Our very own bawa, the dynamic, kind and ambitious Zubin Jimmy Dubash has for over two decades now, been shaping the world through his own kaleidoscope, forming great patterns in all areas of his life, be it personal or professional. He is an exceptional thought leader in the digital world… having a whole system in place, aced with a top plan, creating a culture that drives himself and those around him to bring out their best and produce top class results, repeatedly. He lives the philosophy: an elite level of performance requires an elite level of preparation. Parsi Times Reporter, Binaisha M. Surti takes you into the prolific world of the multi-talented Zubin Dubash.
Zubin Jimmy Dubash staunchly believes, ‘Gratitude is the simplest pathway to a successful life’. His mantra of transformation, evolution and growth was evident from his childhood, when he transformed from a school write off at 110 kg into a fit, self-made, go-getter… and today Zubin is one of India’s most successful, respected and renowned Digital Business Leaders. His inspirational journey of success comprises Zubin completing his Masters in Marketing Management from JBIMS, post which he was handpicked for the Tata Group Emerging Leaders Management Program and was further, an alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Executive Program.
Digital Business is his domain – he’s a hands-on CXO and business leader with over two decades of rich and successful leadership experience in some of the foremost digital businesses, including Digital Video, E-commerce and Apps – across global brands; as also garage start-ups – building, operating and scaling products and businesses. He loves running P-and-Ls and has a natural flair for building partnerships. Zubin’s proven track record in leading high-impact teams that deliver all round stake-holder value, is one of the highlights of his brilliant expertise.
His glowing career span includes working, from 1996 – 2003 in various Marketing and Product Management roles with global brands including ‘Microsoft-Network Institute’, ‘Vodafone’ and ‘You Broadband’. As Vice President and Head of Digital and New Businesses at Tata DOCOMO (Mumbai, from 2004 – 2011), he spearheaded a $130 mn business of NTT DOCOMO’S services in India across Apps, content and 3G digital services. He is especially celebrated for pioneering path-breaking new businesses including ‘India’s first mobile TV App’; ‘India’s first Music OTT App’; as also ‘India’s first English Learning App – English Seekho’.
In the second half of 2011, Zubin dived into the Start-up space and set up ‘AppsDaily’ – a Start-up that went on to become India’s largest paid Apps company, through a global first, retail and distribution network. By 2016, he had become a much sought-after consultant, advising numerous Start-ups on strategy and building road maps. One of his clients, the well-known brand – Shemaroo – roped him in as Chief Operating Officer – OTT and Digital Businesses in 2017. Since then, Zubin has effectively transformed every aspect of the digital business from launching and scaling ‘ShemarooMe’- the OTT business, to driving multi-fold growth in the YouTube and Facebook businesses. Over the last four years, he has been termed as the poster boy for the turbo growth of the Company’s Digital businesses.
He was felicitated with the prestigious ‘Tata Group Maestro Award’ for leadership and performance excellence multiple times. He was also bestowed with the Government of India accredited, ‘India Achievers Award – 2021’ and was nominated to the prestigious set of Tata Group Top Emerging Leaders. As a dynamic leader, Zubin thrives upon taking new challenges – he’s a keen learner who masters new trades and scales these to greater heights.
“I believe in the power of now and basically nothing is permanent. Eventually everything will sort itself out. It is during these challenging times, that you keep your presence of mind and try solving the problem at hand. Just think on your feet and try find a silver lining in every cloud,” shares Zubin. A versatile personality, he wears many hats. A head honcho himself with a full plate, he ensures to make time to pursue his passions and maintains in a healthy work-life balance.
As he puts it, his right brain makes him a family man, a yogi, marathoner, swimmer, canvas artiste, poet and voice-over artiste (since 2015), having done over 1500 voice-over assignments for over a hundred brands in English and Hindi. “I believe, the more you activate the right brain with creative passion, the more your left brain gets energized,” he says. That may very well be the secret recipe which nurtures the professional success of this talented gentleman, who is known to be an eloquent speaker on numerous prestigious platforms which discuss digital businesses and other content.
Zubin is also the founder of www.iGiftaPoem.com – where he pens personalized poems as gifts to be presented to loved ones on special occasions. Staying true to his Parsi nature, Zubin strongly believes in giving back to society generously and is the co-founder of www.TheKarmaNetwork.in – a crowd funding platform that connects donors with genuine, verified cases, for facilitating financial aid towards education, medicine, food, shelter, clothing and more.
Zubin’s journey, thus far, is marked with passion, enterprise and diligence and has catapulted him towards reaching the pinnacle of success. It is an inspirational story and sets the perfect precedent for our youth. Here’s looking to many more successes in his future endeavors!
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