From the rural background of Govandi, a small village near Mumbai, to the power corridors of India’s public relations industry, Madan Bahal – now all of 70 – has been reshaping this industry in several stages. As Co-founder and Managing Director of Adfactors PR, Bahal is regarded for providing leadership to the Indian PR industry during major adverse events such as the global financial meltdown during 2008, and the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. Ever since founding Adfactors PR in 1997, over the years, Bahal has served as a lead communication counsel in many of the milestone events of Corporate India, including fundraises, M&As, disputes, litigations, issues, and crises. The seeds of entrepreneurship has been sown when Bahal was still a young boy, encouraged by his father to set up his own business. He even worked in his family’s small grocery shop at Govandi. As a young graduate, the pharma industry almost beckoned, but Bahal maintained his individuality by refusing to conform by wearing a neck-tie! It was a norm in those days for pharma salesmen to wear a tie. Curiosity led him to expand his knowledge – whether it was at a market research agency or a local ad agency. He soaked up the experience of working across sectors. Seeing an opportunity in the market at that time, Bahal first set up Adfactors in 1981, when he was just 25, in an office measuring 78 sq ft, and with a startup capital less that Rs 500. Three years later, the agency moved the office to Fort. The booming IPO market of the 1980s presented an even greater opportunity to Bahal’s fledgling agency when he realised the power of public relations. With more discipline brought on to the financial markets with the setting up of SEBI, PR, rather than advertising hardsell became a more viable route to influence public perception. There has been no looking back for Bahal and Adfactors PR. But more than the impressive clients list built up by the agency over the years, what has been a standout has been Bahal’s approach to the PR business. It has been fearlessness mixed with a keen observation of where the market is headed. Bahal has been highly adaptable to changes, pivoting the business with the least disruption and being open to new ideas, innovations and a fast-paced approach to adopt the best practices.