Effective communication is a vital leadership skill: Purnima Sahni Mohanty, AWS

The fifth edition of the e4m PR and Corp Comm 40 Under 40 Awards, Purnima Sahni Mohanty, Group Head - Communications, India & South Asia at Amazon Web Services, the Jury Chair for this year's awards, delivered a special address on the role of communication in brand building.

Appreciating the energy of the room, Mohanty thanked the exchange4media team for instituting and continuing the awards year after year, now in the fifth edition, and its commitment to recognizing talent in the communications and PR industry in India.

She also extended her gratitude to the esteemed panel of judges for their expertise in reviewing diverse nominations, noting that it was a challenging task given the excellent nominations and quality of work given in to be judged.

While appreciating all the nominees and their work, Mohanty also gave her congratulations to all the winners, saying, “Please keep doing what you're doing. And know that you are taking the communications and PR industry forward.”

Reflecting on the evolution of communications from her early career in the 90s to its present digital iteration, Mohanty said, “I do believe that integrated communications is key to impactful brand building. As custodians of reputation, we must be mindful that effective communication is a vital leadership skill. It's a leadership skill that helps foster true collaboration and teamwork.”

Given the theme of this year’s awards as well as its inaugural debate’s was a sharp focus on Artificial Intelligence, specifically within the sphere of communications and PR, Mohanty said embracing AI responsibly is crucial for all of us as communications professionals.

“In closing, I would like to quote the Amazon leadership principle: learn and be curious. I want to emphasize the importance of learning and curiosity, essential for leadership and growth,” she concluded.