NEW DELHI — Nikhil Dey has joined Adfactors PR, PRovoke Media can reveal, after his two-year stint with Weber Shandwick ended last month.

Dey has been named executive director at India's biggest PR firm, responsible for Adfactors' Northern business and reporting directly to co-founder and MD Madan Bahal. 

Dey joined Weber Shandwick as India vice chair at the end of 2018, after a 15-year run as one of Genesis BCW's key executives, serving as India president of the latter firm. In particular, his track record with MNC clients is expected to benefit Adfactors' presence in Delhi, where it employs fewer staff compared to its Mumbai HQ. 

"He’s an outstanding human being and a professional," said Bahal of Dey, noting that he may also take on some horizontal duties in terms of mentoring and coaching. "Our clients and teams will benefit from his expertise and experience. The timing is fortuitous as we prepare to seize the opportunities of the post-pandemic world."

Dey's arrival follows the departure of two senior Adfactors executives in December — chief operating officer Roger Darashah and strategic communications SVP Boby Kurian. The COO role has since been assumed by Nijay Nair, formerly Adfactors' commercial director.

"Our industry has been challenged like never before, in the last few months," said Dey. "We have been required to relook at established ways, to come up with new solutions to meet client needs. I have been a keen observer of this changing dynamic and believe the new role will allow me an inspiring canvas to create value. The time has come for public relations and storytelling to reinvent itself with solutions that serve these new requirements."

Dey, who is also a certified leadership coach, added that he is "looking forward to honing and using my coaching skills to contribute to the L&D culture and further strengthening the employer brand proposition of the firm."