Sustainability, equity and strategy - A new playbook for corporate affairs

At the 15th edition of e4m IPRCCC, Nitin Mantri, Group CEO of Avian We, engaged in a conversation with Yashika Singh, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Sustainability Head at PepsiCo India & South Asia, to explore the evolving role of corporate affairs in today’s industry landscape where sustainability, equity, and policy have transformed from being add-ons to central pillars of corporate reputation and strategy.

Opening the session, Mantri stated an important question to Singh: How has the role of corporate affairs evolved in India, especially through the lens of sustainability and equity?

To this, Singh emphasized how corporate affairs has transitioned from a support function to a strategic cornerstone of business. “About 10 to 15 years ago, we celebrated having a seat at the XCOM table. But today, it’s not just about being present, it’s about driving meaningful impact,” she said. Despite the daily crises and multiple stakeholder pressures, Singh illustrated that professionals now operate with a more strategic mindset that prioritizes business outcomes.

Next, she highlighted that a major shift is the integration of sustainability and equity into core business operations. “You can no longer communicate on sustainability without understanding its technical depth like emissions, scope 3, regenerative agriculture,” she described. She also underscored the importance of storytelling with human centric perspective, where corporate narratives are rooted in real action, not just lofty commitments. Next, transformation she mentioned is measured metrics where the professionals are focusing more on the quantitative measurements of the impact they make and the needle they moved through surveys, analysis, benchmarking, and more.

Moving ahead, Singh shared an impressive example of PepsiCo’s regenerative agriculture program with 27,000 Indian farmers, describing how she brings PepsiCo’s perspective of equity and sustainability to life through storytelling. She stated that by supporting soil health through agronomy expertise and empowering women entrepreneurs with soil-testing tools, the company linked sustainability efforts directly to one of its most iconic products - Lay’s potato chips. “We didn’t start with a branding brief. We started with the work. And only later realized, this is a Lay’s story and the real beauty is how it connects with our chips,” she said, referencing their acclaimed film ‘Mitti Ki Chitti’.

Mantri then turned the conversation to India’s unique challenges. Singh pointed out that while global peers share some similarities in impact measurement and storytelling, India’s cultural and geographic complexity demands hyper-localized approaches. “There is no one-size-fits-all. Success here means adapting stories across languages, regions, and sensibilities,” she explained.

Then, Mantri asked Singh what she expects from her ecosystem of partners including communications firms, NGOs, or policy teams. “At PepsiCo, we believe in Partnerships of Progress. The agenda in India is too vast to do it alone. A good partner is one who truly gets the complexity and stands by you, both in crisis and in celebration,” Singh said. She highlighted the PepsiCo ensures the involvement of communities as equal stakeholders, whether in planning social impact programs or delivering sustainability outcomes.

Singh also emphasised on the role of Employee engagement and stressed the need to turn internal stakeholders into brand ambassadors. “Our people are our first storytellers. Bringing HQ employees to farms and vice versa creates pride through lived experience,” she shared. While experimenting with digital tools like WhatsApp, Singh expressed that nothing replaces authentic, on-ground exposure.

Concluding the session, Singh asserted that the new communications playbook demands a balance between data and agility. “We’ve all seen leaders falter when the facts aren’t aligned. But in the age of real-time reactions, we must verify quickly and act with speed,” she concluded. Moreover, Mantri summed it up aptly stating, “Purpose with proof—that’s the future of brand reputation.”