Prof. Khushboo Benani

Assistant Professor of Practice

Marketing & Culture Strategy

Khushboo Benani, a seasoned culture marketing and partnerships leader with over two decades of experience at the intersection of brands, culture, and consumer engagement. Her career has been defined by a deep understanding of how brands can build relevance by participating meaningfully in cultural conversations. Having worked across global and emerging markets, she has developed expertise in creating strategic collaborations that connect brands with artists, creators, communities, and cultural movements.

Most recently, Khushboo led Global Culture Marketing for Johnnie Walker from Amsterdam, where she was instrumental in shaping the cultural relevance of one of the world’s most iconic brands. Her work spanned artist collaborations, limited-edition launches, bartender communities, and global communication initiatives, helping build both brand meaning and commercial impact. Prior to this, she established and led the Content, Influencer Marketing and Brand Advocacy function at Diageo India, creating a robust creator and celebrity ecosystem that became central to the organization’s brand-building efforts.

Over the course of her career, she has also held leadership roles at Reliance Brands and Reliance MediaWorks, in addition to beginning her professional journey in public relations consultancy. Her experience across luxury, lifestyle, media, and consumer categories has provided her with a nuanced understanding of contemporary audiences and evolving cultural trends.

Recognized internationally for her contributions to culture-led brand building, Khushboo was part of the team behind Errata at 88, a Johnnie Walker campaign in Brazil that won the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2024. At MICA, she brings valuable practitioner insight alongside global brand experience, contributing to teaching and curriculum development in Brand Management and Strategic Marketing Communication.

At MICA, Prof. Benani teaches marketing strategy, brand advocacy, and culture marketing. She grounds classroom discussions in real-world campaign execution, helping students understand how brands build cultural relevance, leverage creator ecosystems, and navigate global consumer trends.

Academic Area

Brand Management, Culture Marketing, Strategic Marketing Communication, Partnerships and Influencer Marketing.

Areas of Teaching
  • Brand Management
  • Strategic Marketing Communication
  • Culture Marketing
  • Influencer Marketing
  • Brand Partnerships
  • Luxury and Lifestyle Brand Marketing
Awards & Honours
  • Cannes Lions 2024 Grand Prix winner for the music campaign Errata at 88 created for Johnnie Walker in Brazil.
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
  • Culture Marketing
  • Brand Strategy
  • Influencer Marketing
  • Brand Advocacy
  • Partnerships and Collaborations
  • Luxury and Lifestyle Branding
  • Popular Culture and Brand Building
  • Community-led Marketing
Key Industry Contributions

Infrastructure details like: fire and safety certificate, barrier free build for disabled and elderly

Sr.No.DetailsView Information
1Fire-Safety-Certificate-MICA
The validity period of 2 years and the expiry date is 31/08/2028
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2Barrier-free-Build-by-Architect
The validity period of 3 years and The expiry date is 31/08/2028 
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Affirmative Action/SC/ST Committee (STATUTORY)

Sr. No. Member
1CTSO (Lead) – Nirja Sharma
2Faculty/Anchor for Environment & Creativity AI Centre (Co-Lead) - Harmony Singanporia
3Faculty – Deepika Meena
4Staff representatives – Bhikabhai Chauhan
5Staff representatives – Manu Parmar
6Staff representatives – Jaydeep Vaghela
7Secretary: Kruttika

IQAC & Assurance of Learning

Sr. No. Member
1Registrar (Lead) - Professor Panda
2Dean & Principal (Designate) – (Co Lead) – PK Sinha (Prof. Sinha will continue to play this role post his becoming Dean & Principal)
3Controller of Examinations (Lead Assurance of Learning) – Niyati Bhanja
4Dean & Principal – Githa Heggde (Prof. Heggde will continue once she transitions to her new role)
5Director & CEO – Jaya Deshmukh
6Associate Dean Knowledge – Suresh Malodia
7Head of FRC – Rasananda Panda
8Head of CLIP – Pooja Thomas
9Faculty – Harmony Siganporia
10External Review Member – Amrita Randhawa (MICA Alumni)
11External Review Member – Arun – Accenture Song (MICA Alumni)
12External Review Member – Maya Indira Ganesh (TBC)
13Secretary: Sethu Iyer

Institution Industry Cell / Placements (Including Summer Internship)

Sr. No. Member
1Head of External Relations & Growth (Lead) – Indranil Banerji
2Executive Advisor – Strategic Initiatives (Co-Lead) – Githa Heggde (Githa will play this role even when she is Dean & Principal)
3Dean & Principal (Designate) – PK Sinha (Sinha Sir will continue to play this role when he becomes Dean & Principal)
4Associate Dean – Academics – Santosh Patra
5Faculty - Bikram Bindra
6Faculty – Govindrajan
7Director & CEO – Jaya Deshmukh
8CMO – Ruchi Tewari
9Management Trainee – CEO’s Office – Strategic Initiatives – Kuldeep Raj
10MICA 2026 leaving placecomm member – Akhilesh
11MICA 2027 SPC sitting member – TBC
12MICA Committee List 2026-27 5
13Student MLS Lead 2026 - TBC
14MAA Board Placement Enabler – Navneeth L V
15Secretary: Harjeet

Institution’s Innovation Council – IIC (Entrepreneurial Initiatives)

Sr. No. Member
1 Faculty & IIC Lead: Adwait Mardikar
2 Faculty (Co-Lead): U T Rao
3 Faculty/ Anchor Technology in AI Centre – Viral Nagori
4 Faculty – Ashutosh Yadav
5 Faculty – Saurabh Pandya
6 Faculty – Sukaran Thakur
7 Director & CEO – Jaya Deshmukh
8 Dean & Principal (Designate) – PK Sinha
9 Secretary: Pooja Sharma