2021 is our industry’s inflection point: Nitin Mantri, Avian WE

Emerging from the severe disruptions in 2020, brought on by the global pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns, the year 2021 has seen the industry fight back to regain growth. And leading this growth saga have been the captions of the industry, who have been leading from the front.

The most definitive compilation of the most influential leaders of India Inc. across sectors, the 4^th edition of Powerful Influencers 2021 was launched at a virtual event yesterday (December 22, 2021). In keeping with the current times, the Powerful Influencers 2021 has the overarching theme of Resilience | Rebuilding | Resurgence.

Delivering his keynote address, Nitin Mantri, Group CEO, Avian WE & President, International Communication Consultancy Organization (ICCO), shared his views on the new normal as well as the Resilience | Rebuilding | Resurgence seen in the industry as we usher in 2022.

Mantri pointed out, “Last year, the pandemic brought the world to a screeching halt, at the same time it triggered the reimagining and re-orienting of life as we know it. Humanity rose to the occasion and turned the odds stacked against us into momentum of opportunity into digital transformation that otherwise would have taken another decade. Just think of how the world shifted gears to a seamless and biotech human technology work mode where empathy and ingenuity showed the way forward.”

He further noted how education has re-conceptualised classrooms with online learning to keep students on track with their lessons. Doctors switched to tele-consultations to help their patients through tough times. On the other hand, government agencies leveraged online platforms to stay on track with the spread of viruses. These events, said Mantri, also showcased that the COVID-19 situation is as much a story of hope, resilience and optimism as it has given us the opportunity to radically rethink our future, how we live, how we work and how we treat others.

“This shift was reflected in the world of communications as well. We realized that we do not need to be in the same way to be connected. Physical space does not matter as long as you can connect human beings to human beings. Connections made through the stories we use to tell each other,” he added.

“If we could call anything a soul, it could be the magical ability to imagine a story that does not exist. The creativity to make it meaningful and engaging and the fraternity showed as the soul in the past 20 months and how. Like the phoenix, the industry rose from the ashes of the pandemic and re-invented and rebuilt itself with the help of technology, creativity and purpose. We were agile, we were hyper responsive as we kept pace with the crisis and guided clients through unknown territory and helped them flourish,” Mantri further said.

Today, as the year is winding down, he affirmed that “we are stronger and better and fulfilling our purpose as communicators. We are not just amplifying things anymore, we are revising, running campaigns on our own, we are using different mediums where we can showcase our creativity. This is our industry’s inflection point where divergent thinking and creating reshaping of PR strategies will become the hallmark of communications going forward.”

These are edited excerpts. For the complete keynote address watch below: