Sujit Patil: The epitome of passion, initiative and versatility

e4m PR & Corp Comm ‘Comms Pioneer’ series celebrates the heroes of the communications industry and acknowledges the value they bring to their organizations and the industry. In this series, we shine the spotlight on Sujit Patil, Chief Communications Officer, Godrej Industries Group. His 25 years of journey in the communications industry has been a winding road, marked by exciting detours through sales, marketing, branding, communications, and strategy, with transformative experiences at leading companies like Emerson, Larsen & Toubro, Tata Group, and Godrej Industries Group.

Apart from his impressive communications career, Sujit has also made his mark as a bestselling author, award-winning professional, and an influential thought leader, with numerous accolades, including PRovoke Media (erstwhile Holmes Report) Influence 100 research, the listing of the world’s most influential CCOs/CMOs from 2018 to 2024, and the 2024 SABRE Individual Achievement Award that recognizes select individuals across the world who have made a lasting impact on the PR industry.

In today’s feature, we’ll get a closer look into Sujit Patil’s journey as a communications leader and explore:

• His entry into the communications world 
• The strategies he employed to drive results and achieve the goals
• Impact of his work on the organizations, industries, and communities he worked with
• Key learnings from his 25 years of extensive career
• His mentorship efforts and other initiatives
• His Book ‘The Pursuit of Reputation’, and so much more. 

His Serendipitous Entry into Communications Industry

Sujit’s journey into the communication world was truly serendipitous. He shares that in his early days, making a career choice was as thrilling as a bowl of plain rice. It was either Engineering or MBBS. He opted for the former and graduated in Instrumentation Engineering. He chose the field, but that entire time his heart ‘Wanted to Break Free” in the direction of sales and marketing.

Referring to the happy accident and how he found his way into the communications world, Sujit illustrates, “After a few years of sales experience and an MBA degree in the bag, a seemingly innocuous job rotation landed me in the marketing communications function at Emerson Process Management. I thrived in this role, combining my technical know-how, sales skills, and creativity, and a newfound love for communications. By 2001, I found myself in a communications role at L&T that had multiple elements of internal and external communications for one of their large operating divisions. This is where I got a whiff of the wonderful world of Public Relations for the first time, albeit from a distance.” 

In 2004, he joined the Tata Group (Tata Chemicals Limited) with the modest ambition of leading a communications function before he hit 30. “Tata Chemicals, in the true sense, gave me an exposure in all kinds of global internal and external communications, corporate branding, digital and social media that was taking birth at that time. I loved the space and my aspirations to paint a larger canvas soared,” he shares, explaining his time at the company. 

“The decision to leave Tata’s was the most difficult. However, Godrej was a dream role for any brand and communications professional—shaping the company’s reputation at a group level and sharing its story with over 1.1 billion consumers worldwide. The last eleven years have been full of learnings, passionate brand building, reputation management, launching own media properties, India’s first in-house digital PR practice, a vertical for research driven narratives, and getting the freedom to experiment on multiple facets of holistic communications,” he admits.

He also appreciated peers and the PR community for acknowledging the efforts of his team at Godrej Industries Group and helped them become the most awarded one in the country. 

“We collected shiny metals like they were Pokémon cards, including the Diamond Sabre Award for Company of the Year in Asia Pacific and South Asia and e4m PR & Corp Comm Maestro Awards 2023. I take immense pride in leading a team that has featured consistently on the E4M Top 25 brands with best in-house communications professionals. For me, it is an honor to have been consistently listed year after year on Provoke Media’s (erstwhile Holmes Report) Influence 100 research and listing of the world’s most influential CCO’s/CMO’s from 2018 to current 2024. The icing on the cake was my 2024 SABRE Individual Achievement Award that recognizes select individuals across the world who have made a lasting impact on the public relations industry, as determined by PRovoke Media editors,” he cites, explaining some of his remarkable achievements.

He acknowledges that these recognitions drive him to contribute even more to the profession and enable it to get the due it truly deserves. “The journey continues to be awesome, gratifying and I enjoy it. These achievements are a collective effort, and I am truly grateful to my fabulous team, Tanya my boss, mentors, consultancy partners, family, and the organizations I’ve worked for,” he concludes.

