KATHMANDU

Featured by Harvard as a "Dreamer," Kandeban Balendran (Kandee) is a Harvard University Outstanding Leadership Award–winning educator and serial entrepreneur, widely regarded as a leading brand builder and celebrated media veteran. A former celebrity host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and a media CEO in both Sri Lanka and India, he chose to step away from corporate life to serve people through education and entrepreneurship. He currently serves as President & CEO of Miami Ad School Sri Lanka & Maldives, President of the Harvard Club of Sri Lanka, and Founder of the Big Bold Brave Harvard Conference - one of the region's most influential platforms on leadership, courage, and belonging. He shared with Shivangi Agarwal of The Himalayan Times that belonging isn't a campaign, it's a long-term commitment to people, growth, and integrity.

You've had a diverse career spanning media, education, and entrepreneurship. How do you see these different experiences coming together in your vision for "belonging"?

I've come to believe that belonging is not something you declare, it's something you design through actions. My years in the media taught me the power of stories and voices. Education showed me the power of unlocking potential. Entrepreneurship taught me the hard reality that good intentions mean nothing unless they are sustainable.

When I look back, all three were preparing me for the same realization: people don't want to just be consumers, students, or employees - they want to matter. Belonging, to me, means creating spaces where people feel seen, valued, and capable of growing. Whether it's a classroom, a workplace, a brand, or a community, belonging happens when people feel they have a future there, not just a role.

As the founder of an education think tank, how do you believe brands can contribute to meaningful community development, especially in education?

Education cannot be treated as charity - it must be treated as infrastructure. Brands have enormous power, not just to influence choices, but to shape capability. When brands invest in learning, skills, and access - especially for young people - they're not "giving back," they're building the ecosystem they themselves will depend on tomorrow.

The most meaningful brand contributions I've seen are not scholarships with logos, but long-term commitments to: skills that lead to livelihoods, learning that keeps pace with change, and pathways that turn potential into dignity. Education is where trust is built quietly, over time. Brands that understand this don't just earn loyalty - they earn relevance.

I am from Sri Lanka and I lived and worked across the world. Nepal reminds us that belonging is deeply rooted in community, resilience, and learning passed across generations. In societies like Nepal, Sri Lanka and across South Asia - education is more than advancement; it is hope. Brands that understand this have a unique opportunity not just to grow markets, but to strengthen communities by investing in skills, dignity, and futures.

In your journey from media to creating social impact, what role has purpose played in guiding your decisions?

Purpose has been my compass, especially when the path was uncertain.

There were moments in my career when the safer choice would have been to stay where I was - comfortable roles, predictable progress. But every time I've stepped into something unfamiliar, it's been because I felt a responsibility bigger than myself.

Purpose doesn't always show up as clarity. Sometimes it shows up as discomfort. But I've learned that when your work is tied to impact - especially education and people - you're willing to endure uncertainty because you know the effort will outlive you.

For me, purpose is not about doing good on the side; it's about building institutions and ideas that continue long after you step away.

You've led efforts both locally (in Sri Lanka) and in global alumni networks. How do you build a sense of shared identity and trust across such different communities?

Trust travels faster than credentials. Across cultures, geographies, and institutions, people respond to the same things: authenticity, consistency, and humility. Titles may open doors, but listening keeps them open.

When working across global communities, I've found that shared values matter more than shared backgrounds. If people sense that you are there to contribute - not to control - and that your intent is genuinely collective, trust forms naturally.

Belonging is not about sameness. It's about alignment. And alignment comes from showing up, again and again, with integrity.

From your perspective, how can a brand be a force for social good without diluting its commercial goals?

This is a false trade-off and a dangerous one. The strongest brands I know don't separate profit and purpose. They integrate them. Social impact shouldn't sit in a separate department; it should sit at the core of how value is created.

When brands invest in people through education, skills, and meaningful work - they reduce churn, increase resilience, and build long-term relevance. That is not dilution; it is strategy.

In today's world, brands that optimise only for short-term returns may grow faster - but brands that invest in human capital last longer.

What do you hope participants at BrandFest 2025 will take away from your session on "belonging" in this rapidly changing world?

I hope they walk away with one uncomfortable but honest insight: Belonging is not a campaign. It's a commitment. In a world shaped by AI, disruption, and constant change, the brands that will survive are not the loudest or the smartest - but the ones that help people grow.

If participants leave asking themselves:

Are we building skills or just selling stories?

Are we creating dependence or enabling independence?

Are we investing in attention - or in people?

Then my job is done.

Because in the end, when people grow, brands follow. Be mad. Lead. Learn. Or get out of the way.