Prema Sagar
Principal and Founder of Genesis Burson-Marsteller.
Intrigued by emerging business opportunities in India, Prema established Genesis Public Relations in November 1992. Prema’s vision not only defines the path for the firm, but also mirrors the journey of the PR industry in India.Prema launched the firm with just one client and one colleague, which today has grown into one of India’s most trusted communications firms in the country. In 2005, Genesis merged with Burson-Marsteller, the gold standard in public relations, to become Genesis Burson-Marsteller. In 2008, the firm was ranked the ‘India Consultancy of the Year’ by The Holmes Report, acknowledging Prema’s success in nurturing reputation in a business environment that is rife with inherent contradictions.Prior to setting up Genesis PR, Prema was the Editor-Publisher of Genesis – The City Guide, a travel magazine, and co-founder of Genesis Printers.An alumna of the Frank Jefkins Institute, UK, Prema has played a leadership role in the industry as the Founding President of the Public Relations Consultants Association of India, Council Member for India of the International Public Relations Association and member of the global Board of Management of the International Communication Consultancies Organisation. In recognition of her contribution to global public relations, Prema was invited as the only Indian on the global jury for the first ever PR Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2009. She was earlier inducted into the ‘ICCO Hall of Fame’, the first Asian to receive this rare honour, joining a select group of global personalities including Daniel Edelman, Founder and Chairman of Edelman, John D. Graham, Chairman and CEO, Fleishman-Hillard and Harold Burson, Founding Chairman, Burson-Marsteller.
As a successful entrepreneur, she mentors future leaders as a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs, the world’s largest not-for-profit organisation promoting entrepreneurship. Inspired by Mother Teresa, Prema established the Genesis Foundation, a trust created to provide access to world-class medical care for abandoned and underprivileged children facing life-threatening ailments. The work at the Foundation is Prema’s life mission.
Prema is married to a lawyer, and the two have a son and a daughter.
Nikhil Dey
President of Public Relations, Genesis Burson-Marsteller
He is responsible for driving business growth, increasing profitability, managing client relationships and crisis management. His mandate also includes helping conceptualise campaigns, ensuring a seamless work environment, training, mentoring and motivating the team internally, all of this while constantly finding new ways to deliver better service to the clients.He also conducts crisis and media training workshops. At an organisation level, he identifies new areas of growth and helps chart a direction for the PR service. Trained in Balance Scorecard, he uses it actively to identify measures and targets.A seasoned communications professional, Nikhil has over 15 years of work experience in agency and corporate communication positions. His career includes a stint at Fiat India Pvt Ltd as Vice President, Corporate Communication and at Clea PR as Head of Northern Region. He spent his early career in sales and marketing, before deciding to pursue his MBA in advertising and communication. Having seen the industry from both sides of the table, Nikhil has invaluable insights into the dynamics of the business.An alumnus of International Management Institute, Delhi, Nikhil also holds Masters in Economics from Loyola College, Chennai. A firm believer that knowledge must be shared, he hits the academic circles pretty often with guest lectures at academic institutions like ISB Hyderabad, Lady Shriram College, Symbiosis Pune, Delhi School of Communication, IIPM and Apeejay Institute of Management. He has even conceptualised the curriculum and conducted communication courses at IMI and KC College of Management.Nikhil loves his current profile for the multiplicity of the roles it entails and the agency life for the variety it provides. For him, there is nothing more satisfying than being able to inspire young talent and see them grow.Nikhil is married to a communications professional. They have one son.
Rahul Sharma
President of Public Affairs, Genesis Burson-Marsteller
His responsibilities include business development, client relationships, creating strategies and managing issues and crises.As head of The Core – the content team that drives various projects – he provides editorial guidance to teams internally as well as to the clients.With over 25 years of journalistic experience behind him, it wouldn’t be a cliché to say Rahul has been there and done that. He was at the helm of affairs at Khaleej Times in Dubai and HT Delhi, and at the centre of all the action at Reuters (Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka and India), where he spent a considerable time of his career. In his various roles, he has covered a range of world-changing events like the tsunami of 2004, the civil war in Sri Lanka and the assassination of the royal family of Nepal, and has written extensively on the global and regional financial markets and economic issues. His subject interests include China, foreign policy and international relations.In recent months, he has written for The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi and Business Standard in India and contributed extensively to a book on Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Middle East titled Oases of Opportunities, published by Wharton.An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Rahul chose to further his academic interest mid-career and travelled to Boston for a Masters in International Relations and Security from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at the Tufts University. While in Singapore, he also studied for his second masters – this time in International Trade and Economy – from Flinders University, Adelaide.High on emotional intelligence, Rahul has a very democratic way of functioning and believes in giving his teams the space to work and excel. Rahul is married to a senior branding and communication professional, and they have two sons.
Judith M. Ostronic
Chief Marketing Officer, Genesis Burson-Marsteller
Judith Ostronic serves as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for Genesis Burson-Marsteller. A seasoned professional with over 18 years of experience, Judith brings expertise in communications, grassroots advocacy and government relations.
As CMO for Genesis B-M, Judith serves as head of marketing and new business development. Judith works closely with individual practice chairs and the Genesis B-M leadership, as well as affiliates in the Asia Pacific region, to plan and execute marketing and client growth strategies. Judith also serves as a global liaison to Burson-Marsteller affiliates serving multinational clients who are in need of public relations strategies and implementation in India.
Prior to joining Genesis B-M, Judith was vice president at Direct Impact, a grassroots communications firm based in Washington, DC and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller. Judith worked across practices within Burson-Marsteller to advance and facilitate integrated client services. Judith developed and implemented numerous grassroots outreach campaigns targeting state and federal policy makers, consumers and other key stakeholder groups for a variety of clients including corporations, national and state level trade associations as well as government agencies.
Judith’s experience includes community outreach training for client executives and corporate leadership including the National Association of REALTORS® and Ford Motor Company. She specialized in counseling clients on developing uniquely tailored communications strategies for engaging and mobilizing employees, third party stakeholders and hard-to-reach audiences.
In addition to new business development and client services, Judith was a key player in Direct Impact’s global expansion to Canada in 2010 and the United Kingdom in 2011.
Before joining Direct Impact, Judith represented Northeast Utilities System in Washington, D.C., tracking and engaging in the national energy policy debate and, specifically, policies related to natural gas. Additionally, Judith oversaw all fundraising efforts for the Northeast Utilities Employees’ Political Action Committee (NUEPAC).
Earlier experience includes her time as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA). Here she represented the interests of international nameplate automobile retailers before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies, while also overseeing the grassroots advocacy efforts of a nationwide network of automobile dealers. Prior to that, she worked for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) conducting high-dollar fundraising and event management for the NAHB political action committee, BUILD-PAC.
Judith is a native of the Washington, D.C. area and a graduate of Gettysburg College where she earned a BA in political science and Spanish. Judith has volunteered her time as a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the First Tee of Washington, D.C., a national non-profit organization dedicated to teaching kids life values through the game of golf.
