India is not just a growth market; it’s a global influence engine: HS Chung, Burson

As the communications landscape undergoes a structural shift, driven by artificial intelligence, geopolitical complexity and rising stakeholder expectations, reputation is no longer an intangible asset. It is becoming measurable, strategic and central to business outcomes.

In this conversation, HS Chung, CEO, Asia Pacific, Burson, speaks to Ruhail Amin about Burson’s push to quantify “reputation capital”, the role of AI in reshaping the industry and why India sits at the heart of its future strategy.

Excerpts:

You began your career in journalism and today lead Burson across Asia Pacific. How has that journey shaped your leadership approach?

I often say that early exposure to journalism leaves a lasting imprint. Even though my time there was brief, it shaped how I think about narratives, credibility and the role of communication.

From there, I moved into a creative agency because, at that time, strategic thinking and innovation were largely driven by advertising. Later, working in-house gave me a very different perspective. I was not learning communication from an agency lens but dealing with media, stakeholders and crises in real time. That experience was formative.

The turning point came during the dot-com phase when I decided to start my own company, Synergy Communication. It was a conscious choice. Instead of chasing what was immediately profitable, I asked what the future of the industry would look like. That led me to focus on PR and communication as a long-term play.

That entrepreneurial mindset has stayed with me. Even after joining WPP, where my company was acquired, the focus remained on pushing boundaries, innovating and looking ahead rather than operating within defined industry limits. That same thinking now informs how I approach Burson’s growth in APAC.

APAC is one of the most complex and diverse regions globally. What is your strategic vision for Burson here, and where does India fit in?

APAC is complex, diverse and, in many ways, fragmented. But it is also where the future growth lies. By 2030, close to 65 per cent of global GDP is expected to come from this region.

The challenge is not just navigating diversity, but doing so while maintaining consistency in quality, innovation and strategic direction. For us, the focus is on building a cohesive structure that respects local nuances but delivers a uniform standard of excellence across markets.

India is central to this vision. When you look at its demographics, economic trajectory, technology adoption and talent pool, it is clear that the country is still at the early stages of its full potential. The pace at which AI and innovation are being adopted here suggests that India will not just participate in global trends, but help define them.

Burson is placing “reputation capital” at the core of its offering. What does that mean in real business terms?

The world we operate in today is far more complex than before. Geopolitical tensions, cultural dynamics and regulatory pressures are directly influencing business outcomes. In such an environment, reputation is no longer a soft metric. It is a critical business driver.

However, as an industry, we have historically struggled to quantify the impact of reputation. CEOs and CFOs have always asked how communication translates into business value, and we have not always had clear answers.

This is where things are changing. With advancements in AI, we now have the ability to assign financial value to reputation. We recently introduced a solution that uses AI to quantify the business impact of reputation, allowing us to engage with clients at a boardroom level.

This is a fundamental shift. It moves communication from being seen as supportive to being recognised as strategic and measurable.

AI is transforming every industry. How is it changing the way brands build and protect reputation, and where do you draw the line between automation and human judgment?

AI has fundamentally changed how we work with data. Today, we have access to an unprecedented volume of information. The real question is how effectively we can convert that data into insight.

AI enables us to process and analyse information at scale, but insight still requires human interpretation. Data in itself does not create value. It is the ability to extract meaning, context and relevance that drives impact.

This is where human judgment becomes critical. Experience, instinct and cultural understanding cannot be replaced. Even as AI evolves, the combination of machine intelligence and human insight will remain the most powerful approach.

In many ways, AI elevates the role of professionals in our industry. It pushes us to operate at a higher level, where interpretation and strategic thinking matter more than ever.

As India’s influence grows, expectations from brands are also rising. How should companies balance growth with responsibility, and how is Burson helping clients navigate this?

India is at a pivotal moment. When you look at the scale of its economy, the youth demographic, the depth of talent and the speed of technology adoption, it is clear that the country is entering a new phase of global relevance.

For brands, this means that growth and responsibility are no longer separate conversations. Stakeholders expect both. Companies need to build trust while scaling, and that requires a more sophisticated approach to communication and reputation management.

At Burson, we are focused on enabling this through a combination of technology and strategic counsel. Our tools, including cognitive and AI-driven solutions, allow us to provide deeper insights and more predictive guidance to clients.

At the same time, we are preparing for what we call the next phase of communication, where visibility on AI-driven platforms and large language models becomes critical. Ensuring that a brand’s reputation is accurately represented in these ecosystems will be a key priority going forward.