Today on the PRmoment India podcast, we have Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO of Burson Group India, on the challenges of leadership while going through multiple mergers. Deepshikha has been through no less than three major mergers since 2015, two while CEO at Genesis BCW and now CEO at Burson Group India.
On the podcast, Deepshikha talks about leadership through mergers, how the three group brands will function, why she calls herself the 'Merger Queen', handling the sector shift towards project-based work and finally, the one Gen Z habit she has.
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Here is a summary of the main points discussed:
Mergers & Integration (At 3 minutes): Deepshikha, who calls herself the "merger queen", discusses the recent integration of Genesis BCW, GCI Health and Hill & Knowlton Strategies in India into the Burson Group India. She highlights the cultural alignment between the merged entities, emphasising the focus on reputation building and leveraging each brand's strengths and the value of the Genesis name.
"Even today," she shared, "When we pitch to new clients, they often say, 'But you're still Genesis, right? This unwavering trust in the Genesis brand, she explained, had ultimately strengthened Burson's overall brand proposition in India.”
In addition to Burson Genesis, Burson Group India also retained Hill & Knowlton Strategies and GCI Health as fully functional brands.
( At 8 minutes) : "They're going to be fully functional brands. So we have three fully functional brands in the country, and it's in the best interest of our business that we continue to have these brands. Each one will look at focusing on a different set of clients, and you know it's always good to have a conflict brand. Burson Genesis and Hill+Knowlton Strategies are full-service firms under the Burson umbrella, so they both benefit from whatever new innovative, creative work, technologies and investments are made. But they also go out independently, and we could even have a situation where, you know, two of the brands are fighting for the same pitches.”
Industry Trends (At 14 minutes): Deepshikha addresses the challenging economic climate and the increasing shift towards project-based work in the PR industry. Deepshikha also stresses the importance of maintaining "bench strength" by upskilling employees and fostering a flexible workforce capable of handling both retainer work and project-based assignments.
“Data and analytics are set to become even stronger... If we, as PR professionals, are unable to do that, we will face difficulties."
Leadership & DEI (At 22 minutes): Deepshikha shares insights into her leadership style, shaped by her upbringing in an Air Force family, highlighting the importance of discipline, commitment and respect. She also discusses the need for greater gender diversity in leadership roles within the PR industry.
"We actively need to bring in more men into these conversations because unless the shift happens there, we're not going to be able to see a difference."
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