Paresh Chaudhry and his legacy of innovation, passion & perseverance

Today’s e4m PR & Corp Comm Comms Pioneer series features Paresh Chaudhry, the communication stalwart and pioneer who led global roles with large organisations.

Paresh Chaudhry’s is an industry stalwart and an exemplar of the power of innovation, resilience, and leadership in the world of corporate communications. Presently, he is the Group Advisor, Value360 India one of the top 5 communication agencies in India and among the fastest going tech PR agencies globally. With over three decades of experience across globally recognized organizations, including Adani, RIL, HUL, Ranbaxy Laboratories, Smith Kline Beecham Wockhardt Ltd., Madison Public Relations, and Value360 Communications, Paresh has established himself as a pioneer in the industry.

In today’s e4m Comms Pioneer story, we’ll explore his journey of:
• How he started his career in marketing and brand management and moved to corporate communications role
• His tenure and major initiatives like the rebranding of Hindustan Unilever and crafting the global identity of Ranbaxy, and how he managed communications for several India’s largest conglomerates
• His role and contributions as the Founder President of the Indian Forum of Corporate Communicators (IFCC)
• His Mentorship, Industry Contributions, and Social Impact
• Key Lessons that shaped his success and so much more

How does his journey start?

Paresh talks about how he started journey into the communications industry and reveals, “Post my graduation, with a major in Physics & MBA in Marketing I was in hard core brand/ product management with Raymonds & Wockhardt launching some of the most iconic brands, including India's first corporate hospital across Kolkata, Bangalore & Mumbai.”

He further highlights his role at Smith Kline Beecham (SB), where he wore “3 hats - Marketing for Vaccines, Antibiotics (Augmentin), and the world's most advanced anti-bacterial (Bactroban), Communications & Advertising/Market Research.” He further mentions that at SB, the communications function was non-existent at the time. And that’s when the turning point came in his life when an investor relations crisis and product prompted him to travel to London.

It was during this time that Paresh realized his true calling. “Pioneering an integrated comms function was the start of an amazing impact led journey. It just came naturally & the initiation of the CSR function, financial & HR comms followed,” he acknowledges.

His contributions through different corporate communications roles

Explaining his contributions through different corporate communications roles, he illustrates, “Taking the Ranbaxy Brand to international markets (North America, EU, Asia & NE Asia) & successfully drawing a very positive media attention to the growing India pharma story was the biggest contribution. We were not listed on NYSE, LSE then and yet to get prime time on Bloomberg, CNBC, NYC, etc. to defend our false image of a " copycat " country hugely benefited the Indian Pharma industry. I remember waiting for hours to meet editors with a colour visual aid & demonstrating our rise in R&D, new chemical formulations & state of the art facilities. We got key media & KOL's interested in visiting our facilities. The high point was when we hosted President Bill Clinton at our Gurgaon facility. I got the chance to anchor the press conference too.”

Next, he mentions that HUL was perhaps the best stint since he replaced the Public Affairs function with Corporate Communications & Brand PR. He adds, “Transforming the marketing led function to an external communications led function and being a gatekeeper to all brand led communications. Supporting 42 power brands was an incredible experience integrating them with social responsibility with Social, Economic & Environment (SEE) as the key focus. I was privileged to lead the transformation of HLL to HUL. In fact, we are the only country to have the local country name in the "ONE UNILEVER world"."

Talking about his contributions at RIL, he underscores, “I was the first, independent communications head at a global level reporting directly to Mr Mukesh Ambani (MDA), leading the culture transformation, open media interfaces with our Chairman, strong internal engagement, initiating transparent Financial Communications with all analysts & managing Crisis Communications that led to the significant growth in credibility & trust. MDA was deeply committed to transforming RIL's image as they drew up a massive global growth story, attracting talent, global partners & a new way of working.”

Lastly, he briefs about his stint with Adani and mentions, “It was Gautam Bhai's (GSA) humility, vision & a passion for India's growth story that made me decide to join him as the chief Brand Custodian. Setting up the function grounds up, curating the brand positioning (GROWTH WITH GOODNESS), brand identities, launching 5 new businesses and raising the global profile of GSA & his leadership team. Importantly, countering the numerous attacks on us from players around the world who wanted to stop India's growth story, building a strong peoples culture, working with Priti Adani on the growing foundation footprints & building a large all weather team across verticals was indeed very satisfying. Having proactive management and sticking to your principles of robust, ethical & 360 time bound communication helps.”

His vision behind IFCC and its key achievements

Paresh discusses his motivations for founding The Indian Forum of Corporate Communicators (IFCC) and highlights its impactful contributions to the communications community in India. He shares that the primary purpose of setting up IFCC was “to get the fraternity together & exchange our case studies, learn from the best, support smaller communications teams in companies, etc.” He further emphasized that IFCC holds the distinction of being the first community association designed exclusively for members of the corporate communications fraternity. It was created as a collaborative platform to foster knowledge-sharing and professional growth within the industry.

