Archana Jain
Gauri Kohli
Sayantani Mukherjee Roy
Kavita Singh Kanwar
Sangita D Gopinath
Aanchal Chachra
Reema Singh
Divya Rathnavath
Cindrella Prakash Asher
Founder and Managing
Director
Archana ventured out to set up PR Pundit to undertake benchmarking work in consumer PR in 1998, after working 7.5 years at a hotel company and managing corporate PR programmes at a PR consulting firm. She wanted to drive true brand preference by creating compelling consumer campaigns that would create brand trust and move products off shelves and into customers’ carts & hearts. She has been an early advocate of adopting a channel agnostic approach to create a lasting emotional connection with stakeholders. Interestingly the name PR Pundit, came from the desire to be recognised as an Indian firm yet be understood by global clients. It was around the time when ‘Pundit’ had been introduced in the Oxford dictionary. Since then, Archana has nurtured PR Pundit, leading from the front, into a defining brand name in the world of integrated communications. A seasoned PR practitioner with over 30 years of experience, she continues to inspire the 140+ member team with her insatiable energy and desire to challenge status quo and push boundaries. She believes that nothing is more inspiring than seeing leaders work alongside with teams. Rather than wave the flag for women with words, Archana has taken actions to support women in the day-to-day business environment and embedded it in the organisational culture. PR Pundit has an 85% women workforce and has welcomed women back into the workforce after they have taken a break to nurture a family by providing flexibility in work schedules and work from home from as early as 2004.
Partner & Director Luxury & Beauty
Driven by excellence, Gauri is a results-oriented leader with over two decades of experience in Brand Communications and in creating effective and winning campaigns for luxury fashion and beauty brands in India. Since 2003, Gauri has been instrumental in instituting, spearheading and building a formidable reputation for PR Pundit. Aiding business growth, profitability and implementing best practices, she is a committed mentor who motivates employees to peak performance while leading creative expression. Gauri has spearheaded memorable and impactful India entry for leading global brands like Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Christian Louboutin, Estee Lauder, Fred Perry, Jo Malone London, Ralph Lauren, Ted Baker among others. She has curated numerous award winning campaigns, forged impactful collaborations and led benchmarking results. Her clients find her proactive, thoughtful and an effective partner with an ability to provide knowledgeable counsel and unwavering dedication to the execution of the PR programme. Today, her specialized wealth of experience distinguishes her as a knowledge leader in the world of luxury and beauty. Gauri was recognised as the best Consultancy Professional – Lifestyle & Luxury & Sports by The Fulcrum Awards 2017 and was awarded an Emerging Leader in PR in 1st edition of exchange4media PR and Corp Comm Women Achievers Summit and Awards 2020. A great mentor and a friend to the PR Pundit bees Gauri believes in continuously cultivating a culture of excellence while leading with example. She has a penchant for travelling the world and a love for the outdoors.
Partner Director Consumer Lifestyle
Noopur Sharma, Partner Director at PR Pundit, can be credited for
positioning the firm in hall of fame as a leading communications specialist
for lifestyle brands in India. With 18 years of experience, Noopur lends PR
Pundit an authoritative edge in strengthening the Consumer Lifestyle
business for PR Pundit. As a PR practitioner, she has developed & executed
many meaningful, impactful campaigns in the consumer-lifestyle and retail
segment. Her relentless passion and enthusiasm define her professional
persona. Noopur lends PR Pundit an authoritative edge in advising clients on
the strategic approach necessary to navigate and harness cultural context
and build a community of brand advocates of valuable relevance. Noopur has
been with PR Pundit for 16 years, entrepreneurial in spirit and drive, she
also ably leads the Mumbai operations of PR Pundit.
Chief Strategy Officer
A Lady Shri Ram College- History Hons graduate who aspired to be in IAS, Sayantani got into ‘PR’ in 1999 by stroke of luck & within a year, knew that this was her calling. 2000 was also the year she joined PR Pundit as one of the then 4-member team & this is her second stint with the company now as Chief Strategy Officer. In her multi-city career in leadership roles spanning 22 years, she has been actively involved with all aspects of the communications function ranging from PR, advocacy/influencer relations, media management, outreach programmes, internal communications to CSR across a multitude of sectors. From the launch of first Hyundai car in India, to managing visits of global tech leaders like John Chambers & Gini Rometty, she has helmed it all as well as moderated C-Suite panels on ‘Women in technology’, ‘Breaking the Bias’ for her clients. With quite a few ‘star-performer & award-winning campaigns’ under her belt as a part of her agency- stints, she is a self-confessed ‘agency bird’. She cherishes the vibrancy & pace of a consulting career that provides an everyday learning opportunity & constant reverse mentoring from the younger generation, like few others. A lifelong learner (the last one being part of a cohort on creating, launching & growing podcasts), she is excited about prospects of this vocation, especially how ‘PRTech’ takes shape & to play an active role in it. Honing talent & drawing out their true potential is her passion. Mother to an impulsive teen, she has been many a PR practitioner’s favourite ‘mentor’ ‘boss lady’ in their own words. She is a firm believer in the culture of meritocracy & the fact that ‘excellence is about doing your best’.
