Fortune favours those who are hardworking, have patience, are perseverant, resolute, self-believers, and passionately loyal to every and any humane cause. Luck is that serendipitous moment in time where all your goodness brings you cosmic goodwill that influences your destiny in the most positive way, shaping your future in the bestest of luck forever.

A Science graduate and a postgraduate in MBA (Marketing), Sumit Chandna never thought that he would be part of something grand like Evolve Brands Pvt Ltd–a loyalty rewards company–until, by his good luck, he met Harish Motwani, the visionary CEO & Co-founder of the company.

Instantly, Sumit, a complete Bollywood buff and a cricket enthusiast found himself on the pedestal of a roller-coaster career as Evolve Brands’ Chief Operating Officer and one of the visionary leaders inspiring the world, shaping the future of how brands perceived and implemented Loyalty with its key stakeholders in the value chain.

A hardcore agency professional, Sumit was the Head of Client Servicing and Operations at Megaron, an event agency later acquired by MCI and with Solutions Integrated, a leading integrated marketing company, prior to Evolve Brands. Adept at a solution-centric approach and well-versed in consulting a business, Sumit’s love, compassion, commitment, and responsiveness towards his team, customers, and vendors are well-known and widely appreciated by everyone.

In Sumit’s words, “I’m passionate about redefining the way businesses approach loyalty program management, and as the COO at Evolve Brands, a leading loyalty-tech company, I am driven to create innovative solutions that maximize customer engagement and drive sustainable growth for them.”

A 15-year experienced loyalty landscape specialist, Sumit is honed in loyalty program design, data analytics, and strategic planning. His dedication to rewards experience optimization took him to work along with diverse firms, home grown brands as well as fast-paced Fortune 500 companies, all of which drove to their excellence because of Sumit’s outstanding operational leadership. Let us get a visual of his enthralling saga from himself in this exclusive interview with CIOLook India.

Sumit sir, as an influential COO in this industry, could you take us back to the beginning of your journey? What motivated you to step into this dynamic ecosystem?

My journey into the loyalty domain began 18 years ago, entirely serendipitously. Without any prior experience in this field, a mutual client introduced me to Harish Motwani. His passion for the loyalty industry and his belief in the potential of a customer-centric ecosystem inspired me to join the organization. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be part of something that would meaningfully shape customer relationships and loyalty strategies.

We are undergoing a significant transformation from a loyalty services company to a LoyaltyTECH company. This shift aims to empower our clients and organizations by leveraging a robust technology platform. By adopting this approach, we are reducing the go-to-market time for our programs, optimization of multiple sales related processes and minimizing the distance and time travelled to achieve this journey, through a more streamlined and reliable system, and leading to enhanced overall operational efficiency.

This transformation allows us to provide faster, more accurate, and scalable solutions, ensuring our clients achieve their goals more easily and precisely. It also strengthens our ability to innovate and stay ahead of the curve, positioning us as a leader in delivering technology-driven loyalty solutions that drive real impact.

Evolve Brands has emerged as India’s leading company in the LoyaltyTech niche. Could you share the guiding philosophy that has propelled your organization’s success?

Our guiding philosophy is straightforward: we strive to be genuine consultants to our clients. Leveraging our deep expertise in the loyalty domain, we focus on guiding brands toward solutions that align with their objectives and address their unique challenges. By staying true to this approach, we ensure that our recommendations are both impactful and relevant, ultimately fostering long-term success for our clients.

The industrial landscape is continually evolving. Please brief our audience about Evolve Brands’ USPs and how you are currently positioned as one of the best transformational companies in its sector.

Our unique strength lies in the extensive experience we bring to the table, paired with the flexibility to adapt to client-specific needs. This enables us to deliver truly customized and impactful loyalty solutions. Unlike organizations that aim to cater to many, we focus on working with a select few clients and making their journeys – the very best. This philosophy underscores our boutique loyalty services model, where quality and precision take precedence over quantity and volume of work we deliver.

Today, we hold a leadership position as India’s foremost loyalty program management company. This blend of specialization, deep industry expertise, and a commitment to tailor-made solutions has positioned us as a transformational partner for our clients. Our ability to deliver exceptional results while maintaining a focused, boutique setup sets us apart and reinforces our reputation as a leader in the loyalty domain.

Sir, your influential leadership style is often recognized as a driving force behind Evolve Brands‘ achievements. Could you shed light on your approach to leadership and team building within the organization?

