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Chandrika Rodrigues is a strategic marketing and communications leader with over two decades of experience spanning Integrated Marketing, Branding, Digital, and Corporate Communications and PR. Renowned as a ‘story-weaver,’ she has expertly guided iconic brands across various industries and geographies by combining strategic clarity with creative depth. In her current role at Tropical Agro, she leads the Branding, Communication, and Digital Marketing functions. Known for an entrepreneurial mindset and hands-on leadership, Chandrika has built future-ready marketing functions and shaped growth-driven marketing ecosystems. Passionate about building world-class, purpose-led brands that drive positive change, she is known for her ability to capture audience insight and craft powerful brand narratives. A trusted advisor to leadership teams and boards, she excels at aligning brand purpose with business goals. Her contributions have earned multiple industry accolades, including the ABCI, PRCI, ICE, and CWAB Awards.

CMO COUNCIL: What past experiences have prepared you for the “modern” chief marketing officer role on a global level?

RODRIGUES: Over the past two decades, I’ve led brand marketing and communications across diverse sectors—an experience that’s honed my agility, cultural intelligence, and deep understanding of markets, trends, consumer behaviour, and business models. These capabilities have helped me build brands that scale and endure. Additionally, I have successfully set up communication functions from scratch, launched new brands and products, and led major rebranding and digital transformation initiatives. I’ve also driven integrated campaigns that connect traditional and digital ecosystems while leading cross-functional teams with a strong focus on stakeholder engagement. These experiences have strengthened my ability to craft consistent, authentic, and memorable brand experiences at every touchpoint — and to navigate complex global markets with a customer-centric mindset. They’ve also deepened my insight into audience dynamics, which I believe sits at the heart of successful marketing and defines the modern CMO.

CMO COUNCIL: What skills and qualities does a cross-functional marketing leader need today?

RODRIGUES: A cross-functional marketing leader today needs a blend of strategic vision and operational agility, viewing marketing as a key driver of growth and value creation. The ability to collaborate and quickly synthesize insights from diverse functions such as product, sales, finance, and IT is essential for building unified strategies. Equally important is the balance between creativity and business outcomes, and between technology and emotional storytelling. Staying attuned to market trends and consumer behavior helps decode audience sentiment — a timeless skill that remains at the heart of effective marketing. Finally, a hands-on approach, adaptability, and an innovation mindset — coupled with strong storytelling and brand positioning skills — enable leaders to create campaigns that not only resonate with customers but also drive measurable business impact.

CMO COUNCIL: Where do you focus most of your time, attention, and brainpower on a day-to-day basis?

RODRIGUES:  On a day-to-day basis, I focus most of my time, and attention to strengthening brand strategy, and ensuring that all marketing initiatives align with measurable business outcomes. I prioritize enabling digital transformation and fostering the capabilities of my team to drive sustained growth. A significant part of my day also goes into creative storytelling and building synergy between marketing, sales, and product teams to ensure alignment and impact. Additionally, I dedicate time to innovation—exploring emerging digital channels, AI tools, and analytics platforms. I also focus on foresight, tracking macro trends and shifts in consumer behavior to stay ahead of the curve.

CMO COUNCIL: Which digital marketing innovations are most enabling your go-to-market process, customer value creation, and campaign performance?

RODRIGUES: At Tropical Agro, we’re leveraging a range of digital marketing innovations to strengthen our go-to-market strategy, enhance customer value, and improve campaign performance. As part of our go-to-market initiatives, we have recently unveiled two globally acclaimed AI-enabled tech tools — Strella and Rubens — in India to help curb post-harvest wastage and boost farmer profitability. We use AI-driven content creation to accelerate visual storytelling and campaign delivery, while AI analytics provide real-time insights into customer behavior and performance, enabling sharper targeting and better ROI. To drive engagement, convenience, and trust, our Farmer Advisory Chatbots, integrated with CRM platforms, deliver timely crop insights and personalized support via WhatsApp — a platform most farmers are already comfortable with. Similarly, the Dealer Connect Chatbot provides instant access to transaction and order data, enhancing efficiency and transparency across our dealer network.

Our marketing automation systems and Meta Business Suite integration streamline lead generation, follow-ups, and conversation management, ensuring timely and relevant outreach. Additionally, through online community engagement and influencer collaborations, we continue to build trust, advocacy, and brand loyalty within the farming community. Looking ahead, we are exploring advanced AI capabilities such as predictive analytics to further personalize engagement, strengthen data-driven decision-making, and deliver even greater value to our stakeholders.

CMO COUNCIL: What are some of the secrets to better collaboration with peers in the C-suite and lines of business?

RODRIGUES: I’m not sure if it’s a secret, but effective collaboration for me starts with alignment, active listening, empathy, and emotional intelligence. Marketing earns its place at the table when it delivers quick wins and is seen as a growth enabler — not just a communication function. I focus on building strong relationships and co-creating strategies with peers, securing buy-ins, and integrating brand goals with sales, innovation, and financial objectives. Trust and transparency are non-negotiable; success is shared when metrics and accountability are collectively owned.

CMO COUNCIL: What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given? Or what career advice would you give to emerging marketing leaders?

RODRIGUES: The best advice I’ve received is to stay grounded in reality, curious, and adaptable. Marketing evolves faster than any other function, so continuous learning and innovation are non-negotiable. For emerging leaders, I’d say: know your customer deeply, embrace data without losing creativity, and build teams that challenge and inspire you. Never lose the art of intuition. Build brands that matter, tell emotionally led and purpose-driven stories, and lead with authenticity — because marketing ultimately thrives on empathy, innovation, and connection.