Three Headed Lion: research, risk management, and advisory services

our services

We provide deep, actionable intelligence and advice across India - from urban trends (political, business, and security) to rural opportunities at the Base of the Pyramid. We're India's pioneers in the creation of district-level development audits, real-time supply chain intelligence and business risk management.

The following services are an integral part of our mission - to help companies and institutions achieve success in India while understanding and balancing the needs of all constituents.

Our integrated model provides the most comprehensive, accurate and actionable information and advice in India.

The Executive Journey

As growth imperatives drive businesses to explore opportunities in India - the world's largest democracy - mixed signals, inconsistent policy, and opaque business practices create challenges for even the most seasoned multinationals. Navigating these complexities requires an intimate understanding of the culture, business climate, politics, and customer segments.

The Executive Journey is a customized strategic immersion program for MNC executives and future global managers. Based on the industry and your strategic requirements, we design a three-section program as depicted below:

Executive Journey: India

Unlike traditional MBA Executive education programs, we work with your senior executives to develop the right strategy for your Indian operations - identifying opportunities, potential partners, and alerting you to the risks - political and local - as part of our Go-to-India services.

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Market Intelligence & Research

Our unrivaled last mile intelligence connectivity in India means we provide macro and ground-level insights and expertise through our operational network of 1000+ market intelligence and information (MIIPs) providers located in 640+ districts across the subcontinent.

We also have urban teams on the ground in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. These teams focus on consumer trends and uncovering next practices in business model innovation.

The breadth and depth of our reach means that we can provide granular knowledge and insights down to the village level - in areas which are out of reach.

THL Situation Alerts: THL monitors major industries for emerging trends and directional circumstances that are likely to affect change or have an impact on a particular industry or market.

Market Research: We also conduct extensive, multi-year research projects to help our clients gather actionable intelligence for vastly improved decision-making.

Our urban practice is focused on consumer and business trends and shifts. We breakdown urban communities by neighborhood and social aspirations. Business opportunity surveys are often conducted at point-of-sale locations to understand the real challenges facing the consumer. We also provide reverse innovation services based on the ground-breaking work of Professor Vijay Govindarajan.

Our rural practice:

provides timely, empirically-based, and non-partisan advice and assistance to businesses, institutions and policymakers on the rural impacts of public policies and programs and on options for improving the prospects for rural people and places.
fosters understanding of and the search for effective solutions to the challenges of rural India by providing safe venues for people with a stake in the future of rural India to discuss openly concerns, issues, and opportunities.
encourages collaboration and common purpose among scholars to pursue research that supports effective policy and practice, and among institutions and agencies that have the expertise, resources, and responsibilities to impact rural people and places.
promotes innovative, collaborative, and systems-based approaches to rural issues that engage decision-makers and rural people at local, regional, state, national, and international levels.

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Risk Management

In a complex but high potential and geographically large market like India, it is critical for brands to build effective deterrents from hidden market risks.

THL has identified and provides risk-management services in five inter-related categories:

Brand Integrity Services
Supply Chain Integrity Services
Last Mile Due-Diligence Services
Political Risk Services
Security & Intelligence Services

Brand Integrity Services

In India, consumer product brands face serious challenges from spurious products. These spurious products proliferate by riding on the strength of the original brands. The risk emanating from spurious products not only damages the brand’s reputation but also results in significant revenue loss to the original brand. THL’s Brand Integrity Services are designed to not only help manage this risk better but it also assists in driving sustainable business value. Our approach enables world’s leading brands to maximize their market participation and seize competitive advantage by:

Improving risk intelligence
Knowing what actions are required to mitigate / remove risks
Establishing an effective field risk monitoring system
Strengthening decision making and business strategy
Enhancing business value by providing real, on the ground intelligence to help develop localized business models

Brand Integrity

Three Headed Lion has conducted numerous traditional risk-assessment projects in various industries and sectors.

Supply Chain Integrity Services

THL’s Supply Chain Integrity Solutions are designed to mitigate and manage risks arising from unforeseen external factors that impact the ability of the suppliers and the plant to meet their performance targets. Our solution elements include an early-warning system, dossier, de-briefings, and information and access to stranded shipments in remote and difficult terrain.

supply chain

"Last Mile" Due-Diligence Services

THL’s "on-the-ground" presence in every district in India helps us eliminate the "last mile" problem which is the classic reason for failure of so many Indian initiatives attempted by MNCs. Similar to our Supply Chain Integrity Services, we uncover and track the key factors impacting the performance factors - at the local level. This makes all the difference, as all successful companies have learned.

