Strategic Communications

Shankar Chelluri

About Self• Overall 17 Years Experience in Media & Communications• Overview of Change in Hyderabad for last two decades – City,

Politics & Business landscape from HiTec City, ISB, Gachibowli, Financial District, National Games, Games Villages to new airport

• Completed M.A. (Economics) from Univ. of Hyderabad in 1993• Worked in Journalism – Business Reporting (Three newspapers)• Worked in PR agency – Client Servicing, Media Relations, Business

Development, Crisis Communications, Handling Operations • Worked in Corporate – Corp. Communications department – Media

Relations, Stakeholder Engagement, Advertising, Sponsorships, Internal Communications & Marketing Collaterals

• Based at Hyderabad and open to travel • Married with 14-year old son in Grade IX, Sloka Waldorf School• Wife is working as Guest Faculty at Univ. of Hyderabad in Dept. of

Sociology, completed Ph.D. (Sociology) from the same university

Areas of Expertise

• Media Relations• Development of communication plans• Stakeholders’ engagement• Advertising & Sponsorship• Branding• Internal communications• Marketing Collaterals• Crisis communications

Business Journalism• Started as Business Reporter-cum-Subeditor in Indian Express in 1994-95• Worked at ICFAI as Senior Associate, 1995-96• Worked at Deccan Chronicle as Senior Reporter during 1996-2000• Worked at Times of India as Business Editor during 2000-01Responsibilities:• Reporting, Editing, Page Layouts & Pagination• Reporting on exclusive stories, developments & trends• Sectors covered include – automobile, telecom, corporate, financial

results, IT, healthcare, writing corporate profiles & soft stories • Started Property Times while working at ToI – conceptualized the special

supplement with new trends & developments, interviews & special tips• Visiting manufacturing sites of companies in India & overseas• Got columnists to write special columns on Tax, Property, Corporate

Governance, Stock Market Tips etc

Achievements in Journalism• Story on Vision 2010 of GoAP , IT Plan for using IT for all government work – G.O.,

file movement, updates on policies

• Nagarjuna group swapping refinery plant for steel plant with Pennar group

• Nagarjuna Group failed steel foray – losses & issues facing the foray

• Problems with Global Trust Bank before the bank crumbled

• Satyam Computers foray into ISP space with Satyam Infoway (Sify), listing with

ADR on NYSE, integration of Satyam Enterprise into parent company

• Reporting on former CM - N Chandrababu Naidu trip to Japan, China, Hong Kong

seeking investments – ONLY REPORTER TO ACCOMPANY HIM

• GTB chairman plans to start old-age home after quitting from the bank

• MS developing Windows Enterprise software at Hyderabad & interviewed Bill

Gates

PR Agency

• Career shift from journalism to PR agency in mid-2001• Joined Genesis PR in Aug 2001 – brief stint till Dec 2001

– Handled clients like ITC Agrotech, Dr. Reddy’s Labs, ISB, ITW Signode etc

• Moved to Vaishnavi Corporate Communications Pvt Ltd as part of the start-up team. Dec 2001-Oct 2006– Handled clients from Tata group – TCS, Taj Hotels, Tata Steel, Tata

Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors, Tata Teleservices, Tata Tea, Tata Coffee, Trent, Voltas, CMC etc

– Others include Ascendas Pte, IVY Comptech, ITC Agro, ITC Paperboards, Sun Microsystems, Nortel Networks, Sylvan Learning Systems, Channel V, Star Music, GMR Hyderabad International Airport

Responsibilities & SectorsResponsibilities• Media Relations, Client Servicing, Development of Communication Plans &

Business Development, Crisis Communications, Investor Relations• Handling branch operations – HR, IT & Administration as Regional Head –

South handling Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai & Cochin

Sectors | Industries• Telecom, IT & ITeS• Manufacturing, Steel, Chemicals, Power, Automotive• Hospitality, Luxury & Entertainment, Beverages• Airport & Infrastructure management• Education, Insurance & Trading • Confectionery, Paperboards

Achievements at PR Agency• Successfully handled Dedication to the Nation event for Indian School of

Business, Hyderabad by Prime Minister, Shri. Atal Behari Vajpayee.• Actively involved in handling media during the problem of package

tampering for Dr Reddy’s Labs• Joined as Senior Manager and Elevated to the position of Regional

Director in a span of 5 years at Vaishnavi Corporate Communications P Ltd.

