are effective ways to establish trust, thereby enabling the team to work in tandem, across disparate geographies, and consequently provide high-impact results.

Q 5: Where do you stand on innovation in partnership-driven growth?

A: The partnership-driven growth is based on reciprocal benefit and flexibility. In this context, innovation often means striving for extra non-traditional growth measures while aligning with the strategic roadmaps of the partners. For instance, I created a client management framework that enabled us from ground zero to scale to over 120,000 plus creator partners across platforms like YouTube and Instagram. This framework allowed us to retain partners and optimize our long-term growth. In this case, it means building partnerships by understanding partner needs and creating flexible models to grow together.

Q 6: What process did you follow to scale Brave Bison’s AdTech business to 150 million views a month?

A: The scaling of Brave Bison’s AdTech business was strategic, efficient operationally, and included partner engagement. We had a systematic approach to onboarding partners, scaling through a partnership model focused on the highest value partnerships, and building frameworks for sustainable growth. Aside from bringing partners with high traffic, it also allowed us to maintain a profitability margin of 40 percent. In addition, training the high-performance management team has been critical for working with 300-plus YouTube channels, keeping clients happy, and achieving 100 percent re-contracts.

Q 7: What role does data-driven analysis play in your decision-making process?

A: Data-driven analysis is central to my decision-making. Throughout my career, I’ve used it extensively to assess market trends and gain competitor insights. This enabled us to increase market share by 30% and effectively position brands through localized strategies. Whether it’s audience segmentation, content performance, or market trends, data helps me make informed decisions that align with long-term strategic goals. Data is invaluable for creating actionable insights that drive growth and competitive advantage.

Q 8: Can you tell us about your experience advising startups on international expansion?

A: Advising startups on international expansion has been a fulfilling journey, as it allows me to apply my insights from living and working across multiple continents – from Ireland in Europe and North America to India and Singapore in APAC, Latin America, and now Dubai in the Middle East. As an advisor, I help Web3, EdTech, and media startups navigate market entry, regulatory landscapes, and localize their offerings for specific regions. For instance, expanding into APAC requires a deep understanding of cultural preferences and regulatory dynamics. I guide startups to adapt strategies that resonate locally while positioning them for scalability across markets.

Q 9: How are you approaching your role as an author in the Creator Economy?

A: Writing about the Creator Economy for my book under publication with Penguin Random House’s business imprint has been an insightful experience, as it has allowed me to engage deeply with creators, platforms, and industry experts. I’m focusing on understanding how creators build sustainable economies and how platforms can better support their growth. Through comprehensive and in-depth primary research, I’ve been able to uncover trends and challenges that will provide valuable insights for those looking to engage with this sector. It’s an exciting time to explore this evolving industry, and I’m thrilled to contribute my findings to the field.

Q10: What Is Your Vision for the Future of Digital Media Partnerships?

A: The future of digital media partnerships actually lies in flexibility and true involvement. Partnerships would have to evolve to offer dynamic, content-rich experiences even as brands strive to connect themselves most meaningfully to audiences. This, I believe, would be continued by having even more interesting collaborative partnerships that cross over media and technology into the immersive experience. With more and more changing digital landscapes, it will be staying agile and focusing on shared values with partners that drive meaningful collaborations in ways that sound familiar for audiences around the world.

About Ankur Mehra

Ankur Mehra is a luminary of the Creator Economy with two decades of experience designing partnerships between Media Platforms, Content Creators, Brands, and Communities. As Senior Leader at Meta, he has engineered paradigm transformations through Media Partnerships for Facebook and Instagram across regions of India, the Middle East, North America, Asia Pacific-Japan, and Latin America. Previously, as Country Manager for India with Europe’s biggest YouTube Multi-Channel Network (MCN), he was the linchpin in changing the tide of cross-border media through digital creators.

This military veteran turned EdTech founder and now Creator Economy expert brings an unusual lens through which to view the digital content landscape. Currently penning an awaited book under the business imprint of Penguin Random House, Ankur is also a LinkedIn Top Voice and much sought-after thought leader-an insight which goes to C-suite execs across the planet through a weekly newsletter that delves into MediaTech trends. His new media vision embraces advisory positions with growth-stage Web3 and MediaTech companies, aside from active jury duties for hackathons and mentorship of startups, continuing to shape the Creator Economy’s future.

First Published- 25 November 2022

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