As Chief Communications Officer at JCBL Group, Kimmy Babbar is shaping the narrative of one of India's diversified manufacturing conglomerates spanning mobility, defence, railways and engineering. Drawing on over a decade of agency leadership and her experience in integrated marketing communications, she believes corporate communications today is as much about building trust and purpose as it is about visibility. In this interview, Babbar discusses the shift from agency to in-house leadership, AI's role in communications, employer branding, and why Indian manufacturing brands should embrace their roots while competing globally.After spending 12 years leading an integrated marketing agency and then moving in-house at JCBL Group, what has been the biggest shift in your approach to corporate communications and brand building?The shift has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. At the agency, I was largely working with consumer brands where the focus was on products, campaigns, and customer acquisition. At JCBL Group, the responsibility is much larger. I am helping shape the identity of a diversified corporate group with businesses spanning mobility, defence, manufacturing, railways, and several other sectors.I've also witnessed the evolution of marketing itself. We moved from clearly defined ATL and BTL strategies to a far more integrated, through-the-line (TTL) approach, where digital has become the thread connecting every touchpoint. The channels have changed, audiences have changed, and communication today is far more immediate and interactive.The biggest difference, however, is this: marketing here isn't about selling a product. It's about telling the story of an organisation, its purpose, and the impact it creates. That shift has completely changed the way I think about brand building.JCBL Group operates across diverse industries, from mobility and defence to manufacturing. How do you create a unified brand narrative while ensuring each business retains its own distinct identity?The businesses may be different, but the purpose is the same. Across JCBL Group, we're solving complex problems through engineering and manufacturing, and ultimately making a meaningful impact on people's lives.Each company has its own identity and its own audience. A defence solution that supports our armed forces tells a very different story from a metro project that moves millions of commuters every day, or a motorhome that enables people to travel differently. As a communications team, our role is to tell those individual stories while connecting them to a larger narrative.That's where the Group brand comes alive. Every business has its own voice, but together they reflect one shared purpose and one shared vision.Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming communications, marketing and reputation management. How is JCBL Group integrating AI into its communications strategy, and where do you believe human creativity remains irreplaceable?We have been utilizing AI in our operations within the JCBL Group for some time now. The communications teams leverage AI and automation to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and better workflow. At the same time, we encourage all our team members to get acquainted with the latest developments related to AI.And yet, we are a people-first company. We view AI as a technology that complements humans rather than substitutes them.There are three things that cannot be substituted by any technology and AI included: judgment, empathy, and human understanding. Great stories do not originate in prompts; they originate in human experience and emotions.Employer branding has become a critical business priority, particularly in manufacturing and engineering sectors. What strategies have worked best for JCBL Group in attracting and retaining talent through communications?Our employer branding starts with who we are as an organisation. JCBL Group has always been a people-first company, and our communication simply reflects that reality.As a communications team, we try to make the organisation transparent. We showcase our people, our workplace culture, learning opportunities, leadership development, employee wellbeing, and the everyday moments that define life at JCBL Group.Employer branding isn't about claiming to be a great place to work; it's about giving people enough reasons to believe it. Our role is simply to tell those stories honestly. When employees genuinely enjoy where they work and feel valued, that becomes the strongest message any organisation can communicate.You have consistently championed integrated marketing communications. In an era where audiences are spread across digital, social, traditional media and influencers, how do you measure the success of a truly integrated campaign beyond conventional metrics?Coming from an agency background, I understand the importance of numbers. Reach, engagement, impressions and conversions will always matter.But corporate communications operate a little differently. For us, success isn't measured only by campaign performance. It's measured by whether people understand who we are, whether they trust us more than they did before, and whether the story stays with them long after the campaign ends.An integrated campaign should create consistency across every touchpoint. If it strengthens the brand's reputation and deepens stakeholder trust, that's success in its truest sense.Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest communications challenge for Indian manufacturing brands seeking to compete globally, and what role should corporate communications leaders play in shaping business growth?One of the biggest challenges is how Indian manufacturing brands position themselves on the global stage. For years, I've seen companies struggle with a simple question: should they present themselves as an Indian brand or as a global brand?I don't think those two ideas are mutually exclusive. At JCBL Group, we've always been proud of our roots. We believe in 'Making in India for the World.' Our engineering, innovation and manufacturing capabilities have been built here, and that's a strength, not something to hide.Corporate communications have a bigger role today than ever before. It's not just about building visibility; it's about shaping perception, building trust, and giving global audiences confidence in what Indian manufacturing is capable of. That's how communication becomes a driver of business growth, not just a support function.