ABOUT THE BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGIST.

Manoj Matthai has delivered exponential success for more than 300 brands & businesses using differentiated Strategy Solutions for varied projects in the last quarter of a century. He is an exponent of the essentiality of Neighbourhood Business Success for the growth of goodness and happiness in cultures and countries. He believes in a good environment for thriving Family Businesses for societal and community growth. He has a special acumen for family business advisory.

Over the last 25 years, Manoj Matthai has been a highly successful practicing strategist if you count the exponential fast growth he has brought into almost all his projects for client businesses through his Strategy Solutions.
He is an expert in dealing with the challenges of businesses operating in Asian markets where unique and highly differentiated neighbourhood markets blend to form the market of a country. Manoj Matthai is among the rare breed of the
global strategy community that blends strategy formulation and strategy implementation simultaneously with ease. He is a pioneer in the management consulting industry in holding the post of the Principal Strategist along with the designation of the Chief Creative Officer.

He is industry agnostic as he believes Strategy Consulting has to be focused on human mindsets rather than limiting it with industry boundaries. India’s first coloured mobile Manoj Matthai started his career over a quarter of a
century ago by launching India’s first coloured mobile handsets for the French telecom giant Alcatel with the campaign ‘Black is Boring’ in the finale of the 20th century. This probably became an inspiration and a catalyst for the dominance of casual fashion culture over the formal fashion culture in India. He also launched the ‘Bacardi Blast’ in India along with Channel [V] in Bangalore as a prelude to the turn of the new century in the midst of
the global Y2K challenge.

God’s own country
After he founded Breakthrough Brand & Business Consulting in 1998, Manoj Matthai’s strategies were instrumental in successfully launching almost all the top private resorts in all the tourist destinations in Kerala, which also became a helping hand for Kerala as a state to be positioned as the most sought-after tourist destination in this part of the world. He launched international brands like Le Meridien, Hilton, Ginger, Volkswagen, etc. in Kerala. His corporate communications also helped in selling Kovalam Hotels and the erstwhile Travancore Kingdom’s Halcyon Castle in the privatising efforts of the landmark destination hotel of the Kerala Government. Breakthrough Brand & Business Consulting also became one of the two firms in India that worked on the strategy implementation programme for rebranding Taj into Vivanta by Taj.

The largest jewellery in India
His strategy that positioned one of the oldest jewellers in India with the idea ‘The Largest Jewellery Store in India is now at Trivandrum’ ensured that this jewellery showroom also became the largest-selling showroom in the country in the first 12 months of its launch. This was a landmark achievement for a store outside the Indian metros.Pioneering change in Indian family outlook Manoj Matthai’s strategy pivoted the outlook of the real-estate industry in south India to align with the social change happening with the new outlook of the Indian family system. With the joint family system in the villages opening up for a nuclear family system, he pioneered the thought of not selling apartments as
dwelling places or as a product but as a harbinger of the new modern lifestyle. He shifted the spotlight on to the lady of the house from the head of the family. His strategic thought revolved around the more powerful modern homemaker who was willing and capable of owning greater responsibilities of the family with the line that expressed the strategic essence in ‘My Home. My life.’ This thinking to launch a new brand helped the builder rise up to
be the leading builder in the industry.

Changing the world
with good neighbourhoods In the second decade of the 21st century, he started believing in the idea that good neighbourhoods have the power to change the world for the better. With this vision in mind, Manoj Matthai founded India’s first neighbourhood potal yentha.com just before the smart phones were launched in the world. In the same neighbourhood perspective, he consolidated Supreme Group under a new corporate identity as ‘Supreme Food Company’. After the onsolidation and the ensuing exponential growth, the essence of its strategy was rolled out in the strategic line ‘Happiness is Supreme’ in its third phase with the launch of two new categories in food – The Food Market and also The Food Destination.
The first of the legend of Indian cinema In 2021, Manoj Matthai was instrumental in roping in the legend of Indian cinema, Sri. Amitabh Bachchan to endorse a footwear brand for the first time in his long and legendary career spanning over 50 years. His strategy was probably the first in India to use the legend as a brand ambassador for four brands strategically in a single calendar year.

India’s VKC
His strategy in repositioning VKC as a corporate
house with a new thinking helped VKC become the
fastest growing corporate house in the footwear
industry in India. In 2023, as a part of the strategy,
he repositioned VKC as ‘India’s VKC’ in the fourth
phase of the strategy roll out. As a part of the VKC
strategy, he also launched ‘India’s First Sporty
Fashion Movement’ for Debongo. With Ja.May.Ka,
he also introduced ‘Fun Wear’ as a new category in
footwear. He also introduced the new retail channel
for VKC through ‘My VKC’ stores at Chennai in 2023.
Transforming an 84-year-old
family business
In 2024, he is pioneering an innovative strategy to
transform an 84-year-old family business in food
operated by the third generation into a ‘Corporate
House in Modern Lifestyle’ with multiple highly
individualistic business verticals. The multiple phases
of Azad strategy roll out will flow on from 2024.
Multiplying Business Successes
Manoj Matthai as a strategist is focused on multiplying
the value of his client business many times over by
introducing a new energy for exponential fast growth.
He is probably the only Principal Strategist in the
consulting industry worldwide who holds the
designation of the Chief Creative Officer and the Strategist together.
Manoj Matthai is an ardent believer in the power of
the neighbourhoods and the neighbourhood
businesses to transform the world into a beautiful place
for humanity and all the living beings.