I have been fortunate to be mentored and groomed by Harish Motwani, our beloved CEO. The philosophy imbibed in me is to remain fair and transparent with all stakeholders—whether it’s our clients, employees, or vendor partners. I firmly believe in putting my best efforts into understanding any problem statement and delivering the most effective solution based on my experience in the domain and ensuring my team delivers superlative results.

My leadership style is anchored in the principles of Unlearning, Learning, Affection to work, Transparency, Accountability, and Adding Value. To grow as a leader, one must continuously unlearn outdated practices and embrace new ideas and methodologies. At the same time, cultivating affection for one’s work fosters passion and drives excellence.

Transparency and accountability build trust within the organization, while a constant focus on adding value ensures that every effort contributes meaningfully to both individual and organizational growth. This approach not only motivates the team but also enables us to deliver transformative results for our clients and stakeholders.

The essence of operations lies in innovation, disruptions, and enhancing the end-user experience. How does your company strike a balance between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction?

Our primary focus is always on addressing the client’s requirements effectively; innovation follows naturally when it adds real value. We understand that not every program requires innovation, as some clients and brand managers may be cautious about change, fearing potential disruptions. At Evolve Brands, we prioritize operational efficiency to ensure seamless program execution. This focus on reliability and excellence enables us to deliver satisfaction both to our clients and their customers, ultimately enhancing Evolve Brands’ customer satisfaction levels.

Digitalization and technological advancements are crucial aspects of the modern industrial ecosystem. How does your company integrate these principles into its core functioning and contribute to a technovative future?

We embrace new ideas, technologies, and innovations, continuously seeking ways to improve our offerings. Our commitment to providing tailored solutions means that we often explore innovative approaches when the client is open to experimentation. This flexibility allows us to stay at the forefront of digitalization and technological advancement, pushing us to create solutions that are both cutting-edge and aligned with the evolving needs of our clients. By integrating these principles into our core operations, we contribute to a ‘technovative’ future in loyalty program management.

The workforce is the cornerstone of any successful organization. How does Evolve Brands foster a culture of growth, skill development, and empowerment among its employees?

Our industry is highly specialized, and finding trained professionals is challenging. To address this, we focus on training, mentoring, and grooming talent within our company. We encourage our core team members to enhance their skills through various online workshops and training programs. Within our team, we have numerous success stories of individuals—from MIS professionals to call centre agents—who have been nurtured and developed to take on independent client servicing roles. These examples stand as a testament to our commitment to fostering growth, skill development, and empowerment among our employees.

The loyalty industry often faces complex challenges, such as fraud detection and customer retention. How does your company navigate these challenges while maintaining trust and delivering value?

At Evolve Brands, we have a comprehensive approach to tackling challenges like fraud and customer churn. By utilizing advanced anomaly detection techniques, we can identify suspicious activity early and prevent fraudulent claims, which protects the integrity of our programs. Additionally, we focus on building strong, transparent relationships with our clients by continuously evolving our solutions based on feedback and data insights, ensuring that customer retention remains at the forefront of our strategies. Needless to say, this is a constantly evolving process and daily evolution is happening in this area.

How do you stay ahead of industry trends and ensure your solutions remain innovative and relevant in a fast-paced, tech-driven landscape?

We invest heavily in research and development to ensure that our solutions remain ahead of the curve. By actively engaging with industry thought leaders, attending global conferences, and collaborating with tech innovators, we remain plugged into emerging trends. This proactive approach allows us to implement cutting-edge technologies like machine learning and blockchain where appropriate, ensuring that our offerings remain relevant, efficient, and impactful in a fast-evolving tech landscape.

What sets Evolve Brands apart from others in the loyalty domain, and how do you ensure that you continuously evolve to stay relevant?

Our focus on delivering highly customized, results-driven loyalty solutions is what truly sets us apart. While many in the industry offer one-size-fits-all programs, we take the time to deeply understand each client’s unique challenges and goals, allowing us to design bespoke programs that generate measurable results. We continuously evolve by embracing new technologies, keeping a pulse on customer behavior trends, and fostering a culture of continuous learning within our team. Delivering a loyalty program many can do, but conceptualizing, implementing a loyalty as a mission and last forever in changing landscapes and mindsets is something we believe in doing.

How has the shift to mobile platforms and apps impacted loyalty programs, and how is your company adapting to this change?

