Founding Members

PAFI is the embodiment of the founding members’ collective vision—rooted in their deep experience, strategic foresight, and steadfast belief in the transformative potential of public affairs in India.

Coming from diverse backgrounds across industry, consulting, and public policy, the founding members identified a crucial gap: the absence of a structured, ethical, and inclusive platform that could bring together stakeholders from across sectors to engage meaningfully on policy and regulatory issues. Their aspiration was to create a forum that not only elevated the discourse around public affairs but also contributed constructively to India’s policy development process.

The vision was clear—to professionalize the practice of public affairs, promote transparency and integrity in advocacy, and foster a collaborative ecosystem for dialogue between industry, government, and civil society. This vision gave birth to PAFI in 2008, at a time when the role of public affairs was still nascent in India’s institutional and business landscape.

The founding members stand for values that continue to define PAFI to this day:

Ethical engagement grounded in trust and mutual respect

Knowledge sharing through inclusive, evidence-based dialogue

Constructive collaboration to shape better public policy outcomes

Their ongoing involvement has ensured that PAFI stays rooted in its core principles while evolving with the times. From laying the foundation for transparent stakeholder engagement to mentoring future leaders within the community, the founding members have played a pivotal role in shaping PAFI’s growth and credibility.

Managing Committee Founding Members Advisory Council

Prema Sagar

Founding President & Co-Founder, PAFI

Chairperson Emeritus, Burson Group India

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Ajay Khanna

Co-Founder, PAFI

Advisor, Independent Director, Ombudsperson Professor of Practice

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Harish Krishnan

Past President & Co-Founder, PAFI

Managing Director & Chief Policy Officer, Cisco India & Asean

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Dr. K.C. Ravi

Past President & Co-Founder, PAFI

Chief Sustainability Officer, Syngenta India Pvt Ltd

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T. S. Vishwanath

Founding Member, Past-President & Director General, PAFI

Founder & Executive Chairman, VeK

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Rahul Sharma

Past President & Founding Member, PAFI

Managing Director, US India Business Council (USIBC)

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Rajeev Batra

Past President & Founding Member, PAFI

Former Group Head, Corporate Affairs, