Shubhranshu Singh, chief marketing officer, Tata Motors Commercial Vehicles Business Unit, recently resigned from his position at the company.

While he ponders his next move, the last couple of months have been extremely busy for him. During the week of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Singh was added to the Effie Foundation board and named among Forbes' 'Top 50 CMOs' globally.

Speaking with us on the sidelines of the festival (full interview available in the July issue of Manifest), Singh stated how he balances his time between his full-time role and speaking opportunities at events. 

"I don’t believe there is anything called ‘work-life balance’. I don’t mean to rubbish that - but one gets a ‘work-life balance’ by making ‘work-life choices’. I want to make every minute count. I get excited when I wake up in the morning, and right till I sleep, I’m engaged – I read on the move. I don’t have other distractions in life. My son may have an opinion about it because I’m not so much into things that other dads are doing. But my reading, writing and cultural tuning keeps me happy and alive. I’ll need to stretch, but I think I’ll enjoy doing this. I will have to do my day job first and that’s something I’m very clear about because that’s where my moral sustainability lies," he revealed.

While many believe that brand-building is a CMOs most important prerogative, there's a growing perception that shorter stints from those holding that designation is affecting it.

Singh, who is moving on from Tata Motors after more than four years, stated, "I call it the T20fication of life. Everything is shorter and more explosive. The payouts are bigger and better in case you’re a success. I have had a median stint of about four to four and a half years after I left HUL, where I spent 12 years."

He added, "When I see resumes, I don’t necessarily hold it against a candidate if one has jumped jobs, provided there is a reason and a narrative and they have achieved something in those roles. I like chunks of experience where one has grown and done more things. If a person has spent five years in a company and progressed to becoming a marketing manager, that’s not great in my book. It’s about doing more things, experimenting and growing oneself."

He also stated how he's open-minded to working with the so-called 'rebels'.

"Corporate life is also about blending in and not everyone who is creatively gifted may do that well. Tenure by itself isn’t important to me but being fickle about it concerns me. I tell my son who is 17 and my nephews too, that one needs to do some things because there’s a belief towards it and not purely because of the commercial aspect," he said.

He added, "When one leaves everything for another INR 5,000, or because one is getting bored or doesn’t like the boss – it’s not a good reason to leave. But if one has stopped learning and enjoying what one does then it’s different."

Read our full conversation with Singh in the July issue.

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