34: Vivek Bhargava, CEO, DAN Performance Group on Table Tennis, Chess, Happiness - Full conversation - a podcast by CXO Life

Vivek Bhargava, CEO, DAN Performance Group heads the digital performance agencies of the reputed Dentsu Aegis Network.  Vivek has been on this digital journey since 1997 when he commenced his venture Communicate2 to help Indian companies communicate better having observed the medium’s gradual but gripping impact in the US on his family trips and as a young student. From a time when digital meant at the most having an add-on CD to a corporate brochure to now when it is omnipresent, the journey has been a promising one for Vivek, who is regarded as among the top digital minds in India today.
And if anything makes for as enthralling a story is Vivek’s passion for table tennis, a sport he picked up as a seven-year-old when his family suddenly shifted to Mussoorie, a beautiful hill station in Dehradun, India. Vivek took to the sport passionately and went on to play several state tournaments. What may come as a surprise to many though is that Vivek had taken a complete break from playing TT for the 15 years he led Communicate2 until its acquisition by Dentsu Aegis in 2012. Around the same time, an old friend who had come over from the US challenged Vivek to a match and since then, Vivek hasn’t looked back from working on his game.
Vivek went on to not only play table tennis regularly but also went on to compete at the national level. He has won a bronze in the 30-plus-age category and a silver in the doubles. He credits his quick comeback to the thorough training he received as a child.
Vivek is also committed to improve the visibility of the sport in the country and also owns a table tennis team, Challengers, in the Ultimate Table Tennis League -  a professional level table tennis league in India contested by 6 teams. His team had qualified till the finals in the inaugural 2017 season and very recently, about two months ago in the 3rd season of the UTT League had made it to the semi-finals.
And if you think this is about it, hold on. Vivek is also an avid chess player and an amateur paragliding pilot. He is also learning the art of standup comedy and has performed a couple of routines. He believes learning to make people laugh especially in his vocation can be of tremendous help. Well, I must admit I had a ball recording this conversation even as Vivek spooked me with some mentalism tricks he had just learned! There were so many aspects which we spoke about at length that this has been one of the toughest conversations to edit considering there’s only so much we can pack – so make the most of it!
In this full conversation Vivek delves on his formative years, the critical and indelible influence his father has had on him, his relocation to Mumbai in the 9th grade which he regards as a key milestone, his entrepreneurial journey, his philosophies on happiness, life, sports, leadership, his passions – primarily table tennis and chess, his penchant for learning something new every quarter, topped with some rather interesting facts about Vivek including an app which he uses to meditate and swears by. And all of this is served with hearty doses of laughter. Now with a future standup comedian in tow, we wouldn’t have had it any other way, right?
So are you up for this entertaining and inspiring chat? Here we go

Further episodes of Talk CXO Life

Further podcasts by CXO Life

Website of CXO Life