Public Relations has entered a bold new era. No longer just a back-office function, it has transformed into a strategic powerhouse shaping brand reputation and influence. Companies and leaders now see PR not as an afterthought, but as an essential force driving credibility, trust, and long-term success.The industry has undergone a radical shift with the rise of social media, fundamentally transforming PR strategies. Influencers now play a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and engagement. PR is no longer confined to securing media visibility; it has expanded into a dynamic, results-driven discipline focused on meaningful interactions and measurable outcomes.With a younger, more digitally savvy audience emerging, PR professionals face new challenges. Brands and practitioners must be more agile, data-driven, and proactive in crafting business solutions that resonate with their audience. The future of PR lies in adaptability, authenticity, and strategic storytelling that builds lasting trust and impact.In our exclusive weekly column, PR Conversation, Adgully interacts with leading business leaders to gain their exclusive views and insights on various trends in the PR and communications industry.In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Bhavna Singh, VP - Corporate Communications, Bharat Serums & Vaccines, discusses her extensive experience in pharmaceutical communications. She delves into the approach to reputation management in an industry often under intense scrutiny, the evolving role of corporate communications in the healthcare and pharma sector post-pandemic, and how Bharat Serums & Vaccines (BSV) integrates patient-centric messaging into its communication strategy. She also explores the balance between regulatory compliance and proactive corporate storytelling in the pharma industry, as well as the increasing collaboration between public and private stakeholders.With your extensive experience in pharmaceutical communications, how do you approach reputation management in an industry that is often under intense scrutiny?In an industry such as pharma that focuses on serving, improving and saving lives, trust is an imperative. Our patients, our KOLs need to trust us. Trust in turn drives reputation. As a communicator and a custodian of reputation, all our initiatives are patient centric and driven by Trust. Integrity, Trust and Reputation are not buzz words. In our industry we need to live them.During your tenure at OPPI, you led several award-winning campaigns. Could you share insights on one campaign that had a lasting impact on public perception?Two campaigns in OPPI stand out: A campaign around Science ?Çô ?ÇÿIn Science we Trust?ÇÖ ?Çô a comprehensive coffee table book that demonstrated the power of scientific research in treating several unmet medical needs with a glimpse of the future innovative treatments that can improve lives of many. The coffee table book also curated success stories of start-ups and innovators and conversations with scientists and researchers. The colours, the texture of the paper, the entire look and experience of the book aimed to give a face to science and scientists who have made some life changing phenomenal contributions in the field of medicine. ?ÇÿIn Science we Trust?ÇÖ received recognition, globally as well as in India and took us to Cannes Lions.Another award winning campaign was the Red Line Campaign that promoted the rational use of antibiotics and this was called Lal Lakeer in Hindi. The basic concept was that every consumer should be mindful when he/ she consumes an antibiotic ?Çô every antibiotic strip has a red line on it and the moment people see it they need to be cautious and mindful and rationally use antibiotics. The Red line/ Lal Lakeer campaign was featured in the London Science Museum as part of the AMR awareness week and was acknowledged as an effective awareness campaign.How has the role of corporate communications evolved in the healthcare and pharma sector, especially post-pandemic?Most often healthcare communications is about driving awareness and bringing about a change in behaviour. This can happen when messages are reiterated, and messages are relatable as well as reliable. All of us, our families, are consumers of healthcare. Healthcare is as much personal as it is emotional- and responsible healthcare communication is key. We need to communicate the right messages in the right manner.You?ÇÖve worked extensively on patient advocacy communication. How does Bharat Serums & Vaccines (BSV) integrate patient-centric messaging into its communication strategy?When we draft a patient centric communication, as the word suggests, patience is the key. BSV is one of the few women?ÇÖs health focused companies that delivers science- driven, innovative treatments for several reproductive health challenges in women. We are proud of our first of its kind patented treatment that addresses a rare condition of Rh incompatibility, for instance. A Rh negative mother giving birth to a Rh positive baby has serious implications to the health of the newborn. We have a Rh immunoglobulin that when administered to the mother helps to neutralise this incompatibility in such conditions. But the biggest challenge in India, especially rural India, is the lack of awareness on blood typing ?Çô many women do not know or are unaware of their blood group. This critical insight continues to be our main communication theme and we are taking efforts at district and panchayat levels, working with State Governments and building communication campaigns in regional languages encouraging women to know their blood groups.Access to healthcare for women is yet another critical area that we integrate into our patient-centred communication strategies. As a leading women's health company, BSV encourages women to invest in their own health. Historically it is said that 1 out of every 2 men have access to healthcare, while only 1 out of every 5 women have access to healthcare. We strive to drive more accessibility that is not gender biased but gender agnostic and we do that through awareness campaigns that speak to women of all ages and cater to women from menarche to menopause.Research is in our DNA and our storytelling focuses on the research-driven treatments that we bring to our patients that help save and improve their lives. We are proud to innovate in India, making in India for India and the world. And, science remains our hero in our communication.As a company we are hugely focused on quality being integral to the product and, therefore, aspects of efficacy and patient safety drive our patient-centred communication at BSV. We focus on good manufacturing practices as well as good storage practices and, of course, good quality standards, that strengthen our narrative of bringing best-in-class products to our patients.From a public affairs perspective, how do you see the balance between regulatory compliance and proactive corporate storytelling in the pharma industry?Compliance in pharma is mandatory. In an industry dealing with lives, compliance and responsible storytelling go hand-in-hand. Messages need to be relevant and relatable and factual.As a woman leader in a male-dominated sector, what challenges have you faced in your career, and how have you navigated them?I am fortunate to be surrounded by colleagues who have always guided me, without wearing the gender lens. My supervisors have never spared me because I was the only woman in a team. I have been treated as an equal.Looking back, there have been several learnings throughout my 25+ years of professional journey and most of the time I feel that empathy and mindfulness are very critical when we encourage diversity in a team and weave it in an organisation.Pharma companies often face crisis situations related to product safety or regulatory issues. Can you share a crisis communication strategy that worked effectively?Like I said earlier, honest and truthful responsible communication is the key in an industry that is driven by trust and reputation. This is not a crisis communication strategy, but an imperative to ensure that patients and other stakeholders are aware of the safety, efficacy and quality of products that they consume.The pharma industry is seeing increased collaboration between public and private stakeholders. How do you see this shaping communications strategies?Today, consumers want to be empowered to make their choices and want to take charge of their own health. With this kind of prioritisation, storytelling needs to be factual, credible and compelling. Narratives are formed from intense social media listening and I see the importance of digital and AI in storytelling and reputation management as a critical component in shaping the future of healthcare communications. Simplifying science, sharing real world experiences add to making healthcare communications challenging yet gratifying as this is an industry that truly transforms people?ÇÖs lives and responsible communication is the key.Building awareness, driving disease management through patient groups and multi-stakeholders, creating healthcare subject matter experts who can demystify science and bring science to homes, and finally making the pharma industry an industry of choice where dedicated teams work towards delivering positive impact on human lives are fundamental pegs that is shaping the future of healthcare communications.