Notable Experiences from His Two Decades of Journey

In his over two decades of journey, Sujit has held leadership roles at top organizations like Emerson Process management, L&T, TATA Chemicals, and now Godrej Industries Group. Sharing the secrets of how these roles help him grow as a leader, he explains, “My three years at L&T taught me the art of people management, the importance of brand communication, internal communications and how to thrive amidst a diverse age group in a colossal organization. At Tata Chemicals, with legendary mentors and bosses like Mr Prasad Menon, Mr Homi Khusrokhan, Mr R Mukundan, Mr B Sudhakar guiding me, I flourished. Meeting and learning from icons like Mr. Ratan Tata and Mr R Gopalakrishnan were surreal, and I soaked up every bit of wisdom like a sponge in a rainstorm. These nine years were a whirlwind of mentorship, leadership training, strategic thinking and international experiences. Working closely with the Godrej family, especially my boss Ms Tanya Dubash, taught me the true meaning of humility, graciousness, and meticulous attention to detail. Watching Mr. Adi Godrej in action reinforced the importance of valuing time, ethics in your dealings and love for the nation.” He further shares that he was fortunate to have the honour of leading the global rebranding of Tata Chemicals across four continents that truly shaped his ability to work across cultures. 

His experience as IABC-accredited business communicators

For those who are not aware, Sujit is one of the few IABC-accredited business communicators in India who have bagged the IABC International Gold Quill Award three times. When asked about how this opportunity comes across and how he feels about this achievement, Sujit describes, “At Tata Chemicals, I was fortunate to be a part of an era (2004 to 2013) when multiple international acquisitions happened. Of course, the Tata group was on a company’s buying spree then. As part of a global communications capability building plan, I became a member of the IABC international.” He reveals that from 2005 until about 2012, he was given the opportunity to attend almost every international IABC conference across the world and became a regular speaker and an IABC Blue-Ribbon panel member to evaluate global communication entries. He admits that this opportunity was something no MBA could ever teach. 

Sharing the other unique opportunities, he received, he shares “As a youngster, I also got the opportunity to launch the India chapter of IABC along with veterans like Ashwani Singla, Peter Yorke and few other stalwarts. IABC instilled a sense of strategy in my communications approach and three years in a row my campaigns won the Gold Quill. In 2012, I applied for the global accreditation, a rigorous process of written tests, interviews and global peer evaluation and got accredited in 2013. I felt on top of the world.”

His Book ‘The Pursuit of Reputation’

Among India's leading communicators, Sujit stands out for his versatility, wearing multiple hats, including that of a published author of a book named ‘The Pursuit of Reputation’. Talking about the inspiration behind the book and its impact, Sujit expresses, “On one of our regular Zoom calls during the lockdown, my co-author and I figured that there is no comprehensive book on PR from India. As luck would have it, the late Anant Rangaswami also nudged us to put together a book on the various nuances of Public Relations. What happened next was truly energizing and over a period between Omicron and Delta, we completed the book over late night writing binges.”

Sharing his writing experience, he describes his writing period as fun and acknowledges that “The Pursuit of Reputation” is a wholehearted documentation of his and his co-authors combined, over forty years of hands-on experience in building the reputation of large corporations and brands using contemporary thinking and processes.

“Apart from being #2 on Amazon best sellers list early on, it went for a reprint. A lot of youngsters and many senior communicators have shared some heart-warming feedback and praise for the book. Hopefully it has inspired some, demystified PR for some and helped some to reimagine the way they practice PR. For books in the future, we do have some interesting topics in mind, but only time will tell,” he asserts, sharing the potential impact of the book.

His Mentorship Efforts & Other Initiatives

Sharing the platforms and initiatives he leverages to mentor the young professionals, he elaborates, “I derive a lot of joy from mentoring young professionals as it also enables me to be agile and updated. I invest some of my time on industry platforms like PR Moment 30 under 30, PRCAI/ICCO Next Gen PR World Cup Challenge etc. I’m passionate about sharing my knowledge with the next generation of communicators and volunteering as a guest faculty member at several communications and B-schools, shaping future stars of the communications profession.” He also shared the successes of his mentees who have won at the national level.

Other than mentoring, he reveals that weekend farming has been his passion and energizer for over a decade now. “During most weekends you will find me sowing seeds or harvesting fruits and vegetables at my farm in Karjat, Maharashtra,” he further adds.

His Three Golden Rules of Success

Sujit's 25 years of experience has yielded a treasure trove of lessons, but he shares three non-negotiable rules that have been instrumental in his success as a communications leader. He guides, “The first lesson, I would say top of mind, when it comes to our profession, is building strong networks, relationships and being grateful. Success is never a solo endeavour. While strong networks can open doors and opportunities, you need strong dependable allies, mentors, and even detractors to keep you on your toes. Second is the ability to never stop learning. Curiosity and developing new skills help you remain competitive, agile and relevant to the times. The third one is being grounded in your core values and purpose. This ensures that your success is meaningful and sustainable. It also provides you with the resilience to overcome challenges without losing sight of what matters most—whether it’s your personal integrity, relationships, or long-term goals.”

Summary of his journey

Capturing the essence of his 25-year journey in a single statement, he asserts, “My professional journey has been a blend of serendipity, passion, curiosity, initiative, recognition and holistic growth, fuelled by opportunities to connect with wonderful people and organizations, where I discovered my love for communications and got to shape some remarkable stories and global brand reputations.”