Director – Digital
Enterprising and agile, Kavita has worked across communication mediums in her 13 year work experience – segueing from journalism to public relations and now anchoring the social media & digital marketing wing at PR Pundit. Her journey of a decade at PR Pundit, has allowed her to work extensively with all industry verticals, from lifestyle to luxury, hospitality to F&B, education, corporate communication and beyond. A digital ninja, Kavita drives social and creative media initiatives for several clients, and has been exposed to the rigors of client servicing and media communications; and has secured interest from key influencers and brand collaborations to help clients earn significant recognition. She is a high-energy self-starter who assumes responsibility quickly and demonstrates a very positive attitude. Her relationship building skills are commendable. Kavita has come to be the team’s problem-solving millennial, as she is creative, a trouble shooter and totally a ‘people’s person. She exhibits great curiosity and eagerness to help, thus termed the ‘Solutions Pundit’. Kavita has aggregated her varied experience as a correspondent with a publication house, and her consequent experience with NDTV Convergence, to lend value for her role at PR Pundit. She holds a master’s degree in International Journalism from the City University, London.
Director, Growth & Business Initiatives
As a young management trainee with a thirst for learning, Sangita started her career as a part of the team that created history by launching India’s first passenger electric car. Her penchant for learning continued as she traversed across multiple industries. From establishing and leading the brand & product team that harnessed the power of technology to create a health super hiway for India’s largest healthcare player to leading the internal communication mandate for a financial behemoth to setting up the PR Pundit Bangalore branch, Sangita has donned many hats that have communication at the core of it. Sangita strongly believes that “If you don’t know how they buy, you can’t sell”, a mantra that has helped her hone her approach to learning the nuances of various businesses practices she has been associated with. Her adept understanding and insight into consumer behaviour is reflected in the winning communication strategies she designs. Having moved 11 times between various cities, besides the art of packing, she has also picked up local languages and can converse in 5 languages. Sangita has a penchant for culinary arts and spends time experimenting with pickles and traditional foods. She is the official cheer leader for Karnataka Taekwondo team, a team that her teen daughter represents.
Director- Marketing &
Innovation
Aanchal serves as PR Pundit’s Director- Marketing & Innovation. In her role, she oversees all operations such as new business development, setting up successful teams and building new practice areas that can add value to clients, growing business revenues while ensuring profitability and results that are consistent with the organisation’s overall strategy and mission. She also actively leads and motivates teams to advance employee engagement hence developing high performing individuals. In 2021, Aanchal was named to Reputation Today’s 40 Under 40 Young Turks, acknowledging her achievement to the Public Relations industry. She comes with an enriching experience of over 16 years in the public relations industry. Aanchal has partnered with world’s leading brands to create integrated marketing campaigns, develop content in the new and evolved media world including social, handholding & leading partners during times of crisis and imparting media training & messaging modules for effective communication. Originally from a small and quaint city of Dehradun at the foothills of Himalayas, she hopes to retire there and lead a life that is less dependent on technology. Aanchal loves to see the world through the eyes of her young kids and her circle of family & friends keep her high-spirited.
Director, Growth & Business Initiatives
As a young management trainee with a thirst for learning, Sangita started her career as a part of the team that created history by launching India’s first passenger electric car. Her penchant for learning continued as she traversed across multiple industries. From establishing and leading the brand & product team that harnessed the power of technology to create a health super hiway for India’s largest healthcare player to leading the internal communication mandate for a financial behemoth to setting up the PR Pundit Bangalore branch, Sangita has donned many hats that have communication at the core of it. Sangita strongly believes that “If you don’t know how they buy, you can’t sell”, a mantra that has helped her hone her approach to learning the nuances of various businesses practices she has been associated with. Her adept understanding and insight into consumer behaviour is reflected in the winning communication strategies she designs. Having moved 11 times between various cities, besides the art of packing, she has also picked up local languages and can converse in 5 languages. Sangita has a penchant for culinary arts and spends time experimenting with pickles and traditional foods. She is the official cheer leader for Karnataka Taekwondo team, a team that her teen daughter represents.
