New expanded role for Nikhil Dey at GBM, Atul Sharma to be COO

Genesis Burson-Marsteller has rolled out a slew of top leadership appointments for 2016. While Nikhil Dey's role has been expanded to include public affairs along with public relations, Atul Sharma will now be chief operating officer. 

Nikhil Dey will continue to play a key role overseeing the firm’s client growth strategy and will now also focus on mentoring the public affairs business. Former journalist, Ajit Sahi, who joined the firm last year as director, Thought Leadership will now lead the mandate of public affairs. Sahi, a seasoned political journalist who has worked in  both print and television, is an interesting choice to head public affairs. 

Other changes at GBM include Vandana Sandhir, currently India Practice Chair, corporate & financial, moving on to a new leadership role in the WPP network after ten years with the firm. In addition, Sanjay Arora, who has been with the firm for over six years, will take on the 'India Practice Chair' role from Vandana. Piyal Banerjee is now managing partner, telecom & technology (B2C) & businesslLeader, Step Up; Shivaram Lakshminarayan is managing partner, telecom & technology (B2B) and corporate & financial (South).

Commenting on these appointments, Nikhil Dey, said, “Atul has been a trusted advisor to our clients across sectors and his proven expertise is a great asset for us, both as a chief operating officer as well a key member of the India management team. Sanjay, Shivaram and Piyal have consistently demonstrated strong leadership skills and clear vision for their clients and team. In their new roles, they will continue their contribution to the firm.”