• Successfully managed issues like denial of FDI permission for higher education for client into becoming major crisis from media standpoint.

• Instrumental in garnering business across regions and getting very good clients for Vaishnavi and generated Rs. 2 crore annual revenues.

• Involved in the launch of a range of products – vehicles, confectionery items, watches & jewelery, beverages and properties

• Crisis communications management for a number of clients • Restoring confidence in clients & operations by hand-holding when three

branches underwent major restructuring & people left the company

Corporate Sector

• Moved from PR agency to corporate sector in Dec 2006 • Set up a team with six members handling a large portfolio• Involved in developing the entire communication strategy for the

commissioning of the first airport developed under PPP model• Driving the above strategy for over 24 months till the airport opened in

March 2008 with iterations at requisite intervals • Leadership role in managing the entire portfolio of Media Relations,

Stakeholder Engagement, Advertising, Branding, Sponsorship, Internal Communications & Marketing Collaterals

• Vendor & agency management for the airport for communications dept.• Event planning & management – inauguration of the airport• Driving pre-launch, launch & post-launch communication strategy for the

airport – interaction with media, stakeholders group and industry

Achievements• Develop, lead and monitor the entire communication strategy for airport• Prepare stakeholders’ engagement communication plan• Increasing visibility airport in the media from local to national and getting

international media attention on the airport developments• Using the large portfolio of viral marketing tools – social media, bulk

mailers, SMS updates, video updates to stakeholders, billboards, radio campaigns & contests, advertising & sponsorships, CSR activities

• Upping the ante on media visibility constantly as run-up to the airport commissioning

• Drove the group’s first foray into sports branding with Hyderabad cricket stadium – entire eastern stand branded as GMR stand with corporate box

• Involved in getting company to start airport bus for passengers• Handling many issues that could snowball into a crisis – labour issues, two

airports, ground handling, rise in incremental costs etc

Crisis Communications• Factory closure and job losses at ITC Agrotech – huge media outrage at

factory & HO– Worked with HR, IR teams in close coordination with CEO and devised a crisis

communications strategy – slowly got out of the crisis

• Package Tampering at Dr. Reddy’s Labs – huge media outcry that snowballed into national news with regulatory agencies getting involved– Worked closely with Factory, Packaging, Operations teams in close coordination with

CEO office to defuse the crisis following development of detailed strategy

• Denial of MHRD permission for allowing foreign universities in higher education from– 2 batches student had to lose academic year– Worked with Dean and US HQ team to tie-up with other institutions for placement of

students, returning fees paid to college and counseling of parents | students– Huge media outrage initially due to bungling at client end along with students - able to

defuse situation following clearly devised crisis strategy

• Closure of unviable factory at Voltas and ensuing job losses & politicking– Worked with HR|IR|Legal teams and HQ office along with CEO to devise strategy,

constant monitoring– Working with local police, media and union office bearers to drive home clients’ point of

view why factory has to be closed and compensation package being paid to staff

Stakeholders’ Plan & Marketing CollateralsStakeholders’ Plan • Identify stakeholders groups for driving communication strategy• Develop communications plan to address each stakeholder within proper

timelines• Engage stakeholders with constant dialogue, updates and understanding

their concerns, issues while reiterating client | company point of view

Marketing Collaterals• Develop an entire suite of marketing collaterals – brochures, website,

flyers, digital signage, SMS updates, films – brand | corporate• Develop in-house talent for making creatives• Engaged professional production house to develop theme films for the

airport and also capturing airport progress for international broadcast • Mobile website application with ability to create revenue streams

Advertising & Sponsorship

Advertising• Develop advertising campaign

plan• Selection of medium with good

RoI• Identification of correct avenues• Develop proper theme-based

creative • Used mixture of print, in-flight

magazine and TV commercials• Explore new avenues for

advertising

Sponsorships• Develop plan align with brand

strategy• Explore opportunities for

sponsorship to enhance product & brand value

• Got the first sports sponsorship with eastern stand at Hyderabad cricket stadium named after GMR

• Involved with sponsorship for lot of corporate, sports, events

Thanks for your attentionTo reach me:Home: +91.40.6576.3501 (Before 9 am & after 8 pm)HP: +91.99490.93501Mail: shankarchelluri@yahoo.com or chelluri.shankar@gmail.com URL: www.linkedin.com/in/chelluriTwitter: chelluri Skype: shankar.chelluriBlog: http://schelluri.wordpress.com