If you think you know how to make decisions based on your past track records, wipe that clean and really lean into the learning process. It prepares you for decisions you were not prepared to make.
Born and raised in Hong Kong during the British colonial period, Dheeraj Choithramani’s multicultural background shaped his diverse interests and opportunities; from his heritage to his studies in Hong Kong, the UK, and Australia. Alongside an early passion for IT programming, computer science, and generative art, he sought to balance technical skills with business acumen. "I didn’t want to focus only on programming; I needed more skills in management," he explained of his studies abroad.
Upon returning to Hong Kong, his career has been one of discovery and adaptation, beginning in a visuals & communications role at TNS (now Kantar) where he bridged his skills of programming and visual design in in the burgeoning field of digital media. His subsequent shift to The Egg, a digital media agency, happened by coincidence.
“I thought the role was asking me to work with the website with regards to technical aspects such as audits,” he recalled with a chuckle, sharing that his aptitude with data became very clear to his managers. “I began experimenting with some SEO and our first-ever SEM contract, and since then, I’ve been here the past 12 years expanding the multi-channel paid media portfolio,” Dheeraj noted, now leading a team of over a dozen specialists across data, account management, and project coordination.
It wasn’t planned. I just started seeing more opportunities, looking for gaps, and saying yes to a lot of things.
By 2016, Dheeraj’s role at The Egg began to evolve exponentially as demand surged. With a rapidly expanding scope, he realised he needed a solid team to manage the workload and drive growth, nothing that “you really need two or three highly efficient people to accelerate growth.”
Describing his leadership philosophy, he drew inspiration from his passion for football - finding striking parallels between sports management and corporate leadership. For him, the most impressive managers are those who can build and rebuild teams. "In corporate environments, there’s an expectation of linear growth, but in football, rebuilding is inevitable because of factors like age and retirement. Teams are forced to adapt, to build and rebuild as circumstances change."
He believes that effective rebuilding defines long-term success, both in sports and business. "In football, you can’t replace a player with someone exactly the same—it never works. In corporate life, it’s the same. You need to accept change, adapt, and focus on the strengths of the team as it evolves."
INSEAD Strategic Decision Making for Leaders Programme
As his team scaled, decision-making became increasingly critical - "I still have a lot of mistrust around certain decisions—not because they’re good or bad, but because I need to understand the rationality behind them." For Mr. Choithramani, a clear rationale is essential: "If something’s rational, I accept it. If it seems contradictory, then, of course, it raises questions—not just for me, but for others too."
Joining the recent run of the programme, Dheeraj had a clear goal: to explore how AI could enhance strategic decision-making. "I was very curious about the angle of combining AI with decision-making. I’d already been experimenting with AI tools, so I wanted to see how this could improve my approach," he shared. Once he began, the programme turned out to be a multidimensional experience, covering AI, game theory, and behavioural economics. "There was Enrico’s section on critical decision-making—decision traps, groupthink, wisdom of the crowd and using statistics in practical ways," he said. "Then came game theory and AI, both of which offered frameworks for making more informed, data-backed decisions."
One of his main takeaways was viewing AI as a ‘team member’ to guide thinking without becoming overly dependent on it. "AI can help to reframe questions and direct you toward the best outcomes. It can be useful when you need to understand others' priorities to strengthen your negotiation and persuasion techniques ," he explained.
The Strategic Decision Making for Leaders programmes is one of the most undervalued programmes offered at INSEAD.
Since returning to the workplace after the programme, Mr. Choithramani has focused on empowering his team to make their own decisions rather than dictating his choices. "I try to guide them in making decisions and allow them to learn from their mistakes. It’s about finding the right balance of risk." he explained. He shared that decision-making has become less stressful for him, especially with the new tools and frameworks he’s adopted. "I’ve always been good at prioritising, but the difficult decisions are often big-picture ones—like planning team budgets, hiring, and team development," he noted. With the help of data, AI, and discussions, he’s learned to make these decisions without overwhelming himself.
"I want to lead by example and improve my decision-making so I can help others learn to do it for themselves," he explains. Decision-making occupies a large part of his day, from thinking about immediate steps to future plans and problem-solving. "Prioritisation itself is decision-making," he reflects, underscoring the importance of clear and strategic choices in his role.
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