Prof. Sukaran Thakur

Adjunct Faculty

Sukaran, Principal Partner at ICE Studios, is an alumnus of MICA and NLS Bangalore with expertise in brand management and research in AI in marketing, semiotics, and cultural identity. He teaches storytelling, semiotics, and AI-driven creativity.

A Marketing & Business Law graduate with experience across Beauty, Apparel, Hospitality and Brand Consulting; Sukaran, a MICA & NLS Bangalore Alumnus, has previously worked with L’Oréal India and ITC Ltd across Brand Management roles for Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, YSL, Diesel, Lancôme, Kiehl’s and Wills Lifestyle | WLS.

Currently, Sukaran is the Principal Partner at ICE Studios, a Brand Expression Studio, and an Executive Producer with the FlowMo Picture Company.

Sukaran’s area of research include the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Marketing, Cultural Myths from a Semiotic lens, Music as a source of identity for people in exile, and Language & Gender. A digital artist and musician, he also works on Design Thinking & Data Visualizations.

Education
  • PGD Management Communications, MICA, Ahmedabad
  • Masters in Business Law, NLS Bangalore
  • Bachelors of Applied Sciences, Hans Raj College, University of Delhi
Area of Teaching
  • Culture & Communications Area (Storytelling for Brands, Semiotics, Imagining India, Design Thinking, Self as a Brand)
  • Business Management Area (Governance, Change & Transformation, Data Visualization, Luxury Branding)
  • Sectoral Specialization (FMCG, FMCD, Creating & Future Proofing Brands)
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI as a Creative Tool)
Professional experience
  • Principle Partner - ICE Studios (2019 - Present)
  • Brand Manager - Wills Lifestyle, ITC (2017 - 2019)
  • Marketing Manager - Lancome & Kiehl's, L'Oreal India (2016 - 2017)
  • Regional Retail Manager (North India) - L'Oreal Luxe (2014 - 2016)
Awards & Research
  • UGC NET - Management (2018)
  • Book Chapter: Digital Brand Governance - The Routledge Handbook of Global and Digital Governance Crossroads: Stakeholder Engagement and Democratization
  • Book Chapter: ESG Maturity Mapping - The Routledge Handbook of Global and Digital Governance Crossroads: Stakeholder Engagement and Democratization
  • Research Paper - The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Advertising & Creative Development - Academy of Marketing Sciences, Florida
  • Research Paper - Employing Large Language Models for Predictive Ad Evaluation - Society for Marketing Advances, Florida