NEW DELHI — Microsoft India has handed its Indian PR mandate to Edelman and Current Global, the Holmes Report can reveal, following a competitive review that initially invited 11 firms. 

“We are thrilled to win this mandate from Microsoft,” said Current Global India Managing Director Shashikant Someshwar, who also is the agency's senior VP of APAC business operations.

Edelman India CEO Rakesh Thukral also confirmed the assignment. The work formally starts March 1.

The shift comes more than two years after Microsoft parted ways with Edelman and hired Genesis BCW to handle B2B and corporate/citizenship. The tech giant's consumer PR, including Xbox and Surface products, was handled by Perfect Relations.

Edelman will now lead on the product side of the business, including consumer and corporate, while Interpublic firm Current Global will oversee corporate enterprise, including B2B and regulatory affairs.

The decision was confirmed by Microsoft India communications director Purnima Sahni Mohanty, who took on the role last year after previously leading comms at DuPont. 

Microsoft has a huge presence in India, where it launched in 1990. The software giant employs more than 8,000 people in India, regularly partners with government and spearheads initiatives such as school modernization programs. The company has operations in 11 Indian cities, as well as one of its eight global Cyber Security Centers.