Manish Tiwari
Managing Director, Here&Now 365
Manish Tiwari was born in Raipur in Central India where his father taught Anthropology at the local university. He pursued his degree in Engineering and subsequently found more interest in creative fields so went to India's first advertising school - MICA (School of Ideas), in Ahmedabad.
The next few years he spent in Mumbai where Manish got involved with theatre and subsequently took a leap of faith to Britain inspired by the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square. The life of a writer was a stint short-lived, and he started 'HereandNow365' as an advertising agency aimed at Britain's multicultural communities. Manish visualised it eventually as an institution 'defining Multicultural Marketing' but as in all ventures it had serendipity and entrepreneurial drive embedded to make it one of its kind agency and in a span of 15 years. They have worked with more than 100 British brands, quite a few of the iconic and proud British institutions.
Questions:
Which place, or city or country do you most feel at home in?
London obviously because it has everything that humanity has every discovered. Yes, you can find it all here - from spiritualists to hedonists, they all co-exist. The city needs to be constantly discovered. As Samuel Johnson oft quoted line goes 'When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'
What are your proudest achievements?
When you achieve something for the world, it is actually conforming other's ambitions. For me, the day I added twenty people on my company payroll was an affirmation that I had made a mark. Also, the day I did speak at House of Lords without any preparation to a standing ovation, that made me feel that I had a real voice.
What inspires you?
My Mother continues to inspire me as despite of all her problems, my simplest achievement makes her happy to no end. I feel happy when I am able to feed birds and contribute to animal charities which can take away some of the unnecessary cruelty we exercise in this world. When I come across our work on London or British skyline - buses or outdoor landmarks I really feel proud
What has been biggest obstacle in your career?
The biggest obstacle has been to overcome the red tape and it seems British Public sector and even Big Businesses both have worked very hard to preserve this in their DNA. It is difficult to cut through this and reach decision makers or people of influence. I have only done well because some key people have believed in me and championed me at the right time in my life.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career to date?
My father has been the biggest influence in my life and not a day goes by when I don’t remember him. He indirectly instilled in me a love for books and exploring the world which has made me choose this career and given me an outlook which embraces diversity.
What is the best aspect about your current role?
The best aspect undoubtedly is that you meet people from all walks of life including Prime Ministers, World leaders and talent. I also spend time researching subjects which otherwise would be of less interest and undeniably this makes your life truly richer.
And the worst?
The phone calls and messages which are relentless and the endless conversations with everyone, so very often it feels like I am being a therapist talking to people rather than solving business problems. Maybe it is not such a bad thing, surely brings Good Karma.
What are your long-term goals?
I want to make my business go public or at least have an association with a global institution and take it global for there is real latent need in the communication world which is run by a handful of power full people.
If you were Prime Minister, what one aspect would you change?
I would make this country far more liberal and focus the power of law on stopping real violence and crime and not fritter it away on controlling lifestyle as a lot of precious resources are wasted in controlling minor drugs or petty crimes which takes away the focus of law enforcement on real issues and life-threatening crimes.
If you were marooned on a desert island, which historical figure would you like to spend your time with and why?
This is a tough one as I would like to know too many people but if I have to choose, I would like to be with Sri Aurobindo who was a remarkable spiritualist and given a second choice it would be the British Writer Aldous Huxley. I like such people who have explored the world outside but also have a spiritual dimension.
