Life revolves around an idea and an idea brings tremendous success, if it's created and marketed well. He is the most admired marketing man in India today after all he markets ideas and builds new brands. In fact, he has been credited with creating some of the most successful media brands in India today. For a man who started his career in a food company, becoming the Executive Vice President & Managing Director of the India subsidiary of Discovery Communications has been an adventurous path. But then, Deepak Shourie loves to take up challenges and he does not hesitate to experiment.

It has always been his endeavour to discover new ideas. Youngest of the Shourie siblings - brother Arun Shourie needs no introduction while sister Nalini is a software producer of note - Deepak Shourie started his career in Metal Box. There after he worked in two food companies, General Foods and Cadbury India. It was in 1988 that Shourie decided to try his hand in something totally new to him. He jumped into the media industry. He joined the India Today group and was responsible for starting Music Today and also for the tie-up with Time magazine.

"Media is always exciting," he has always believed in and before long, it turned out to be his career. After India Today, he moved to Hindustan Times and in his capacity as Executive President, he turned around the fortunes of that company. In 1995, he tried something more challenging. He launched the Outlook magazine and took on the premier magazine of that time, India Today, a group he had worked for. The Outlook launch is considered today as one of the most successful product launches in the country.

He was conferred the "Marketing Person of the Year" award by A&M magazine. Four years later, he joined Zee Telefilms and that was one stint that drew its own share of controversy. Zee Tele, with Shourie as Operating Partner and Publisher, formed a new company to launch TV industry guide, TV World. Some other Zee publications were also to be migrated to this company. However, cash flow problems and some big mistakes on the programming front compelled Zee to scrap its publishing plans. Shourie had to quit in the course of restructuring drive. In 2001, he joined Discovery Communications India bringing with him 31 years of experience. He succeeded under stalwart in the field, Kiran Karnik.

As Executive VP and MD, Shourie has to look after various aspects of Discovery's business in India including affiliate and advertising sales, programming, on-air and off-air marketing and communications. There are Discovery's channels under him-the Discovery and Animal Planet channels and three Discovery Channel sub-brands, viz., Discovery Kids, Discovery Travel & Adventure and Discovery Health. Shourie sees immense opportunities and possibilities for Discovery. Weaning away viewers from frontline entertainment channels (read soap channels) is no mean feat but he is gung-ho about his assignment. It was under him that Discovery launched its Tamil programming. Today, Shourie is turning Discovery India into one of the MNC's most profitable arms. At the same time, he remains practical. "The time is for consolidation and not fast diversification," he says.