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Keynote Speaker · Advisor · Author

The Next
Mountain

Everything he speaks about, he lived first.
Every mountain has a path. Let's find yours.

Keynote speaker. Executive advisor. Former CEO, 28 years in media.

#1 Amazon.in Best Seller. Reached #1 in six categories and #19 among all books, July 2026. Went into reprint within ten days of launch.

Book Avinash to speak → Advisory work
Avinash Kaul
Avinash Kaul
Recent stages: The Marketing Academy · BMW · Bombay Stock Exchange · Chandigarh University · The LIT School · Ladies Who Lead
By the Numbers

The short version.

28
Years in Media Leadership
16
Years as Chief Executive

Former CEO, Network18 (Broadcast & Publishing)  ·  Former CEO, Times Television Network  ·  Author, The Next Mountain

Avinash Kaul
About

A CEO who speaks and advises.

I spent 28 years in Indian media, and sixteen of them running the business.

I don't advise from theory. I advise from the chair, from decisions I made running businesses and P&Ls through launches, turnarounds and reinvention.

These days I give talks, advise a few CEOs and founders, and write. The book is out, and the newsletter goes out every Sunday.

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Keynote Speaking

The talks he gives most.

Four signature keynotes, each drawn from something he actually lived through.

01

Exile, Ambition, and the Next Mountain

Flagship keynote

At seventeen, he was forced to leave Kashmir with almost nothing. He went on to run the Indian homes of CNN, CNBC, Forbes and History, then walked away at the top.

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02

Leadership & the Long Climb

Leadership · The Long Climb

Leadership from the inside, by someone who reached the top without a map or a mentor. The calls you make alone, and how quiet the top can get.

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03

The Next Mountain: Purpose Beyond the Peak

After the summit

The question most high achievers avoid: what happens after the summit, and why the way down deserves as much thought as the way up.

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04

Business and Media: Making the Partnership Work

Business and media need each other and rarely agree. That tension is built in, and it can be managed.

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Advisory

Strategic advisor to CEOs, founders and boards.

I'm not a consultant. I'm someone to think out loud with before the big calls, the ones a CEO usually ends up making alone.

01

Founders, family & growth businesses

02

Media, ad tech & digital

03

Investors & boards

04

Entering or growing in India

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Executive Coaching · By Invitation

A handful at a time.

I coach a handful of founders and senior leaders at a time, privately. There's no framework. I've sat in the chair long enough to know when to stay quiet, and which question is worth asking.

Request a conversation →
The Next Mountain · Newsletter

One idea from the climb, every Sunday.

A short letter for senior leaders about what the job is actually like from the inside. I write it myself, from calls I've had to make.

It's free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like. Beehiiv handles the mailing list.

The Room I Was Never Quite In
Insights

The Room I Was Never Quite In

The top job came earlier for me than it did for anyone I knew, and the first thing it cost was company.

10 Oct 2026
Conditions Apply
Insights

Conditions Apply

Most people learn this at forty-five and take it as betrayal. It is not betrayal.

03 Oct 2026
I Was One of Them
Insights

I Was One of Them

The lesson only ever arrives one way, and it is not the way anybody wants.

26 Sep 2026
Read the archive →
The Next Mountain — Avinash Kaul
The Book

The Next Mountain

Notes on Resilience, Leadership and Purpose

He was forced to leave Srinagar at seventeen and spent sixteen years as a CEO. This is how he got from one to the other, in his own words. By Avinash Kaul, as told to Priya Kumar · HarperCollins · Published 13 July 2026.

★ Amazon Bestseller Reached #1 in six categories Went into reprint within ten days of launch
Buy on Amazon → More about the book
Recognition

A few markers.

ENBA 2019
News Television CEO of the Year
The Times Group · 2010–2014
Led teams to 5× Chairman's Awards
YouTube
Global News Working Group Member
The Advertising Club (2026–27)
Managing Committee
AdAura Awards 2026
Jury Chair
See media & recognition →
Let's Talk

What is your next mountain?

Planning an event, or facing a big decision? Write to me. I read every message myself.

Get in touch →