Explaining IFCC’s structure and its impact, he expresses proudly, “We established chapters across the country with all our friends & colleagues chipping in with their time & expertise. As a group we have helped many young teams to manage crisis, brand reputation strategies through our networks. We established chapters across the country with all our friends & colleagues chipping in with their time & expertise.”

His mentorship, industry contributions, and social impact

With over three decades of experience, Paresh has contributed immensely to the communications and branding industry, mentoring professionals and giving back through various impactful initiatives.

Highlighting his various efforts, Paresh asserts, “I have accepted invitations to speak in many colleges/institutions from the top tier of Indian Institute of Managements (IIM) to others & impart the essence of brand building, reputation, crisis management, career opportunities etc.” Other than academic engagements, he has been instrumental in advancing the communications community through his active participation in associations and industry bodies. He highlights, "I have actively contributed to PRCAI, local associations & also CII & FICCI in ensuring that our communications communities find a place on the top table at all times."

He is also an active advocate for social causes and supports different initiatives as the board member of Round Table India, a social organization focused on building school infrastructure. He elaborates, “In the past 22 years we have built over 10,000 schools across 135 Indian cities for the underprivileged, impacting 12 million children.” Moreover, he has been a regular speaker in Indian & global conferences and has led the Grand Jury at Cannes, Dubai Lynx, been the Jury Chair for seven years at Abbys Award, Goa Fest, and Jury Chair at IPPRC jury etc.

His views on reputation management and navigating high-profile crises

Paresh is an expert leader in managing high-profile crises and corporate reputation management. Citing the most difficult case he faced in his career during his tenure with the Adani Group, he explains, “There have been many global crises across all my jobs. At the Adani group, we had the Australian mine issue which impacted our core brand reputation in a big way. Our forensic investigation revealed many global players apart from a few Australian NGO's & media targeting us & India. We had won the bid for the biggest mine in the world in Queensland pumping in Billions of $'s for its development & creating jobs. With huge protests from malafide interested parties, the government could not help much, making it a national issue that even threatened the government's existence.”

Elaborating further, Paresh adds, “We took the community route, engaging with our existing local workforce as brand ambassadors to amplify our core intent of creating large scale jobs, protecting the environment, social outreach & many other initiatives. We garnered huge support from the citizens of the state who turned back the protestors from Sydney & other parts. We ensured that we stuck to our brand promise by walking the talk.”

“Today, we are one of the most respected companies in Australia with the media supporting our core values and execution,” Paresh concludes, illustrating the importance of integrity and proactive engagement in effective reputation management.

His ethics and long-term vision in corporate communications

Highlighting the role of ethical and value-based practices, Paresh emphasizes, “The most important feature of a Brand Custodian is to follow ethical & value based practices as we build the brand with no short cuts, no quick gratifications in media & influencer wins.”

Paresh advocates for a shift in the mindset of communication professionals, urging them to align more closely with the ethos of brand management. “A solid brand is built on winning CITIZEN's love & respect. Consumers & other stakeholders are a part of this. Putting your foot on the door & declining short term wins is a must,” he stated, stressing the importance of resisting fleeting achievements in favour of lasting stakeholder trust.

He also called for a reassessment of how agency partners are evaluated, pointing out, “Some professionals don't do that. Agency partners are also evaluated in the short term. This needs to change.” According to Paresh, the industry must transition from a narrow PR management approach to a broader role of brand management, ensuring that communication professionals speak the same language as their clients. “Becoming a BRAND manager is more critical than to remain a PR manager,” he affirms.

What drives his passion for communications?

Sharing his thoughts on what motivates him to excel in the dynamic and demanding field of communication, he says, “I strongly believe that our role is very different and exciting from other line & support functions.” For Paresh, the ultimate measure of success lies in the intangible rewards of earning the 'LOVE & RESPECT' of all stakeholders that shape the reputation of the organisation and ‘brand India’.

Lessons that shaped his success

Highlighting the lessons that have shaped his success over the years, he outlines three key principles,

Firstly, Paresh emphasizes on the importance of building personal credibility. He guides, “Build your personal credibility first to all stakeholders. Only then can you raise the company profile. Be authentic, honest & transparent, no politics. no games.”

Secondly, he stresses, “Focus on Social, Economic & Environment (SEE) footprints. Is your brand promise aligned to these goals? Maintain & rally support from all internal stakeholders to frame these strategies & ensure execution & communication. Be a true business partner to all management functions.”

Lastly, Paresh underscores the importance of staying proactive and involved and shares, “Be available & on top of every development within & outside the organization.

Ours is a 24/7 job. Be a part of the top table on the leadership team. Nothing less! We play a very critical role in the growth & reputation. Every success parameter flows from this point.”