Top 20 Communications professionals to watch out for in 2022

The pandemic introduced everyone to the hybrid working model and is in the constant changing mode for the PR and Corporate Communications Industry. It is now presenting many innovations and strategies by skilled communicators who guided their organizations and made it successful in these trying times.

The professionals from different verticals have been contributing to change the industry dynamics through their hard work, knowledge, innovation, and expertise. Exchange4media is proudly presenting its second list of 20 such professionals who have worked relentlessly during the course of time to make a mark in the industry. 

The names are not as per any ranking and are purely the editorial discretion of the exchange4media group.

Ritam Chakrabarty (Senior Director, Communications, Corporate Marketing & Sustainability – Viacom18 Media Private Limited)

A seasoned communications professional with experience across media, tech, and sports, Ritam joined Viacom18 in 2015 to build the corporate communication mandates for Group CEO and the then newly created Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio. Having previously worked with M&E conglomerates like ZEE Group and Times Group, Ritam brought in the much-needed skill of charting out a growth path when it came to Viacom18’s corporate identity-driven. 

Ritam started his career with Essel Sports-owned Indian Cricket League in 2008. He further worked with Zee Network to lead Brand Communication for its Bollywood and Youth, Music & English clusters. After 4 years in a variety of roles with Zee, he joined a boutique software start-up, OAB Studios, to lead Brand Management, Business Operation Management and Product & Services Strategy. He has also worked with Times Internet Limited, leading product, design, and social media management for its entertainment product.

Rachit Verma (Founder – The Publicist) 

Rachit Verma has more than 11 years of experience as a PR and Communications professional. His motto has always been to provide value addition and support to clients' various marketing activities thus successfully delivering the true essence of PR as a marketing support function. His core strength has always been in line with the demands of the professions such as media relations, brand building & launches, crisis management, perception management, CSR activities, stakeholder communications and handling multiple clients, and multi-tasking simultaneously. His professional experience in public relations gave him a chance to work with various clients including leading brands & corporate across different sectors and delivered excellent results.

Lovina Gujral (COO – Candour Communication) 

Lovina Gujral has 25+ years of professional experience across PR agencies, in-house corporate communications, content writing and event management in India and abroad. She started her career as a marketing communications professional at Usha Comm in 1997. From there, she further moved on and worked with agencies like Perfect Relations, Corporate Edge Consulting, Silverskills Pvt. Ltd., iDiscoveri Education Pvt. Ltd. and now she is contributing to Candour Communications for the past 8 years.

Anand Subramanian (Corporate Communications Lead – Apple India)

Anand Subramanian is a Marketing, Communications and PR leader. He has 12+ years of strategic experience in marketing, communications and public relations for brands that have been built ground up. Previously, Subramanian was associated with Ola where he worked for more than 8 years as Senior Director and Head of Corporate Communications. At Ola, he was able to shape and storytell the deep impact its products and services had on millions of users, partners and citizens. He is also associated with a start-up called Clairco (Clean Air Company), as its Member of the Board and Advisor. He had also contributed to start-ups like “&’ and Geri Home Care in Chennai. 

Reema Singh (Director of Client Services – PR Pundit) 

Reema Singh is an experienced Head of Public Relations with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry and reputed PR agencies. She is skilled in Crisis Management, Advertising, Crisis Communications, Publicity, and Marketing Strategy. She also has a sound experience in developing impactful PR and marketing strategies for key new openings, renovations, major brand initiatives, events and news. Her focus is on credible communications, smart stakeholder management and capable of instilling confidence among both internal and external stakeholders.

Sourav Das (Vice President - Corporate Communication – Sembcorp Industries Ltd.)

Sourav Das has more than 20 years of experience in the field of Communications. He also has considerable work experience in Agencies and Corporates. At present, he is working with Sembcorp Industries Ltd in Delhi-NCR as the Vice President, heading the Corporate Relations and Communications division for India and Bangladesh. He specialises in Media Relations; developing & rolling out communication strategies for organisation through Print, Electronic & Digital Platforms; developing and implementing Communications strategies to build and manage reputation.

Neeta Linz (DGM-Corporate Communications & CSR – LG Electronics) 

Neeta Linz is a communications professional with a total of 17 years of experience in the industry. She has been part of various forums to exchange ideas and best practices.

She handles the communication mandate internally and externally along with her team for LG Electronics India. She designs and executes PR plans for corporate & product verticals. She has integrated both verticals to establish LG as one of the most trusted and loving brands. 

