Girish Balachandran to lead new 'The PRactice Group'; The PRactice and ON PURPOSE remain separate brands

The PRactice and ON PURPOSE today announced that they are coming together under The PRactice Group. The new structure, beginning September 1,  is positioned as a management alliance rather than a new legal entity.

The two firms will continue to work as independent brands.  This move ensures a key benefit. Both firms stay independent brands, so existing client relationships and positioning are undisturbed.

Girish Balachandran will become Group CEO of The PRactice Group. Nandita Lakshmanan will transition from CEO of The PRactice to Founding partner of The PRactice Group. Zach James and Rishi Seth will continue as managing partners of The PRactice Group. 

Girish Balachandran, the new Group CEO, commented, “In my expanded role as group CEO, I am excited to work alongside Nandita, Zach and Rishi to realize the synergies between our complementary strengths in corporate reputation and social change communications and build a model that is resilient, impactful, and truly future-ready.”

The idea of independent foounders working together is certainly unusual for the Indian PR industry.

This announcement come on the heels of Rishi Seth and Zachary James announcing a significant equity investment in ON PURPOSE in February this year. At that time they told PRmoment India that Girish Balachandran and Nandita Lakshmanan will continue to be CEOs' in ON PURPOSE and The PRactice respectively.

Nandita Lakshmanan, founding partner, The PRactice Group, said: 

“This is not an incremental change. It reflects an ambitious growth mindset that Zach James and Rishi Seth have stood for. It also underscores our conviction that the right structure creates space for the right talent to lead both firms to success in these dynamic times. Girish brings a genuinely refreshing approach to building the modern-day public relations consultancy, and I am excited to see what The PRactice Group builds next.”

Zach James, managing partner, The PRactice Group said:

“The value of a group is not in how many firms sit under its name, but in what those firms can achieve together for clients. We believe that is what will define the next generation of independent communications groups. By combining the complementary strengths of The PRactice and ON PURPOSE with stronger leadership across levels, we are building a more relevant, resilient and future-ready communications business.”

Rishi Seth, managing partner, The PRactice Group said:

“Really excited with the alignment at The PRactice and ON PURPOSE. Indian founders are coming of age in leading the communications industry, and I am really happy to be a part of this journey. The last two years have been a great learning experience for me to work with Nandita, one of the finest leaders in the industry. Am happy that we will continue to benefit from her experience. At the same time, I am excited to work with Girish in helping us grow faster and expand our portfolio of services.”

As part of strengthening the leadership at The PRactice, the firm announced a slew of senior appointments. Senior leadership members announced today are:

· Sabah Kazi, VP (Based in Mumbai)

· Bala Krishnan, VP (Based in Bengaluru)

· Sudipta Das, group account director, (Based in Delhi)