Abhilash Mohapatra
Brand & Program Manager | Content & Thought Leadership | Workforce, Education & SaaS Platforms | Canada + Global
Mississauga, ON, Canada
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289-442-0027
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mailabhilashmohapatra@gmail.com
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linkedin.com/in/abhilashism
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abhilashmohapatra.com
Professional Summary
Mission-driven Brand and Program Manager with 18+ years of experience spanning content creation, digital thought leadership, program management, strategic partnerships, and platform adoption across SaaS, government, workforce, and education ecosystems. Proven record of translating complex institutional narratives and market insights into compelling multi-channel content — LinkedIn editorial programs, newsletters, podcasts, webinars, and social-first campaigns — that build trust, drive engagement, and deliver measurable adoption.
Experienced operating at the intersection of government, industry, and digital platforms — having led national-scale programs for the Government of India, FICCI, and NSDC, and built content-led growth systems for SMBs and employability organisations. Comfortable in fast-paced, remote-first, multi-stakeholder environments with high ownership and cross-functional collaboration. Based in Mississauga with full Canadian work authorisation.
Core Competencies
Brand & Content: Brand Campaign Execution, Content Strategy, LinkedIn Thought Leadership, Newsletter Management, Social-First Storytelling, Content Calendar & Editorial Management, Copywriting, Localisation
Content Production: Podcast Production, Webinar Production & Hosting, Video Content, Script Writing, Interview Hosting, Carousel & Thread Formats, AI-enabled Content Workflows, Canva, Video Editing
Program Management: Program & Project Management, Agile Execution, Multi-stakeholder Coordination, KPI Design & Reporting, Budget Tracking, ROI Analysis, Dashboards, Remote & Async Team Leadership
Partnerships & Growth: Strategic Partnerships, Ecosystem Development, Employer & Institutional Onboarding, Go-to-Market Strategy, Platform Adoption, SMB & Institutional Outreach, B2B & B2G Engagement
Digital & Analytics: LinkedIn Analytics, WhatsApp Marketing & Automation, Zoho CRM, Google Workspace, Excel & Data Analysis, Slack, AI Tools for Productivity, Prompt Engineering
Sector Expertise: Workforce Development, Employability Platforms, EdTech, SaaS, Public Sector & GovTech, Skill Development, Career Counselling Systems, Digital Transformation
Professional Experience
Program & Growth Consultant — Brand, Content & Partnerships
Apr 2024 – Present
Independent Consultant (Self-Employed) | Mississauga, ON, Canada
- Produce LinkedIn thought-leadership content, newsletters, and social-first editorial series for workforce and education organisations, translating complex program narratives into audience-ready digital stories.
- Host and produce Career Talkies — a career podcast and talk-show series featuring policymakers, corporate leaders, and educators; manage full production pipeline from scripting through to editing, distribution, and audience engagement.
- Design and deliver webinar and workshop programs for career development audiences, including content scripting, presenter briefing, live hosting, and post-event repurposing.
- Build AI-enabled content and marketing operations workflows — research synthesis, brand positioning, campaign pipelines, CRM automation (Zoho/WATI), and reporting dashboards.
- Develop employability toolkits, mentorship program frameworks, and cohort-based learning products for students, SMBs, and mid-career professionals.
- Running AI Job Search at 40+ content series documenting job search systems, tools, and frameworks for mid-career professionals navigating the Canadian and global job market.
Strategy & Partnerships Manager — NSDCJobX Platform
Jan 2023 – Mar 2024
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) | New Delhi, India
Led program execution, partner onboarding, content strategy, and platform adoption for NSDCJobX — India's national-scale digital employability marketplace under the Skill India mission.
- Owned end-to-end onboarding of industry partners, employers, placement agencies, and staffing companies onto the NSDCJobX job board, designing partner workflows covering role listing, demand alignment, and follow-up.
- Led onboarding of Skill India talent candidates across regions and qualification levels; ran WhatsApp-based outreach and engagement campaigns to drive registrations and job discovery at scale.
- Owned portal analytics across demand and supply sides, tracking employers, industries, job listings, registrations, and geographic participation to iterate strategy monthly.
- Spearheaded strategic partnerships with Flipkart, Blinkit, HDFC Life, and Urban Company for sector-specific skilling and employment programmes.
- Contributed to NSDCJobX serving an ecosystem of 3,500+ companies, 40+ industries, 19,000+ job listings, and 1M+ registered professionals.
Centre Manager — FICCI COECC & ENCOURAGE Programme
Feb 2020 – Jun 2022
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) | Greater Delhi Area, India
- Operated India's first Centre of Excellence for Career Counselling (COECC), coordinating career counselling services, employer outreach, and digital recruitment initiatives for 60,000+ beneficiaries across 185+ events.