The shift to mobile platforms has been a game-changer for loyalty programs, significantly enhancing accessibility and convenience for customers. In the traditional, non-mobile ecosystem, loyalty programs relied heavily on physical mediums such as membership cards, printed statements, and desktop-based platforms. These systems often had limited engagement due to restricted access, delayed updates, and minimal personalization. Customers needed to remember their membership numbers, visit specific locations to redeem rewards or log in via desktops, which hindered real-time interactions and seamless experiences.

In contrast, the mobile ecosystem has revolutionized how customers engage with loyalty programs. Mobile platforms provide instant access to rewards, real-time tracking of points, and one-touch redemption, all from the convenience of a smartphone. The integration of push notifications, location-based offers, and AI-powered personalization enables brands to connect with customers in real-time, offering timely and relevant interactions that were not possible in the non-mobile setup. This shift has elevated the role of loyalty programs from transactional to deeply engaging and customer-centric.

At Evolve Brands, we have fully embraced this transition by prioritizing mobile-first solutions. Our app-based loyalty platforms are designed to meet the demands of today’s digital-savvy customers. We leverage mobile technology to facilitate instant feedback, personalized notifications, gamification elements, and even geo-targeted offers to drive deeper engagement. These solutions not only make participation effortless but also allow our clients to gather valuable data and insights into customer behavior, helping them refine their strategies.

Moreover, the mobile ecosystem enables us to build more robust relationship management practices. By integrating features such as family profiles, shared rewards, and exclusive in-app engagement activities, we extend the value of loyalty programs beyond the individual members to their families. This holistic approach creates stronger emotional bonds with the brand, which translates into increased wallet share and long-term loyalty.

In summary, while the non-mobile ecosystem focused on static, delayed, and less interactive experiences, the mobile-first approach has transformed loyalty programs into dynamic, real-time engagement platforms. At Evolve Brands, we are leading this evolution by continually innovating our mobile offerings to ensure seamless, personalized, and impactful experiences for both our clients and their customers.

In the rapidly evolving loyalty domain, how do you see the role of data and personalization shaping the future of customer engagement?

As customer expectations continue to evolve, data-driven personalization has become a key pillar in loyalty programs. We harness the power of data to understand customer behavior, preferences and needs deeply. By integrating advanced analytics and AI, we craft hyper-targeted experiences that not only drive engagement but also build long-term loyalty. Our approach ensures that every interaction with the brand feels meaningful and tailored, which is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in today’s marketplace.

Beyond personalization, relationship management plays a pivotal role in creating deeper connections with customers. At Evolve Brands, we emphasize profiling each member not just for transactional behaviour but also to understand their emotional triggers and preferences. This allows us to design delight and engagement activities that cater not only to the individual but extend to their family members as well. By engaging the member’s family, we aim to build mindshare and heart-share, ensuring that the brand occupies a meaningful space in their lives.

This comprehensive approach transforms loyalty from a mere rewards program into a holistic engagement strategy. It helps brands achieve a larger wallet share while fostering emotional attachment. By combining data-driven insights with thoughtful relationship management, we enable brands to deliver personalized and memorable experiences that go beyond expectations, solidifying their place in the customer’s life for years to come.

As a leader in the loyalty domain, how do you envision the role of AI and machine learning in the future of customer loyalty programs?

AI and machine learning are already revolutionizing loyalty programs, enabling businesses to anticipate customer needs, predict behaviours, and create highly personalized experiences. We are exploring the use of predictive analytics to enhance our clients’ decision-making, and we see a future where AI plays a key role in automating customer interactions, optimizing rewards structures, and dynamically adjusting offers based on real-time customer data.

Businesses are a way for the Indian industry to pace up its economic potential and capacity. What would be your advice to other budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the tech space?

My advice to budding entrepreneurs entering the tech space is to embrace the journey as a never-ending learning curve. Continuous learning and implementation of new, innovative ideas are essential. Focus on developing solutions that not only address the problem but also leverage automation to enhance performance and cost efficiency. By prioritizing these elements, entrepreneurs can drive sustainable growth and make a meaningful impact in the tech industry.

Looking ahead, what is your vision for Evolve Brands? How do you aspire to continue making a significant impact on India’s transformational operations-powered innovative future landscape?

My vision for the company is to consistently deliver exceptional value to all our stakeholders. By increasingly adopting technology as it evolves, leveraging automation tools and fostering innovation, we aim to exceed client expectations and drive transformative results. As we continue to grow, our focus will remain on using cutting-edge technology and creative solutions to contribute meaningfully to India’s operations-powered, innovation-driven future.