With three decades of rich and diverse experience in public relations and integrated communications, Deepshikha Dharmaraj is one of the most respected leaders in the industry in India. She is the CEO for Burson Group India, which includes Burson Genesis, GCI Health India and Hill & Knowlton India. In this role she manages the overall business interests of Burson in India and implements its growth strategy encompassing people, clients and partners.
Deepshikha provides strategic counsel to the firm’s marquee clients and senior client leaders and is sought by them as a trusted advisor in good as well as turbulent times to help build and protect Reputation, their most valuable asset. A firm believer in conceptualising impactful campaigns which help solve problems for clients, she champions creativity, innovation and measurement across the organization and industry.
In her professional journey, Deepshikha has experienced every aspect of the business. While spearheading communication mandates for some of the biggest clients of the firm, she led the regional expansion of the erstwhile Genesis PR in the west, setting up the Mumbai office in 1996 and Pune in 1998. She then went on to create a world-class talent development framework as the Chief Talent Officer and Head of L&D. Later, as Chief Marketing & Growth Office, she led the acquisition and retention of key clients and built strong partnerships for new services and capability enhancements. And then combined all these roles as the Chief Business Growth Officer, before being named the CEO in January 2020.
An active leader in India’s public relations and public affairs industry, Deepshikha serves as the Managing Committee member and is the immediate past President (2024-25) of the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI). She also served as President of the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) in 2008 and continues as the founding member on the CAC board of PRCAI. She is a founding board member of the India chapter of the Global Women in Public Relations (GWPR), a global organisation for senior women in PR and communications.
Passionate about creative ideas and measurement, she has been jury for numerous prestigious award shows, including Cannes PR Lions, D&AD Awards (PR Jury President), SABRE South Asia Awards, PR Week Awards, Campaign PR Awards, Fulcrum Awards and IPRCCA amongst others. Deepshikha has also won several awards and recognition, including, most recently being named PR Agency Head of the Year 2025 by both Campaign and Adgully ImageXX, PR Professional of the Year at Indian PR & Corporate Communications Awards (IPRCCA) in 2024, 2023 and 2019, and CEO of the Year for Women Achievers Awards 2023. She is also listed among the top 25 PR and Communications professionals by Reputation Today, among the 100 Changemakers of PR and Corporate Communications by Exchange4Media, and PR Professional of the Year, by Campaign PR Awards India 2019.
Deepshikha holds a master’s degree in business economics from Delhi University and is a firm believer in nurturing new talent. She actively mentors the next generation of leaders, especially women leaders through mentoring programmes for WPP Stella and GWPR and spends time with students at leading institutes sharing and exchanging knowledge.
She lives in Mumbai with her husband Atul Suri and son Sohum, spending weekends exploring new coffee shops, reading and indulging in some mind and body work with yoga and meditation.