- Designed and executed the ENCOURAGE employability programme — a fully digital multi-format content operation including career awareness webinars, online employability skills workshops, and employer interaction platforms.
- Partnered with EnglishScore (British Council) to enable 20,000+ students to access free online workshops and 4,500+ British Council-endorsed certificates (valued at USD 45,000).
- Delivered 5,000+ online interviews and 600 final-round placements with organisations including Amazon, Bajaj Capital, DCM Shriram, and Finolex.
- Programme documented by British Council / EnglishScore as a best-practice employability collaboration (publicly available case study).
Project Manager — FICCI Model Career Centre (NCS Project)
Nov 2018 – Feb 2020
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) | New Delhi, India
- Managed design and implementation of India's first Centre of Excellence for Career Counselling under FICCI–Samsung partnership, aligned with the NCS framework of the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
- Led student-driven job fair model with Gautam Buddha University: delivered 488 final job offers from 1,200 shortlisted candidates (~40% conversion) — among the highest conversion rates for an open job fair in India.
- Collaborated with NITI Aayog, Ministry of Skill Development, UNDP, UNICEF, ILO, AICTE, NCERT, and CBSE on employability frameworks and career guidance standards.
Young Professional — National Career Service (NCS)
Jul 2016 – Jun 2018
Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India | New Delhi, India
- Supported digital integration of state employment exchanges with the NCS portal (ncs.gov.in), driving transition from offline legacy systems to a centralised national digital employment platform.
- Planned and executed 3 mega job fairs managing 100+ employers and 20,000+ jobseekers across Bareilly, Modi Nagar, and Noida — driving platform registration and employer onboarding.
- Launched India's first virtual job and internship drive, establishing a digital-first model for employment events later adopted across the platform.
- Contributed to period when NCS annual registrations grew from sub-2,000 to 50,000+ nationally.
Brand Manager & Faculty
Nov 2014 – Jun 2016
IAS Gurukul (Civil Services Preparation Institute) | New Delhi, India
- Led digital transformation including website development, SEO, and digital marketing campaigns for UPSC Civil Services preparation courses.
- Delivered teaching in General Studies (Geography), Essay Writing, and Interview Mentoring for UPSC Civil Services aspirants; managed brand campaigns and student orientation for 2,000+ students.
Marketing Manager & Co-Founder
Apr 2012 – May 2014
Svapas Innovations / Talearnt.com | Chennai, India
- Co-founded Talearnt.com — one of India's first cloud-based social live-learning EdTech platforms (later acquired by Think Big Ventures); led brand strategy, content marketing, and instructor onboarding for 15,000+ registered learners.
Assistant Merchandiser — Private Label
Nov 2008 – Dec 2010
Apollo Pharmacy (Apollo Hospital Enterprise Limited) | New Delhi, India
- Managed design, development, and NPD of 100+ private label FMCG products; negotiated pricing with contract manufacturers achieving 40–69% net margin on private label lines.
Education
MBA — Marketing & Strategy
Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai
2011 – 2012
Bachelor of Engineering — Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering Pune (COEP), University of Pune
2001 – 2005
Schooling — Science with Mathematics
Kendriya Vidyalaya
1989 – 2001
Certifications & Ongoing Learning
- Introduction to Generative AI — Google Cloud Skills Boost
- Career Coaching Practitioner — Udemy (Holistic Career Development)
- Creator Accelerator Program — NAS Academy
- AI Tools for Consulting & Startups — Skill Arbitrage (Bootcamp)
Key Achievements & Recognition
- TEDx Speaker — Delivered TEDx talk on Skill, Education & Employment: Bridging the Gap, inspiring students and professionals on proactive career ownership.
- British Council Recognition — Programme designed at FICCI featured and documented by EnglishScore (British Council) as a best-practice employability collaboration — publicly available case study.
- ILO Recognition — Employer engagement model for digital recruitment through FICCI COECC appreciated by the International Labour Organization for structured, industry-aligned employability.
- NSDCJobX National Platform — Contributed to conception and rollout of India's national placement portal linking Skill India graduates with 3,500+ employers across 40+ industries.
- GBU Job Fair — 40% Placement Rate — Delivered 488 job offers from 1,200 shortlisted candidates through a student-led, industry-guided recruitment model — one of India's highest open job fair conversion rates.
- Alumni President — Served as President, Great Lakes Institute of Management Alumni Association — Delhi NCR Chapter.
abhilashmohapatra.com/cv