Edelman India today announced that Rakesh Thukral has been named managing director, effective immediately. In this role, Thukral, currently chief operating officer, will lead the firm’s second largest market in the firm’s Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APACMEA) region. Overseeing 400 people across 11 cities in India, Thukral will work with the Edelman leadership team to build on the success and continued strong growth that the firm has experienced in recent years. He will report to Robert Holdheim, CEO, South Asia, Middle East & Africa (SAMEA).
“Rakesh is well-positioned to drive Edelman India into its next phase of business growth,” said Holdheim. “He is a talented, seasoned leader and has a strong team to support him. It gives me tremendous pleasure to hand over the baton to Rakesh, at a time when we are at the cusp of exploring a dynamic new world of communications. I am confident that under Rakesh’s leadership, we will scale new heights and achieve new milestones for our teams, our clients and our business.”
An industry veteran with over 23 years of experience in communications and public affairs, Thukral joined Edelman India in 2010 to set up the firm’s Public Affairs & Advocacy practice. In 2012, he took on the additional role of chief operating officer. During his four-plus years at Edelman, Thukral successfully built the Public Affairs practice to one of the largest in the country. He was a core member of the leadership team responsible for growing the business, developing new offerings and thereby expanding the firm’s presence to 11 cities.
“Being part of Edelman India’s leadership team has been a very enriching experience and I am humbled by the trust that the team has placed in me as I take over this new role,” said Thukral. “In the last few years, Edelman has established a remarkable footprint in India and created a new benchmark in the PR consulting business. I look forward to working with our leadership team to leverage the scale, expertise and the new thinking to drive success for our clients and our business.”
Prior to joining Edelman, Rakesh was the COO of Comma Consulting for over four years, a company that he helped set up. He also worked at IPAN, now known as IPAN Hill+Knowlton, for 14 years.
About Edelman India
Edelman is the world’s largest, independent, family-owned and fastest growing public relations firm and a leading player in India. With a team of over 400 professionals, Edelman has a presence across 11 locations and a representative network covering 200+ cities in India. Grounded by its core values and strengthened by its independence, Edelman strives to offer clients a truly integrated network and global approach — whether it’s cultivating stakeholder relationships, developing thought leadership platforms, creating digital strategies or breakthrough ideas that translate across cultures and borders. To engage stakeholders and move brands forward, Edelman India builds strategic ideas that marry insight and instinct, and are brought to life with fearless creative content. The firm was voted as one of India’s Best Companies to Work For by the Great Places To Work Institute in 2013, and South Asia PR Agency of the year – India by Campaign Asia Pacific for two years running (2012 and 2013).