Head Of Operations, South India
With an intimate understanding of the South Indian market, Divya quite proudly toggles her understanding of the local landscape with a pan-Indian perspective; ensuring clients get the best regional strategies within an Indian context. With her ability to understand all 4 languages of South India and the culture, she is able to mine local intelligence married with a well-rounded understanding of the media, which is instrumental in our successful PR campaigns. With over 15 years of experience in Public Relations and in her role as Head of Operations, South India, Divya spearheads PR strategies for a vast range of brands in the alcobev, fashion, start-up and lifestyle sectors. As a team leader, Divya brings with her a formidable experience of managing client-media relationships. Her attention to detail, in-depth research capabilities and understanding of the media landscape have been instrumental in successful implementation of PR campaigns for clients. Her approach is defined by creativity, efficiency and effectiveness in all campaigns that she oversees. Divya’s passion for food and cooking, often represented by her inextinguishable love for biryani, position her as an expert on regional South Indian cuisine and a lover of all good food. She’s also a proud ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, a body positivity activist and an avid reader of Karanataka’s Dalit Literature.
Vertical Head – F&B and Hospitality
An eloquent communicator with the ability to build long lasting business relationships, Cindy has excellent ties with decision makers in the hospitality and consumer lifestyle eco system and has played a part in many historical campaigns like the launch of MySpace in India, launch of World Cinema advocates NDTV Lumiere, the first Haig Vintage Rally and iconic initiatives by Levi’s India. She has had the privilege of being shaped by some of the most powerful women in the communications industry. Cindy’s core strengths lie in building effective cross border teams, mentoring promising young talent to reach their highest potential and winning and retaining marquee brand relationships. Her problem solving and analytical skills help her deep dive to fix the root cause and not just the symptom. She is a resilient and patient advisor with a strong finger on the pulse of popular culture. Her clients find her collaborative, agile, dependable, always equipped with a meaningful solution and an effective ally in achieving favourable communication and business results. Her team find her empathetic, empowering, present and prepared with directions. They lean on her experience, expertise and understanding. Cindy featured in Aamir Khan’s show Satya Mev Jayate sharing her story of CSA which triggered the passing of the long standing POSCO bill in India. She is also a well-known contemporary singer songwriter having released 2 EPs and recently, a music video.
Partner & Director Luxury & Beauty
Driven by excellence, Gauri is a results-oriented leader with over two decades of experience in Brand Communications and in creating effective and winning campaigns for luxury fashion and beauty brands in India. Since 2003, Gauri has been instrumental in instituting, spearheading and building a formidable reputation for PR Pundit. Aiding business growth, profitability and implementing best practices, she is a committed mentor who motivates employees to peak performance while leading creative expression. Gauri has spearheaded memorable and impactful India entry for leading global brands like Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Christian Louboutin, Estee Lauder, Fred Perry, Jo Malone London, Ralph Lauren, Ted Baker among others. She has curated numerous award winning campaigns, forged impactful collaborations and led benchmarking results. Her clients find her proactive, thoughtful and an effective partner with an ability to provide knowledgeable counsel and unwavering dedication to the execution of the PR programme. Today, her specialized wealth of experience distinguishes her as a knowledge leader in the world of luxury and beauty. Gauri was recognised as the best Consultancy Professional – Lifestyle & Luxury & Sports by The Fulcrum Awards 2017 and was awarded an Emerging Leader in PR in 1st edition of exchange4media PR and Corp Comm Women Achievers Summit and Awards 2020. A great mentor and a friend to the PR Pundit bees Gauri believes in continuously cultivating a culture of excellence while leading with example. She has a penchant for travelling the world and a love for the outdoors.
Director – Digital
Enterprising and agile, Kavita has worked across communication mediums in her 13 year work experience – segueing from journalism to public relations and now anchoring the social media & digital marketing wing at PR Pundit. Her journey of a decade at PR Pundit, has allowed her to work extensively with all industry verticals, from lifestyle to luxury, hospitality to F&B, education, corporate communication and beyond. A digital ninja, Kavita drives social and creative media initiatives for several clients, and has been exposed to the rigors of client servicing and media communications; and has secured interest from key influencers and brand collaborations to help clients earn significant recognition. She is a high-energy self-starter who assumes responsibility quickly and demonstrates a very positive attitude. Her relationship building skills are commendable. Kavita has come to be the team’s problem-solving millennial, as she is creative, a trouble shooter and totally a ‘people’s person. She exhibits great curiosity and eagerness to help, thus termed the ‘Solutions Pundit’. Kavita has aggregated her varied experience as a correspondent with a publication house, and her consequent experience with NDTV Convergence, to lend value for her role at PR Pundit. She holds a master’s degree in International Journalism from the City University, London.
