Uma Mantravadi
ASSOCIATE
“To leave the world (and the people in it) better than I found it every day”
Based in NYC, Uma brings a balance of quantitative rigour and qualitative creativity to challenge clients and brands to move beyond the product they make or the service they functionally provide. She believes real value comes from focusing on the role brands play in people's lives and forming emotional connections with their consumers.
Recently Uma has been helping Nature's Fynd develop their Purpose, including category language and messages. She has also worked with Glossier, Google, Soul Cycle, and with Nick, on the beauty brand Almay where she helped revitalise a flagging brand by developing a new brand purpose rooted in culture.
Uma has experience working across many different countries and cultures including Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Western Europe, Russia, China, Japan, India, Philippines, Indonesia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco, Kenya and Nigeria. She also speaks three languages.
For Uma, purpose is not just a set of aspirational, lofty words that are nice to have. Purpose is in the DNA of the brand and the business – from manufacturing to supply chain to marketing to employee recruitment and retention. It impacts the brand, consumers and bottom line. The best brands communicate their Purpose in their words and more importantly, actions.
Uma is inspired by Patagonia: a brand that lives its Purpose in words and deeds. From their supply chain, manufacturing and recycling programs to their point-of-view on politics and the world, they are bold and unafraid to take a stand and create a movement for others to join. They are as clear who they are not for, as well as who they are for.