In its 2nd edition now, the afaqs! CommuniCon Awards 2025 brought the public relations and corporate communications industry together on February 27 at Fairfield by Marriott, Mumbai, to honour outstanding achievements in strategic storytelling and brand reputation management. With Adfactors PR winning Agency of the Year and Aditya Birla Group securing Brand of the Year, the event highlighted the evolving role of PR in today’s digital-first world.

The CommuniCon Awards celebrated the innovation and impact of PR professionals and corporate communicators. The conference also featured insightful discussions on the rapid evolution of PR, the increasing role of social media, and how brands are shaping their own narratives in a connected world.

A platform for PR excellence

With 38 brands and agencies competing across 28 categories, the CommuniCon Awards recognised excellence in PR campaigns, corporate reputation management, and crisis communication strategies. The awards underscored how PR has moved from a back-end function to a key driver of brand perception, influencing everything from consumer trust to investor confidence.

Adfactors PR and Aditya Birla Group lead the winners’ list

Agency of the Year: Adfactors PR

The night belonged to Adfactors PR, which took home eight metals—five Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze—cementing its dominance in the PR space.

Brand of the Year: Aditya Birla Group

Aditya Birla Group also impressed, winning seven metals, including four Gold and three Silver, showcasing its strong market presence and impactful campaigns.

Other standout performances

Several agencies and brands made their mark at the event, showcasing the depth of talent in the industry.

• Value360 Communications won six metals, including two Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze

• The Right PR secured five metals, comprising three Gold, one Silver, and one Bronze

• Ruder Finn took home four metals, with two Gold and two Silver

• Davidson PR & Communications earned three metals, winning two Gold and one Silver

• Burson Genesis also bagged three metals, receiving one Gold and two Silver.

An esteemed jury panel

The awards were judged by an esteemed grand jury comprising top communications professionals across industries. Leaders such as Abhishek Roy, VP, head of communications, Paisabazaar; Amit Kumar Nanchahal, head - corporate communications - India and South Asia, PepsiCo; Anindita Sarkar, vice president, brand & communications, South Asia, dentsu; Apeksha Mishra, head of corporate communications & content, Policybazaar.com; Arun Mittal, head of communications, boAt; Bob John, corporate communications, Tata Consumer Products; Deepa Sridhar, senior director, corporate communications, South Asia, Warner Bros. Discovery; Gagan Mangal, head, marketing communications & press, Volkswagen India; Gauri Juneja, head of corporate communications, Google India; Geetanjali Chugh Kothari, CMO, Future Generali India Life Insurance; Gulrez Alam, co-founder, Teamology; Madhu Chhibber, executive vice president and head of corporate communications, HDFC Bank; Manu Kumar, brand & communications advisor; Mrinall Dey, vice president & head - PR & corporate communications, MobiKwik; Nadhiya Mali, head, PR, CSR, and corporate communications, Agilus Diagnostics; Preeti Binoy, head, corporate communications & government affairs, Kimberly-Clark; Prerna Arun, communications & CSR lead (India subcontinent, Middle East & Africa), FedEx; Ravi Muthreja, senior vice president & group head - brand & corporate communications, Adani Enterprises; Sarableen Kaur, senior director, strategic communications, The Coca-Cola Company; Shweta Munjal, chief communications and CSR officer, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals; Srishti Thakur, head, PR and corporate communication, PhysicsWallah; Sylvia Dutta, head - corporate communications, Jubilant FoodWorks Limited; Vidhi Bahl, vice president - client experience, Current Global, brought their expertise to evaluate the most impactful and innovative campaigns.

As the PR and corporate communications landscape continues to evolve, the CommuniCon Awards 2025 set a new benchmark for industry excellence, recognising the talent and strategy that define the future of brand storytelling.