Head Of Operations,
South India
With an intimate understanding of the South Indian market, Divya quite proudly toggles her understanding of the local landscape with a pan-Indian perspective; ensuring clients get the best regional strategies within an Indian context. With her ability to understand all 4 languages of South India and the culture, she is able to mine local intelligence married with a well-rounded understanding of the media, which is instrumental in our successful PR campaigns. With over 15 years of experience in Public Relations and in her role as Head of Operations, South India, Divya spearheads PR strategies for a vast range of brands in the alcobev, fashion, start-up and lifestyle sectors. As a team leader, Divya brings with her a formidable experience of managing client-media relationships. Her attention to detail, in-depth research capabilities and understanding of the media landscape have been instrumental in successful implementation of PR campaigns for clients. Her approach is defined by creativity, efficiency and effectiveness in all campaigns that she oversees. Divya’s passion for food and cooking, often represented by her inextinguishable love for biryani, position her as an expert on regional South Indian cuisine and a lover of all good food. She’s also a proud ally of the LGBTQIA+ community, a body positivity activist and an avid reader of Karanataka’s Dalit Literature.
Partner Director Consumer Lifestyle
Noopur Sharma, Partner Director at PR Pundit, can be credited for
positioning the firm in hall of fame as a leading communications specialist
for lifestyle brands in India. With 18 years of experience, Noopur lends PR
Pundit an authoritative edge in strengthening the Consumer Lifestyle
business for PR Pundit. As a PR practitioner, she has developed & executed
many meaningful, impactful campaigns in the consumer-lifestyle and retail
segment. Her relentless passion and enthusiasm define her professional
persona. Noopur lends PR Pundit an authoritative edge in advising clients on
the strategic approach necessary to navigate and harness cultural context
and build a community of brand advocates of valuable relevance. Noopur has
been with PR Pundit for 16 years, entrepreneurial in spirit and drive, she
also ably leads the Mumbai operations of PR Pundit.
Director, Growth & Business Initiatives
As a young management trainee with a thirst for learning, Sangita started her career as a part of the team that created history by launching India’s first passenger electric car. Her penchant for learning continued as she traversed across multiple industries. From establishing and leading the brand & product team that harnessed the power of technology to create a health super hiway for India’s largest healthcare player to leading the internal communication mandate for a financial behemoth to setting up the PR Pundit Bangalore branch, Sangita has donned many hats that have communication at the core of it. Sangita strongly believes that “If you don’t know how they buy, you can’t sell”, a mantra that has helped her hone her approach to learning the nuances of various businesses practices she has been associated with. Her adept understanding and insight into consumer behaviour is reflected in the winning communication strategies she designs. Having moved 11 times between various cities, besides the art of packing, she has also picked up local languages and can converse in 5 languages. Sangita has a penchant for culinary arts and spends time experimenting with pickles and traditional foods. She is the official cheer leader for Karnataka Taekwondo team, a team that her teen daughter represents.
Vertical Head – F&B and Hospitality
An eloquent communicator with the ability to build long lasting business relationships, Cindy has excellent ties with decision makers in the hospitality and consumer lifestyle eco system and has played a part in many historical campaigns like the launch of MySpace in India, launch of World Cinema advocates NDTV Lumiere, the first Haig Vintage Rally and iconic initiatives by Levi’s India. She has had the privilege of being shaped by some of the most powerful women in the communications industry. Cindy’s core strengths lie in building effective cross border teams, mentoring promising young talent to reach their highest potential and winning and retaining marquee brand relationships. Her problem solving and analytical skills help her deep dive to fix the root cause and not just the symptom. She is a resilient and patient advisor with a strong finger on the pulse of popular culture. Her clients find her collaborative, agile, dependable, always equipped with a meaningful solution and an effective ally in achieving favourable communication and business results. Her team find her empathetic, empowering, present and prepared with directions. They lean on her experience, expertise and understanding. Cindy featured in Aamir Khan’s show Satya Mev Jayate sharing her story of CSA which triggered the passing of the long standing POSCO bill in India. She is also a well-known contemporary singer songwriter having released 2 EPs and recently, a music video.
Chief Strategy Officer
Director- Marketing & Innovation
Vertical Head – F&B and Hospitality
Partner & Director Luxury & Beauty
Director – Digital
Director of Client Services
Partner Director Consumer Lifestyle
Director, Growth & Business Initiatives
Head Of Operations, South India