NEW DELHI: In a major leadership transition within the strategic communications sector, global PR powerhouse Burson Group has announced the appointment of Kapil Sharma as its new Chief Client Officer for its India operations.
The high-profile hire marks a homecoming for Sharma, who originally started his professional journey with Burson under its elite Associate Learning Programme. In his new executive capacity, he will report directly to Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO of Burson Group India, and join the firm’s core Management Team.
Key Takeaways
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The Chief Client Officer Mandate: In this apex client-facing role, Sharma is tasked with fortifying and scaling Burson’s long-term relationships with marquee partners, driving client retention, and piloting long-term value creation. He will also spearhead the agency’s new business development strategy across high-growth, asset-heavy industrial sectors, including automotive, aviation, travel, manufacturing, renewable energy, and professional services.
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Over Two Decades of Blue-Chip Experience: Sharma brings more than 20 years of intensive, cross-border corporate reputation management and strategic storytelling to the table. His corporate track record features long, impactful stints leading communications architectures for premier global engineering and automotive conglomerates.
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The Ford & BMW Pedigree: Prior to rejoining Burson, Sharma spent over 12 years at Ford Motor Company, serving a prominent tenure as the Head of Communications for India, where he ran the brand’s corporate, social, product, and CSR communication blueprints. Most recently, he operated out of Bangkok, Thailand, as Ford’s Director of Communications for the International Markets Group, orchestrating high-impact experiential campaigns and integrated go-to-market initiatives across nine international territories. Earlier in his career, he also spearheaded communications for BMW India.
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Driving AI-Powered PR Innovation: Commenting on the appointment, Burson Group India CEO Deepshikha Dharmaraj emphasized that Sharma’s deep sector knowledge will be highly instrumental in modernizing the firm’s consultative capabilities. A primary focus of his leadership will involve deploying transformative, AI-driven public relations innovations to accelerate market expansion across the South Asian landscape.
