Giri Balasubramanium


Giri 'Pickbrain' Balasubramanium is the founder and chief executive officer of Greycaps, India's largest on stage quizzing and knowledge service provider. He is nicknamed Pickbrain.

Early life and career

Giri has an MBA in Media Management and a master's degree in Gandhian Philosophy and Thought. Giri is alumnus of Harvard Business School.
Giri started his career in 1992, with The Economic Times, and was later part of the team responsible for successful relaunch of The Bangalore Edition of the Times of India in 1996. He then worked with Walt Disney group for three years before serving as the youngest Vice-President in-charge of Content and Strategy for Indiainfo.
Thereafter, he founded Quizbrain.com, in 1999 and later launched his own company Greycaps India Pvt. Ltd..

Work

Giri is a noted quizmaster and author of several quiz books. He is also the mind behind the Global Awareness Program one of India’s first focused, structured knowledge enhancement programs for school children and Knowledge‐Hub & Global Business Review for management students. He has pioneered a program on Values Education in schools called "Keystones". Over 2,50,000 children are part of these programs. He and his team have presented close to 3000 shows across 84 destinations of India, Sri Lanka, Oman, Singapore, London and United States to emerge as one of the fastest growing quiz hosts from the region.
He is a regular guest speaker and advisory panel member at several B‐schools, educational institutions and corporate houses in India. During his visits to Muscat and Sri Lanka he has been invited regularly by leading schools in that country to address their students.
In 2007, as recognition of his growing popularity and contribution to learning and development Times of India identified him amongst "Potential Future Leaders of India" as part of its Lead India Initiative. Dewang Mehta had once remarked about him ”We are moving into an era where education and knowledge will carry great value and people like Pickbrain will be the icons of that generation."
He has been working with Tata Consultancy Services since 1998 and is the quizmaster of their national quiz TCS IT Wiz, claimed to be India's biggest inter-school IT Quiz. He is also the quiz master of Tata Crucible, the college counterpart of TCS IT Wiz.

Quizography

Quiz TitleYear of LaunchNo.of CitiesWebsite
TCS IT WIZ201816www.tcsitwiz.com
TCS IT WIZ199916www.tcsitwiz.com
TATA CRUCIBLE200443www.tatacrucible.com
VIJAYA BANK QUIZ19971NA
NATIONAL RURAL IT QUIZ200012NA
NSE FUNANCIAL QUEST200824NA
RBIQ201462NA
TIMES OF OMAN OPEN QUIZ20041NA
Q8 OPEN QUIZ201512NA
ECONOMIC TIMES ET IN CLASSROOM QUIZ199612NA
THOMAS COOK TRAVEL QUEST201424travel-quest.in
INFOSYS ASPIRATIONS 2020200648NA
JAPAN OPEN QUIZ20151NA
TIMES OF INDIA NIE FUNDAMENTAL QUIZ199612NA
ETHOS ARCHUMEN ARCHITECTURE QUIZ19998NA
BENDING MOMENTS CIVIL ENGINEERING QUIZ20038NA
ULTRATECH STIMULUS CIVIL ENGINEERING QUIZ200824NA
BPCL BRAND BAADSHAH201424NA
ANAND BAZAR PATRIKA QUIZ201016NA
THE HINDU CATALYST SCIENCE QUIZ200824NA
CBSE SCIENCE QUIZ200548NA
CII HR QUIZ201348NA
CII MANUFACTURING QUIZ201548NA
CNBC AWAAZ RUPIAH AUR RESPONSIBILITY QUIZ200916
TAPMI QUIZ ON THE BEACH200416https://www.tapmi.edu.in/flagship-events/quiz-on-the-beach/
PRESIDENCY CHALLENGE CUP200802www.presidencychallenge.com
TIMES OF OMAN SCHOOL CHALLENGE20081NA
GOVT OF KARNATAKA BLORE BIO QUIZ20011NA

Awards