Nikita Malhotra Singh is a digital-first brand leader with over 13 years of experience in marketing and strategy. As Head of Digital at Woodland, she drives the brand’s digital presence, customer engagement, and innovation agenda. In this feature, she provides a closer look at her day-to-day approach to leadership, shares her perspective on building meaningful digital experiences, and offers advice to young professionals navigating the industry today.
Part of her personality evolved the most over the last few years
“The biggest change has been that I am now as close to unflappable as can be. There is always chaos and crisis. While my reactions were big and outward, somewhere after sort of being there doing that, one finds themselves breathing, smiling, taking it in stride, fixing, and moving on to the next one. What I have not let change is the part of my personality that refuses to take things or myself too seriously.”
Beliefs she hold strongly today that she didn’t five years ago
“Hot take. The client/agency is not stupid. The nature of marketing is that it is subjective. This leads to some of the most interesting conversations. Sometimes, some ludicrous ones too. I now acknowledge that just because the conversation I have points to the person departing a little from the realm of facts, does not mean that they are not self aware. Admittedly, I’ve had to have some of those conversations where I am the culprit. What fun those are.”
Her best ideas come from when she’s not actively trying to think of one
“Conversations with my dad. While most friends from the industry end up speaking of work & friends and family who are non marketers roll their eyes at how much I discuss brands and advertising. It is my father’s marketing and advertising acumen that I inherited and our random catch up calls sometimes yield the best ideas.”
Book, film, or piece of art she keeps returning to—and what does it reflect about her?
“Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. I re-hear it every year. As an audiobook listener who can average 100+ books easy, the two books of the incomplete 3 book series make it every year. It tells you that I have patience cause we’ve been waiting for the third book for 14 years. Jokes apart, the book has multiple cultures, languages and the protagonist who learns to survive in all. I try to imbibe that, be malleable enough to survive anywhere.”
Coffee, music, movement, or silence—what does she lean on the most?
“Depending on the task that is on, each of these has a place in my heart, however friends would argue that silence is the farthest away as I do have a reputation of being a chatterbox to my near and dear ones.
A lesson she learned the hard way but wouldn’t trade for anything
“Life is not fair. Sounds basic, right? Try saying it to yourself as gospel instead of a complaint. Oh how it changes everything.”
