Sheba Nandkeolyar
Our CEO
Sheba Nandkeolyar is an internationally reputed Multicultural & Diaspora Marketing leader. She is a leading authority on Marketing to New Audiences and Multicultural Audiences, who comprise 50% Australians today. She is the Founder and CEO of MultiConnexions Group (MCX), Australia’s leading, integrated, and full service 360 multicultural marketing & advertising agency. Sheba advises government and blue-chip marketers on how to affiliate brands with diversity & fine tune their marketing initiatives to create holistic and more inclusive marketing campaigns.
Sheba leads Global Connexions a group company that specialises in international business & marketing to assist brands expand their global presence. She advises & assists overseas clients – many from India & Asia to help launch their products & services in Australia. These are Indian organisations such as State Bank of India, Union Bank of India, Air India among others, all who have successfully launched their operations in Australia.
Sheba’s experience spans across Australia, India, China, Hong Kong, UK and the US. She has led companies such as McCann, Ogilvy, and Interpublic Group in senior leadership and CEO roles. Sheba’s brand experience includes advising Telstra, HSBC, ANZ Bank, Westpac, CBA, Suncorp, Zurich, AMP, Western Union, NRMA, IAG, Nestle, Kellogg’s Reckitt Benckiser, Cricket Australia, T20 World Cup, Active Super, and T2 among others.
A Passionate Advocate
Sheba is the President of International Advertising Association of Australia (IAA Australia). She is also the Global Vice President – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and the Global Chair of DE&I Council of International Advertising Association, a role that sees her leading Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives to champion diversity across the marketing communications industry and all IAA chapters globally. Sheba is a passionate advocate for gender and cultural diversity. Sheba loves mentoring new migrants and international students to help them settle down in Australia. She is actively engaged in mentoring start-ups including migrant start-ups and women led start-ups.
Sheba has served and still continues to serve on several industry, corporate and government boards including DFAT Australia India Council. She was the first woman National Chair for the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) in its 35-year existence and is currently the National Chair for Women in Business AIBC and an advisory board member of Media Diversity Australia.
Highly awarded, Sheba is a recipient of the inaugural IAA Champion Inspire Award for her lifetime achievements and for excellence in local, regional, and global communication. Sheba spearheaded a campaign that won the only EFFIE GOLD award for multicultural advertising in Australia, among several other awards of business of excellence.
Sheba has been a long-term supporter of the Salvation Army and was recently conferred with the prestigious Eva Burrow Award in recognition of her service to the underprivileged and for its impact on the Australian community. Sheba is a Trustee & Board Member of Follow Your Dreams Foundation (a Lion’s initiative) which supports disadvantaged Women & Youth. This included the implementation of nutrition programs for poor children, scholarships in Australia and also led to building of toilets in Indian villages for women.
She is an industry guest faculty member at several Australian Business Schools and at International Business programs. She is regular speaker at conferences and is often invited by media to share her perspectives on Australia India bilateral business relations, on marketing & advertising and new audiences including migration.
Sheba loves and lives life to the fullest. People inspire her and her SPF in business and personal life is to remain STRONG, POSITIVE & FOCUSSED. A mantra that has never let her down.