Bala Krishnan departs Stellantis after six years

Bengaluru: After six years in the driver’s seat of corporate storytelling, Bala Krishnan has changed gears. The former head of communications for India and Asia Pacific at Stellantis has announced his departure from the global automaker, bringing the curtain down on a stint that saw him shape communications across 12 brands in 26 markets. In a LinkedIn post, Krishnan also hinted that his next move will be an entrepreneurial venture, saying he is now building “something personal” that he has wanted to create for a long time.

Krishnan most recently served as head of communications for India and Asia Pacific, where he led internal and external communications across the region’s diverse portfolio, including brands such as Citroën, Jeep, Peugeot, Opel and Fiat. As the sole communications adviser to the regional chief operating officer and market managing directors, he was responsible for corporate messaging, executive communications, product launches, reputation management and employee engagement across Asia Pacific.

Before taking on the regional communications leadership role in March 2024, Krishnan headed national sales company communications for India and Asia Pacific. In that position, he oversaw corporate, product and media communications, while aligning messaging between the India business and Stellantis’ regional headquarters. His responsibilities also included executive speechwriting, thought leadership programmes and media engagement.

A significant chapter of his tenure came with Citroën India, where he led press relations from August 2019. He played a central role in launching the French carmaker in the Indian market, building its public relations function from scratch, developing communication strategies, working closely with the brand’s global communications team in Paris and steering multiple product launches. The campaigns also earned industry recognition for public relations excellence.

Before joining Stellantis, Krishnan spent over three years at TVS Motor Company as deputy general manager, corporate communications. During his tenure, he led public relations for the company’s two-wheeler, three-wheeler and export businesses. One of his notable campaigns, Inspiring Aspiration for TVS Apache, won the Gold Award for Best Automobile Campaign at Praxis 2018. He also helped strengthen the company’s motorsport narrative through communications around TVS Racing.

His career began in journalism, spending more than five years with NDTV as assistant editor for its flagship automotive programme Car & Bike. There, he anchored and produced automotive content, reviewed new vehicles and covered major international motor shows, building a reputation as a familiar face in India’s automotive media landscape.

Reflecting on his journey, Krishnan said the six-year stint had achieved everything he had set out to accomplish. “I gave it everything I had. And somewhere along the way, I realised I’d done what I set out to do here. It was time to build something new for myself.”

He also thanked colleagues and mentors across more than two decades in journalism and corporate communications, adding that he is now pursuing “something new” and promising to share more details soon.

While Krishnan has not disclosed the nature of his upcoming venture, his departure closes a chapter that spanned newsrooms, racetracks and boardrooms, and leaves the industry watching to see what road he takes next.