I like understanding what makes
something work, then finding a way to

I like understanding what makes
something work, then finding a way to

make it better.

make it better.

MOVE your MOUSE/cursor

I’ve never drawn a hard line between thinking and making.

I’ve always been curious about why some things make sense immediately and others do not. Why one sentence stays with you. Why one screen feels obvious. Why one idea travels further than another.

That curiosity is the thread through my work. It has made me a writer who thinks in systems, a marketer who pays attention to design, and a leader who still wants to stay close to the work.

I have never been particularly interested in protecting the boundaries of a role. If a project needs me to write, design, learn a tool, rethink a flow, or bring people together, my instinct is usually to move towards it.

I like beginning before the answer is clear. Listening closely, finding what matters, and giving an idea enough structure to become real. Sometimes that becomes a campaign or website. Sometimes it becomes a content system, product flow, film, or simply a team moving in the same direction.

Over time, I’ve learned that range is only useful when it creates better connections. The goal is not to do everything. It is to recognise what the work needs, bring the right disciplines together, and know when something is finally clear enough to share.

WHAT CONNECTS THE WORK

Different disciplines. The same way of thinking.

✳  01

Start with the real problem

I look for what is actually getting in the way before deciding what to make. More content is not always the answer.

✳  01

Start with the real problem

I look for what is actually getting in the way before deciding what to make. More content is not always the answer.

✳  02

Make strategy usable

A useful strategy should lead to a clearer decision, a better sentence, or a more intuitive screen. If it cannot guide execution, it is not finished.

✳  02

Make strategy usable

A useful strategy should lead to a clearer decision, a better sentence, or a more intuitive screen. If it cannot guide execution, it is not finished.

✳  03

Stay close to execution

Leading teams works better when I remain involved in writing, designing, editing, reviewing flows, and prototyping.

✳  03

Stay close to execution

Leading teams works better when I remain involved in writing, designing, editing, reviewing flows, and prototyping.

✳  04

Learn what the work needs

I learn the next useful tool, discipline, or industry well enough to move the work forward and explain it clearly.

✳  04

Learn what the work needs

I learn the next useful tool, discipline, or industry well enough to move the work forward and explain it clearly.

EXPERIENCE

Where the work has taken me

01

Gradly

Chief Marketing Officer · May 2025 - July 2026

Led marketing through a full platform migration and repositioning. Rebuilt onboarding and explainer content, and helped develop the university partnership engine supporting Gradly’s work with leading institutions.

01

Gradly

Chief Marketing Officer · May 2025 - July 2026

Led marketing through a full platform migration and repositioning. Rebuilt onboarding and explainer content, and helped develop the university partnership engine supporting Gradly’s work with leading institutions.

02

Stixe Studio

Founder · 2022 - Present

Built and led a multidisciplinary team across marketing, design, content, websites, and digital brand experiences.

02

Stixe Studio

Founder · 2022 - Present

Built and led a multidisciplinary team across marketing, design, content, websites, and digital brand experiences.

03

Wishtales AI

Product Consultant · 2023 - Present

Advised a lean product team on user flows, usability, accessibility, and feature prioritisation for an AI creation platform for younger audiences.

03

Wishtales AI

Product Consultant · 2023 - Present

Advised a lean product team on user flows, usability, accessibility, and feature prioritisation for an AI creation platform for younger audiences.

04

Jain University

Marketing & Growth Manager · 2020 - 2022

Worked across marketing, growth, social content, product communication, and audience feedback in a large higher-education environment.

04

Jain University

Marketing & Growth Manager · 2020 - 2022

Worked across marketing, growth, social content, product communication, and audience feedback in a large higher-education environment.

05

Subramaniam Entertainment

Digital Marketing Head · 2018 - 2020

Worked across entertainment marketing, campaigns, social content, festivals, and live broadcasts, including international music projects.

05

Subramaniam Entertainment

Digital Marketing Head · 2018 - 2020

Worked across entertainment marketing, campaigns, social content, festivals, and live broadcasts, including international music projects.

STIXE STUDIO

Building Stixe changed my relationship with the work.

Starting a studio meant becoming responsible for more than the creative output. I had to find clients, shape projects, build a team, give feedback, manage constraints, and protect the quality of the final result.

It also gave me a place to test the kind of working culture I believed in: open, collaborative, inclusive, and built around trust rather than unnecessary rules.

Stixe has changed shape more than once. It began with marketing and campaigns, moved through social content, and gradually found a stronger focus in websites and digital brand experiences. That evolution taught me something important. You do not have to remain loyal to a definition simply because it was once accurate.

Visit Stixe

PLAY

I love anything with a creative process to it.

Photography is a big part of how I see and remember things. I also film, edit, and write about the places, processes, and ideas behind what I make.

CONTACT

Want to work together?

If you have a role, project, collaboration, or idea you think I’d be right for, send me a note.

mahantesh@stixe.in