Prof. Swapnil Kumar

Professor of Practice

Prof. Swapnil S. Kumar is a senior marketing leader, educator, and business coach with over two decades of experience spanning global corporations, challenger brands, entrepreneurship, and management education. His career reflects a rare blend of strategic depth, executional excellence, and behavioural insight, built across leadership roles in some of the world’s most respected organisations, including Unilever, Royal Enfield, Ola, and Pernod Ricard.

An Adjunct Professor at MICA, Prof. Kumar has been associated with the institute for over seventeen years as a Visiting Faculty before taking on his current role. Deeply committed to teaching and learning, he brings rich industry context into the classroom, helping students bridge theory with real-world complexity. His teaching is informed by hands-on experience in building brands, scaling businesses, leading large cross-functional teams, and driving transformation across diverse categories and markets. 

In addition to his academic role, Prof. Kumar is the Founder of Asymmetry, a strategic advisory that helps organisations unlock business outcomes through unconventional, insight-led solutions. He is also an ICF-certified coach, a recognised LinkedIn Top Voice, and a lifelong student of human behaviour, leadership, and change. 

Professional Experience

Since 2024, Kumar founded Asymmetry in Gurugram, a strategic advisory that brings together marketing and advertising thinking to deliver asymmetric solutions for evolving business challenges. Asymmetry has since worked with brands such as ENO, Airtel, Teacher’s, and Bacardi. 

Most recently, Prof. Kumar was the Head of Marketing – Below the Line at Pernod Ricard India, where he led consumer-led activations, brand experiences, and sustainability initiatives. He has previously worked with Ola, Royal Enfield, Unilever and TCS.  

Education

Prof. Kumar holds an MBA in Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, where he developed a strong grounding in strategic marketing, consumer insight, and business leadership.

He also holds a Bachelor of Technology (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra. His engineering background contributes to his structured problem-solving approach and analytical rigour, which he integrates seamlessly with creative and consumer-centric thinking.

Area of Teaching
  • Strategic Marketing Management
  • Brand Building and Brand Strategy
  • Consumer Behaviour and Insight Generation
  • Integrated Marketing Communications
  • Customer Lifecycle Management and CRM
  • Go-To-Market Strategy
  • Behavioural Thinking in Marketing
Awards & Research

Prof. Kumar has received the Unilever Compass Award, Effie Silver, Gold - India Radio Forum Awards, Real Difference Award, and Inclusive Leader recognition. These honors highlight his excellence in brand strategy, advertising effectiveness, and inclusive leadership.

While his primary contributions lie in applied marketing, leadership development, and teaching, his ongoing interests include behavioural science, consumer decision-making, sustainable growth, and leadership coaching. Through his academic engagement, industry practice, and mentoring, he continues to contribute meaningfully to the development of future marketing and business leaders.

Popular Searches

IQAC & Assurance of Learning

Sr. No. Member
1Registrar (Lead) - Professor Panda
2Dean & Principal (Designate) – (Co Lead) – PK Sinha (Prof. Sinha will continue to play this role post his becoming Dean & Principal)
3Controller of Examinations (Lead Assurance of Learning) – Niyati Bhanja
4Dean & Principal – Githa Heggde (Prof. Heggde will continue once she transitions to her new role)
5Director & CEO – Jaya Deshmukh
6Associate Dean Knowledge – Suresh Malodia
7Head of FRC – Rasananda Panda
8Head of CLIP – Pooja Thomas
9Faculty – Harmony Siganporia
10External Review Member – Amrita Randhawa (MICA Alumni)
11External Review Member – Arun – Accenture Song (MICA Alumni)
12External Review Member – Maya Indira Ganesh (TBC)
13Secretary: Sethu Iyer

Institution Industry Cell / Placements (Including Summer Internship)

Sr. No. Member
1Head of External Relations & Growth (Lead) – Indranil Banerji
2Executive Advisor – Strategic Initiatives (Co-Lead) – Githa Heggde (Githa will play this role even when she is Dean & Principal)
3Dean & Principal (Designate) – PK Sinha (Sinha Sir will continue to play this role when he becomes Dean & Principal)
4Associate Dean – Academics – Santosh Patra
5Faculty - Bikram Bindra
6Faculty – Govindrajan
7Director & CEO – Jaya Deshmukh
8CMO – Ruchi Tewari
9Management Trainee – CEO’s Office – Strategic Initiatives – Kuldeep Raj
10MICA 2026 leaving placecomm member – Akhilesh
11MICA 2027 SPC sitting member – TBC
12MICA Committee List 2026-27 5
13Student MLS Lead 2026 - TBC
14MAA Board Placement Enabler – Navneeth L V
15Secretary: Harjeet

Institution’s Innovation Council – IIC (Entrepreneurial Initiatives)

Sr. No. Member
1 Faculty & IIC Lead: Adwait Mardikar
2 Faculty (Co-Lead): U T Rao
3 Faculty/ Anchor Technology in AI Centre – Viral Nagori
4 Faculty – Ashutosh Yadav
5 Faculty – Saurabh Pandya
6 Faculty – Sukaran Thakur
7 Director & CEO – Jaya Deshmukh
8 Dean & Principal (Designate) – PK Sinha
9 Secretary: Pooja Sharma