Akshaara Lalwani
Founder & CEO, Communicate India

At an age when most 20-year olds are still undecided over what career to choose, a 23-year-old Akshaara founded Communicate India as a home-grown Indian public relations agency. Her journey began with a mere INR 10000, of which half the amount were gift vouchers for a printer, given to her by friends. Since then, over the last seven years, Akshaara has built an agency that is a force to reckon with. Today she has over 100 employees and works with MNCs and Blue-Chip companies including Hershey’s, Mindshare, SKF Bearings and The World Bank, among others. Having successfully built a name for herself in the industry, Akshaara has been the recipient of the PRmoment 30 Under 30 award as well as the 21 Young Guns –India’s New Age Entrepreneur. She was also named by veteran Public Relations professional, Amit Prabhu in MXM India as one who would change the media landscape in India. Furthermore, she has been featured in IMPACT’s top 50 influential women of 2018, while Communicate India ranked among the “Most Promising PR Agencies” in Silicon India’s list of 2018.

During the last year, Akshaara took Communicate India a notch higher as she moved the company away from a traditional PR firm, to a digitally transformed, new-age agency. She now offers consultancy services in a variety of sectors from user experience and engagement to artificial intelligence and business strategy, either supported by in-house teams or through trusted partners. She has also developed three new business verticals, growing by 100 per cent, year on year.

Akshaara has also been a speaker at several high-profile events including AISEC’s Stakeholder’s Dinner, and at leading media institutes such as Mumbai University and EMDI, to name a few. She has also served as a jury member at management events at colleges across Mumbai, including the prestigious Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics.

In an industry where few home-grown Indian PR agencies exist, to be spearheading one is no mean feat. A proud 30-year-old woman, Akshaara considers herself a modern day David in the world of media Goliaths.