Kapil Sharma (Head of Communications and CSR - Ford India) 

Kapil Sharma is the Director of Communications for Ford in India since August 2014. In his role, he is responsible for leading an integrated PR and communications strategy comprising brand, corporate, influencer and social media to improve Ford’s corporate and brand reputation in India. In his present role, he leads communications efforts that reach Ford’s external and internal audiences, including customers, employees, dealers, suppliers, news media, communities, governments and policymakers.

Abhishek Mahapatra (Director - Consumer Communications – Amazon) - 

Currently the Director of Consumer Communications at Amazon India, Abhishek Mahapatra is an integrated communications professional with experience across corporate and agencies. Having commenced his professional career working for an agency called IPAN Hill and Knowlton, he has been associated with other agencies like Edelman India and Comma Consultants in various capacities. He took the corporate communications route with Hyundai Motors India Ltd as Senior Officer, Communications, and has worked with names like Ford Motor Company and Uber. 

With a professional journey spanning nearly 18 years, Mahapatra is a specialist in advocacy & Counsel, Issues/Crisis Advocacy & Management, Reputation Management, Marketing Communications, Storytelling, Product Communications, Media and Influencer Engagement, Campaigning and Content, Brand Management, Corporate Affairs, Public Policy and Government Relations, Sustainability and CSR, Brand Communications, Experiential Marketing and Events Management.

Dr. Navneet Anand (Founder & Director – GreyMatters Communications) 

Dr Navneet Anand is a media and communications professional having worked for over 23 years in large media houses, academics and corporate sector. In 2010, he founded GreyMatters Communications & Consulting, offering advisory services in Public Relations, Public Affairs Political Communications, CSR, Social Media, Government Communication, Advocacy and a host of related areas. Anand is a commentator, blogger and columnist and writes on a range of media, social, political and economic issues. He has a blog on The Times of India. His weekly columns in the national daily The Pioneer was very popular. He and GreyMatters have been associated as consultant and trainer with government and police. 

Previously, Anand worked as General Manager, Corporate Affairs & Communications at Reliance Industries Limited, New Delhi. Prior to that, he worked extensively in journalism including The Indian Express (1996-99), The Times of India (2004-2006) and The Pioneer (2006-07). He blends vast professional experience with high-end academic and research training. 

A Doctorate in Sociology of Media from prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University, Anand has authored two books and has been a visiting faculty teaching media policy, journalism, marketing and strategic communication, CSR communications, and public relations at many prestigious institutions of national repute.

Harsh Wardhan (Founder & Managing Partner - Fortuna PR)

With over 25 years of experience, Harsh Wardhan is a communications enthusiast having co-founded Fortuna PR. He has managed over 80 IPOs and is an expert in media relations. He claims that he has been an entrepreneur all along “with a strong belief in communication, collaboration and content”. Presently, he is empowering people and partnering aspirations towards building one of the largest independent reputation management firms in India. Previously, he served the post of Regional Head at Adfactors PR. 

Arun Shaw (Vice President and Head of the Strategic Media Unit (SMU) – Edelman) 

Having spent 27 years in the industry, Arun Shaw is currently the Vice President of Edelman and heads the Strategic Media Unit (SMU), which works closely with client teams to sharpen their media outreach and crisis handling capabilities. The inputs and insights provided by him are critical to developing media strategies for clients. His work includes outreach to editors. He also plays a key role in extending support to clients in their outreach across the length and breadth of the sub-continent through a network of affiliates and representatives. As media head, he is an integral part of the leadership team that services clients in the corporate, consumer, energy, technology, pharma and BFSI sectors. He presently overlooks the operations of a 10-member team across six offices.

Tarundeep Singh (Chief Growth Officer - The 23 Watts) 

Young and brimming with about 19 years in the business, Tarundeep Singh believes the prestige is in keeping the mind and the heart dynamic. He is on a mission to change the way PR is done in our country and use it to build positive change.

Being brought up on books and comics, he nurtures a penchant for creating and telling expressive stories – stories that emote, that connects. And over the years, he has managed to put a structure to these stories through operational excellence.

By his own admission, “I am currently in the most evolving stage of my professional career. This particular stage owes its genesis to the ever-dynamic world of communications and the profoundly interconnected world we live in.”

PR today plays a much stronger and evolved role than ever. It is a great tool to initiate a movement and bring about mass change – behavioural, societal, developmental, and economical. And this is exactly what he aspires to do through the power of PR at the current stage of his life.

