Vandana is a full-stack marketing and communications professional from India. With over a decade of experience, she holds a Master of Arts in Journalism & Mass Communication from Guru Jambheshwar University, a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi, and a BE in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Gujarat Technological University. A former engineer and a journalist, she is now in the management realm, leading organizational strategy and implementation for scaling outreach and communication efforts. Vandana has diverse experience working with startups, entrepreneurs, government bodies, academic institutes, and media. She has experience in managing brands, creating new and diverse content, writing, and program management, and is adept at using digital tools and platforms such as InDesign, QuarkXpress, Canva, WordPress, Adobe Experience Management, and social media. She enjoys writing and curating stories from the higher education and health sectors and has previously covered areas such as entrepreneurship, leadership, grassroots innovation, research, technology, and community. Vandana has a passion for curating impact stories and is comfortable with various formats of print and digital content. Over her decade-long career, she has worked with Business Standard – the financial daily, IIT Gandhinagar, IIM Ahmedabad, National Innovation Foundation – India, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, health tech startup Shivom and most recently with the Indian School of Business. Her expertise is in strategic management, outreach and communications, program and stakeholder management, brand development, negotiation and conflict resolution, and team management.
Host Organization: Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE)
Role at Host Organization: As a Communications, Outreach, and Business Development Fellow, Vandana will work with the Research and Communications Manager to support CODE’s communications, outreach, and business development strategies. The Fellow will be responsible for: updating and implementing CODE’s communications strategy, supporting the entire CODE team to engage with current and potential partners, implement the business development strategy, and drive revenue growth.