Political Risk Services

Security & Intelligence Services

From ideation to execution, we solve our clients' risk management challenges using our deep local knowledge of culture, politics, and conditions. Learn more about our clients >>

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Reverse Innovation Services

"Three Headed Lion is a leading market intelligence, research and risk management company with a network of 1000+ market intelligence providers across India. THL is a useful resource for companies looking to embrace Reverse Innovation opportunities in India."

- Vijay Govindarajan
business guru + author
Reverse Innovation

Reverse Innovation

Based on the research and work of Professor Vijay Govindarajan, we provide end-to-end reverse innovation support services for the indian market.

Our India-based reverse innovation practice supports the process described in the Reverse Innovation Toolkit:

We help businesses understand how to find, engage, and build solutions for specific customer segments in India.

We also help companies:

Build innovation capabilities in their Indian organizations
Develop the competencies and capacities to innovate in India
Create breakthrough strategies for Indian innovation
Develop new business models in India
Find local opportunities for innovation and new growth
Accelerate and bring change

We also identify and track next practices in innovation by industry or sector.

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Go-to-India Advisory Services

THL helps clients identify investment opportunities in India, exploit them with greater confidence and be more aware of the associated risks. We provide our customers with ongoing strategic and tactical advice by monitoring and forecasting the trajectory of the Indian economy, determining the impact of a policy change, assessing the ever changing competitive landscape both from domestic as well as multinational competitors, tracking socio, political and security trends both at the national and regional levels.

Our Go-to-India advisory services include:

Market Entry & Growth Advice
Our Market Entry & Growth advisory service acts an enabler for companies looking for market entry points in India as well as companies looking for new areas of growth for their products and services. Our market advisory board is made up of experts who can provide advice in all aspects of market development.

Situation Room Briefing
Through THL Situation Room Briefing service, clients have direct access to our experts for advice immediately after a major policy announcement, change in central government or a state government, major security or law & order event, social unrest situation.

Expert Advisory
Our on-site country and topical experts are available to advice our clients at their office location. provides our clients with opportunities to get advice, validation of ideas/concepts, etc. from leading, in-country experts in the country.

See also our "Executive Journey" program for senior executives. Contact us to learn more >>

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Base of the Pyramid Services

Based on the pioneering work of sustainable business guru Professor Stuart Hart, THL is working to build a pathway to sustainable business for companies entering the Indian market. We have partnered with ESW to deliver our Base of the Pyramid Services.

Our access to the rural masses across India means we are well positioned to observe, engage, and collaborate with the poor who make up the Base of the Pyramid. Our ground-level market intelligence and information (MIIPs) are familiar with key individuals and leaders in the communities - both rural and urban.

One recent example is the $300 House survey we undertook for the $300 House Project, a global grass-roots project developed in conjunction with Harvard Business Review. Our team helped develop the survey, translated it from English to local languages, identified 15 of the poorest villages in three states, and initiated contacts with community leaders to hold day-long information gathering sessions. Our interviews captured the aspirations and requirements for rural housing. Based on our findings, the project made several changes in their plans. Our field videos (samples here) provided direct validation of our observations by showing conditions as they really are. The Internet played a key role - the entire survey was completed in 10 days.

We also conduct rural design workshops with villagers to design products, services, and business models serving the Base of the Pyramid. We provide state by state workshops for the following services:

Concept/Product Fit for the BoP	Field Concept Screening
Collaborative Ideation Sessions	Diagnostic Concept Testing
New Product Testing	Product Testing
Package Tests	Name Tests
Business Model Design	Cultural Bias and Local Barriers

Learn more about us>>

latest report

[January 2013]

THL's 2013 Guar Gum Report sheds new light on opaque industry practices. Learn more >>

Our research team interviewed the largest cross section of industry leaders and participants for a report on this volatile commodity.

BUY NOW: $2975.00

spotlight

Reverse Innovation

Based on the research and work of Professor Vijay Govindarajan, we provide end-to-end reverse innovation support services for the indian market.