Arpana Kumar Ahuja (Head Corporate Communications and Brand, India – Shell)

Arpana Kumar Ahuja is a seasoned and an outcome-driven communications and marketing leader with rich experiences and insights in overseeing organisations across geographies achieve growth and build their reputation. As a high-performing professional, she has the ability to foster culture change, translate business strategies into impactful engagements and communications with stakeholders. She is a collaborative leader with exceptional strength in building relationships and the unique ability to create groups and organisations that are much greater than the sum of their parts. Her expertise lies in Business Partnering, Reputation Management, Strategic Communications, Marketing Communications, Brand, Crisis Preparedness and Management, Employee Communications, Content Management, CEO/CXO-level engagements, Thought leadership, Change Management, Media Relations, Digital and Social Marketing Strategy and Project Management.

Saba Khan (Head – Corporate Communications – Honda Car India)

Saba Khan is a communication professional with over 23 years of varied and in-depth experience in Corporate Communications and Public Policy in the automotive industry. At Honda Car India, Khan is responsible for planning, steering, and implementing Corporate Communications Strategy for Honda’s automobile business in India. She effectively designs and implements value-driven Internal Communication with outreach to every Honda associate in Head Office, Manufacturing Plant, and Field offices. She has strong business acumen in Media Relations, Stakeholder engagement, PR and Marketing programmes, Reputation management, Handling crisis situations, Project Management and Internal Communication. Khan is skilful at facilitating clear and transparent communication between all levels of company staff. As a people’s person, she interacts with members of the communication fraternity very closely and explores opportunities for experience sharing and mentoring young professionals.

Tanmana Rath (Joint General Manager - Corporate Communications & PR – Dharmpal Satyapal Group)

Tanmana Rath is a seasoned campaigner with a 360-degree-approach to communications and a professional with multi-sector functional exposure and experience in content creation, strategic communication, crisis management, media outreach, and CSR communication across agencies and corporates. Some of her key sectoral experiences lie in Hospitality, FMCG, Media and Entertainment, Aviation and Leisure, Automobile, Steel and Mines.

Ashutosh Shrama (Head of Corporate Communications at Bharti Airtel, India & South Asia)

As an expert communicator, Sharma comes with a professional experience of almost 15 years having worked with some of India’s leading corporations and agencies. In the past, he has held the posts of Senior Image Manager at Perfect Relations (PR agency), Corporate Communications Officer at Tata Power Delhi Distribution Company Limited and GM, Corporate Communications at PepsiCo India.

Tinu Cherian Abraham (Head - Global PR & Media Relations & Director, UST)

A senior public relations and corporate communications professional with over 17 years of varied industry experience, Abraham is currently working as a Director – Head, Global PR & Media at UST (formerly UST Global) and heading Public Relations, Media relations and Government Relations globally. 

Prior to UST, he was Senior Manager - Corporate Communications at HARMAN International and led internal and external communications for the company in India. Before that, Abraham was associated with Ola and UST Global in PR and corp comm roles. He has also worked in various software engineering roles for over nine years in top IT companies like Infosys, Cisco Systems and Juniper Networks. 

He is also a social media enthusiast and has built a considerable digital media presence over many years. 

Deeptie Sethi (CEO PRCAI, Global Communications Specialist)

Driven by excellence and passion for building brand reputation, Sethi has been part of the public relations and communication industry for more than two decades, playing the role of a trusted adviser and a business partner, offering communication counsel to strengthen the company’s reputation and deliver business growth.

Cars, technologies, innovations influencing a societal change has inspired her to lead Asia Pacific Communication for Ford's Smart Mobility in her last corporate role, building the company's future mission to become the world's most trusted mobility company. This was at the back of a global hands-on experience of working at the Ford's WHQ in Michigan, the 'mecca' of the American automotive industry, to develop communication strategies for Ford's Quality and Design portfolios. 

A self-motivated leader with strong people management skills, she has gained a wide range of knowledge, skills and relationships to enhance corporate reputation.

Bhavani Giddu (CEO and Communications Professional, Footprint Global Communications)

A senior communications professional with experience spanning over 30 years in public relations and strategic media relations, Giddu boasts extensive work experience with leading multinationals and some of the world’s largest communications agencies in senior leadership roles. Her areas of specialisation include media strategy, media relations, corporate communications strategy, crisis communications, internal communications and creative development. Prior to Footprint Global Communications, she has held senior leadership roles with IPAN Hill & Knowlton, GE Industrial, and Ogilvy & Mather.