Promo Insiders: ASI’s New CEO Ashish Mittal Talks First Impressions & Industry’s Tech-Driven Future
As he embarks on his new role, Mittal shares why ASI’s culture stands out, where he sees opportunity in a complex supply chain and how technology – especially AI – can help unify the promo ecosystem.
Ashish Mittal officially took on the role of CEO of ASI this week, and he’s ready to roll up his sleeves and get down to business, leading the company and the promotional products industry as a whole into its next phase of innovation and growth.
In this episode of Promo Insiders, Michele Bell, ASI senior vice president of Editorial, Education and Global Alliances, sat down with Mittal to get his first impressions of the industry and how he’d like to see it evolve. Drawing on his tech background, he unpacks the surprising complexity behind delivering branded merch and points to major opportunities to reduce friction through smarter use of technology, data and AI.
“Behind the scenes, what goes into delivering an end-product to a person who wants it is quite complex,” he says. “Technology is now at a place where it can really solve that.”
Mittal also reflects on the emotional impact of promo products, his leadership style rooted in collaboration and curiosity, and why learning the business and connecting with industry members are his top priorities.
Key Takeaways
• ASI’s new CEO Ashish Mittal says his early impression of the company is an “energizing” culture driven by passionate employees with deep tenure, with podcast host Michele Bell noting that longevity is a defining trait of both the company and the industry.
• Mittal describes the promo industry as resilient and positioned for continued growth.
• He emphasizes the emotional power of branded merchandise, sharing that products people keep create meaningful, lasting brand connections.
• Mittal observes that the industry is more complex than it appears, with many stakeholders and processes, while Bell agrees there is still significant friction to solve.
• Mittal highlights a major opportunity to use technology to unify systems and streamline the supplier-distributor ecosystem.
• He expresses optimism about AI, saying it should be embraced to improve productivity and better serve members, not feared as a job-killer.
• Mittal underscores the importance of data-driven decision-making through focused key performance indicators, while Bell points to real-world examples of how data reveals product trends and cultural shifts.