ABOUT VIKRAM
Executive Director and earlier the first CMO of ZebPay, India’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, overseeing governance and strategy.
Helped rebuild ZebPay after RBI ban, led HR and Marketing, acquired 1 million customers, hired 100 employees, launched India’s first Bitcoin advertisement on IPL Cricket.
Previously communications director of the North American Derivatives Exchange and COO of market analysis firm.
TEDx speaker on capitalism, a recognized thought leader in blockchain, and featured in the acclaimed documentary, God Bless Bitcoin.
Formerly an award-winning professor at the University of Florida, his leadership is informed by his training in music, martial arts, and writing and experience working in Japan, the US, France, and India.
EDUCATION
Rice University
BA, English 1990
National Merit Scholar
University of Florida
MFA, Creative Writing 1995
Magna Cum Laude
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Now
- Executive Director
ZebPay/OhanaDAO Pte Ltd
Member of Board of Directors of OhanaDAO
Advise portfolio of companies including Web3 browser, crypto futures platform, alternative asset investment platform, and India’s oldest and leading cryptocurrency exchange, ZebPay
Supervise corporate governance2021-present | Mumbai, India
2021
- Chief Marketing Officer & Head of Human Resources
ZebPay
Hired and trained new 8-person marketing department
Relaunched paid and organic social media
Designed and built new website, design vocabulary, app UI
Negotiated, wrote, launched first Bitcoin ad during national cricket broadcast in India on Disney channel
Acquired 1 million new customers in 18 months with minimal ad spend
Hired and onboarded 100 new employees2020-2021 | Mumbai, India
2019
- Communication Consultant & Independent Futures Trader
Traded futures and options
Coached and advised CEOs and executives on communication and leadership2019 | Chicago, USA
2018
- Communications Director/Content Manager
Nadex - North American Derivatives Exchange
Crafted narrative-based strategy for North American division of FTSE 250 firm: 3X membership, 4X trading volume, became #1 exchange for capped-risk derivative trading in 2 years
Rewrote Nadex.com website for cohesive voice & SEO
Wrote email campaigns; ebooks; display, search, social media ads
Produced and wrote video ads for CNBC, Fox Business, Bloomberg TV/Radio, CNN, YouTube
Scripted episode of PBS documentary series Voices in America on innovations in trading
Wrote ebooks for Bloomberg Businessweek and The Wall Street Journal Magazine
Wrote commentary for WSJ Marketwatch, Seeking Alpha, Harvest, TheStreet, Yahoo Finance2015-2018 | Chicago, USA
2015
- Chief Operating Officer & Editor
MrTopStep.com LLC
Managed turnaround from losses to sustained profits in 18 months
Rebuilt website in WordPress to increase traffic from 5,000 to 44,000 uniques per month in 6 months
Expanded social media. Increased Twitter followers from 9.6K to 22K
Edited, co-wrote daily market call for banks, hedge funds, journalists, and prop traders (6K subscribers)2012-2015 | Chicago, USA
2011
- Senior Instructor
Santa Fe College Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development
Designed and taught professional education courses2008-2011 | Gainesville, USA
2007
- Senior Lecturer & Academic Advisor
University of Florida Honors Program & College of Business
Honors Program
Designed and taught original writing courses: Leadership Communication, Business & Leadership Writing, Spirituality in Popular Culture, Writing & Personal Growth, Writing & Healing, Writing & Love
Named Honors Professor of the Year twice
Received outstanding teaching award every semester for a decade
Selected as first Honors Faculty-in-Residence, Hume Honors College
Warrington College Of Business
Redesigned communication curriculum for MBA programs
Taught leadership communication strategies for change management, conflict resolution
Paris Research Center
Designed and taught "A Writer's Tour of Paris for the Five Senses" every May for 3 years
Lectured in Louvre Museum, Musée d’Orsay, Fondation Claude Monet, Grand Mosque, Museum of Jewish Art and History
Academic Advisement
Advised thousands of students on academics, personal challenges, graduate and career planning
Co-designed Merit Scholar recruitment program, gave 100s of talks, hosted 100s of prospective students in my honors courses
Helped raise UF ranking from #24 for National Merit Scholars to #2 behind Harvard, #2 for Achievement Scholars behind Howard, #1 among public universities
Led New Student Orientation workshops1995-2007 | Gainesville, USA
1999
- MCAT, DAT, GMAT, and SAT Instructor
Kaplan Test Prep
Taught Organic Chemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Verbal Reasoning, Logic, and test-taking skills1995-1999 | Gainesville, USA
1995
- Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Florida Dept. of English
Taught Expository Writing, Beginning Fiction Writing for top 5 creative writing program
Only graduate student to teach Intermediate Fiction Writing
Ranked #1 in class1993-1995 | Gainesville, USA
1993
- Educational Software Design Consultant
Fujitsu Corp, Nishida Youko Subsidiary
Designed content and UI for first multimedia educational software used in Japan public high school Business English courses
Designed pre-HTML for Fujitsu FM Towns PC with (then-new) CD-ROM player
Trained first group of teacher end-users1991-1993 | Tokyo, Japan
1993
- Assistant Language Teacher
Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program
Co-taught English as a Second Language in public high schools, working with Japanese teachers
Designed new communication-oriented Business English curriculum for Kimitsu Commerce High School
Chaired 3-day national teaching conference and presented at national education conferences in Japanese and English1990-1993 | Kimitsu, Japan