Our mentors at Ignition have a wealth of experience and unmatched skill. They will help your internet marketing career get off to a flying start. Their experiences in the online industry will be a valuable addition to your online marketing training.

Ashok Karnik – Executive Creative Director

Having worked in advertising agencies and created campaigns for several brands for the past 25 years, Ashok still gets excited about new briefs. After all, he says, the creative business is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. He’s had the good fortune of working with Sony Channel, Philips, Coca Cola, HDFC Bank, Van Heusen, Grand Hyatt, Kwality Ice Cream and Zandu—no wonder the spark is still alive after all those years! His last assignment was in Africa with Lowe Kenya.

If not in advertising, Ashok would probably be a percussionist in Havana. In his free time, he paints. Ashok’s wife, Vrushali, has tolerated him for 20 years. And much to his regret, his children, Tanvi and Karan, are pursuing careers far away from advertising.

S Dharmarajan – Executive VP, Online Media

Dharma, as he is popularly known, brings his wealth of experience spanning more than 2 decades into the digital space. He started his career with Lintas (now Lowe India) in 1982. After a long stint, he moved to Triton and in the later years, moved to Euro RSCG where he spent an adventurous 3 years. He then took a sabbatical from active media and returned two years later to join Fulcrum, the exclusive media buying unit of Hindustan Unilever Ltd.

Apart from his Media duties at Ignitee, Dharma is currently trying to get back in shape to take his place as the lead batsman of the formidable Ignitee cricket team!

Harminder Kaur – Chief Strategy Officer

Harminder has over ten years of media planning and strategy experience. In her earlier assignments with agencies like McCann Erickson, Lowe and MPG of Havas group, she has had the good fortune of working on accounts like Gillette, MasterCard, LG Electronics, Reckitt Benckiser and ICICI—accounts that are (according to her) better learning grounds than any institute of repute.  

She was featured as one of the top six media pacers of the country by Brand Equity in 2007. A graduation in Statistics and a post graduation from MICA notwithstanding, she harbours a secret desire to have her own bookshop one day.

When not fighting a deadline, she loves to unwind with a book, indulge in her new calligraphy set or simply watch the latest antic of her nine month old son.

Jyotindra Bagwadkar – Head, Technology

With as many as 10 years experience in the online marketing industry (3 years in eCommerce), Jyotindra has in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in Client Side Scripting, Server Side Scripting and Web and Database Server Management, Client Server Architecture, Back-up Server Solutions, Windows IIS, Linux Apache, IBM Websphere and SSL Certificate Implementations.

As a Project Manager, Jyotin (as he is more popularly known) played a key role in eCommerce projects. He has also facilitated the creation of over 150 websites.

Few know that Jyotin doubles up as a first-rate mimic artist—who said geeks are boring?

Gautamm Mehra – Head, Search Marketing and Affiliate

Gautamm comes in with 5 years of online marketing experience. From selling astral travel courses to reiki ebooks, from air tickets to online trading accounts, Gautamm has worked with some of India’s top digital spenders such as Yatra, Sharekhan, Hindustan Times, Jet Airways and many more.

Starting his career as an affiliate marketer, he learnt his trade in the digital space with blood and sweat (and not to mention, a modest sum of money). In his spare time, Gautamm loves to write articles on a variety of topics and has authored a number of whitepapers on Search Engine Marketing. But what really turns Gautamm on is wining and dining. His love for good food and spirits often lands him at strange places. And yes, his obsession actually led him to become a certified bartender as well!