MAM
PRCI Delhi names Baldev Raj vice chairman to steer India’s comms reset
NEW DELHI: The Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) has appointed Prius Communications founder and chief executive Baldev Raj, as vice chairman of its Delhi chapter, signalling a renewed push to strengthen leadership at a moment of upheaval for India’s communications industry.
The sector is grappling with faster information cycles, intensified public scrutiny and rising expectations of clarity and accountability. PRCI aims to position its Delhi chapter, located at the crossroads of policy, governance and institutional influence, as a hub for knowledge leadership, ethical practice, and technology-led capability development, including AI-based training for emerging communicators.
Baldev Raj’s appointment fits squarely into this mandate. With more than 25 years across healthcare, finance, technology, education, infrastructure, public policy and development, he has built Prius into one of India’s best-regarded integrated communications firms, with 12 offices, 80 partner networks and more than 2,000 campaigns delivered nationwide. He has also been an active voice in the field, speaking at over 2,000 forums, authoring 1,800 thought pieces and mentoring more than 5,000 professionals.
PRCI chief mentor and chairman emeritus M B Jayaram, said Raj brings both scale and consistency to the profession, having guided organisations through complex communication challenges and championed higher standards of practice. His appointment, he said, is central to PRCI’s ambition of shaping communicators who can operate with rigour in a rapidly evolving information environment.
Accepting the role, Raj said the expectations from communication, across public institutions, industry and the broader citizenry have risen sharply. He aims to build programmes that strengthen professional capability, deepen cross-sector dialogue and prepare young communicators for a landscape that demands “both precision and purpose”.
With this leadership shift, PRCI Delhi is set to sharpen its influence in India’s communication priorities, pushing for collaboration, ethical standards and a more trusted information ecosystem.
Brands
Hemlata Sharma joins ONEOTT Broadband as chief business officer
Former Zee Media distribution head to steer growth, partnerships and strategy
MUMBAI: Hemlata Sharma has joined ONEOTT Broadband as chief business officer, bringing with her more than three decades of experience across television, telecom and media distribution.
Sharma most recently served as head distribution, research & CRM at Zee Media Corporation Limited, where she worked closely with editorial and senior management while overseeing distribution, consumer research and customer relationships for 14 news channels including Zee News, WION, Zee Hindustan and Zee Business, along with ten regional state channels.
In that role, she led nationwide distribution across platforms such as DTH, Hits, IPTV, cable networks and DD Free Dish. She also drove consumer research and strategic insights on a pan India scale, analysing content performance, anchor impact, programme slots and audience behaviour to guide editorial decisions and programming strategy.
Her portfolio also included managing one of the largest alliances with Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited and overseeing the global distribution monitoring of Wion across North America, Mena, Europe, Africa, APAC and Australia.
Earlier, Sharma briefly served as head sales and distribution at Triplecom Media Pvt Ltd, an engagement driven OTT platform bringing together content, gaming, music and advertising for the entertainment distribution ecosystem.
Her earlier career includes a senior vice president stint at Ten Sports Network, where she played a key role in relaunching the sports broadcaster as an independent bouquet comprising Ten Sports, Ten Cricket, Ten Action and Ten Golf following the Zee takeover. During this period, she moved from vp west to head strategy for cable and dth and later national head retail distribution, helping build the network’s retail distribution vertical across India and launching dedicated golf and football channels.
Before that, Sharma spent over six years at Bharti Airtel as general manager operations for Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. She initially led marketing and corporate communications before moving into sales leadership, where voice sales grew by 86 per cent and revenues by 96 per cent. She later headed business operations, expanding annual business volumes to Rs 100 crore while significantly reducing operational costs.
Sharma began her long association with the media distribution ecosystem at Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited as regional head sales and distribution for central India. During that period, she played a role in the early rollout of pay television channels including Zee Cinema, HBO, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, while also contributing to the launch of Siti Cable in key central Indian cities.
With her new role at ONEOTT Broadband, Sharma is expected to focus on strengthening business strategy, expanding partnerships and driving growth across the company’s broadband and digital distribution ecosystem.
