PRAXIS2026 Keynote 8
Meenakshi Nevatia, Country President, Pfizer India
Public Relations as a Force for Good
Public Relations has always been about managing perception and building trust – but the profession itself is evolving fast. So, how is PR changing now?
In today’s digital landscape, PR plays a crucial role in shaping public perception of a brand through various channels, including social media, press releases, events and influencer collaborations. Authentic storytelling has become the cornerstone of successful PR campaigns, as consumers crave genuine connections and transparent communication from the brands they interact with.
Taking centrestage at #PRAXIS2026 was Meenakshi Nevatia, Country President, Pfizer India, who shared her views on “Public Relations as a Force for Good”. Pfizer India is 100% committed to India, she said, as she shared more details.
When does PR become a strategic partner? She outlined five moves that turn communication into a force for good:
- Shape the decision – advise the business, not just the story.
- Protect earned trust – put impact through a reputation lens.
- Say the hard thing – call out hype, harm and tone-deaf moves.
- Read the room – know when to speak, and when to pause.
- Build before the storm – everyday credibility becomes resilience.
The message was clear and strong: “True power is quiet – loud enough to change, not to boast.”
The world today is completely different, she observed, especially the healthcare environment. “In my context, I see PR becoming critical,” she disclosed. Building trust is critical, she insisted, because “we feel people should trust us, since we are in the healthcare business”.
The explanation was easy for the audience to absorb. Every industry has its fundamentals, but the reality is that everything that comes to a company can be blown out of proportion. “In good times, we need to build stories, and there will be bad times too,” was her wise comment – and it is the role of the communicator to do this. Pfizer India, she acknowledged, has been through great times but had not spoken about them.
According to her, there are principles to focus on – authenticity (the right balance of emotion and fact) and understanding. As a true fan of PR, she said, communicators need to speak up – and wait for the right time. “In the recent crisis, we lay low. That was the right decision. But it doesn’t mean that we did nothing!” she confessed.
So, has your company harnessed the power of PR? Done right, it remains one of the most effective ways to build any brand – and as she put it, “True power is quiet – loud enough to change, not to boast.”
In a Q/A with Faizan Aboli, VP, Avian WE the question came up – if PR has to be a force for good, should communication professionals be involved in shaping decisions? Ideally, you want to be at the start of communication, as the project involves all key shareholders from Day1 she explained, but that does not happen that way!
Does PR have the power to challenge? The role to challenge is huge, was her opinion and when PR is taken into the decision, the challenge becomes more important.
Today, stakeholders can challenge anything. So, does reputation management have a strong role? Her take was – reputation is critical but the management needs to find a packaging around the challenge. It has to start from facts, and “we need to be rocksolid on facts”.
About the environment of reputation, she was firm to admit that “I don’t think reputation is ever going to be outdated!” In the past, as far as Pfizer was concerned, she shared – “we owned the narrative, but now it is impossible to do this!”
So, PR is more than just getting your brand mentioned in the news; it’s about creating compelling stories and narratives, it’s about building meaningful relationships, and it’s about shaping perceptions. It is indeed, a powerful tool for elevating your brand’s visibility, credibility & market authority.
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