3 questions I wish I’d asked as a junior marketer: Aviva’s Raj Kumar

Aviva group brand and reputation director, Raj Kumar, has learnt many lessons working for brands across the globe over the past 20 years.

Having started out with degrees in economics and business management, Kumar joined Siemens as a sales manager, the start of an eight-year career at the telecoms company which involved relocating to Germany and a switch into a customer-focused role.

Making the move from Asia to Germany was an exciting transition for Kumar, which gave him the chance to widen his cultural horizons and later the opportunity to head up marketing across Europe for mobile giant Nokia.

Then, after more than a decade working in telecoms, Kumar took a leap into the data sector as head of marketing for EMEA at Experian, before joining Aviva, initially as global head of marketing strategy and planning in 2013.

A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Kumar has made a point of taking a holistic approach to his career, one focused on a breadth of experience and the impact he can have for the greater good, rather than becoming obsessed with climbing the ladder.

Despite his success, looking back on the past two decades there are several questions Kumar wishes he had asked as a junior marketer that might have helped him along the way, from understanding that wellbeing stretches well beyond the end-of-year appraisal, to not sweating the small stuff.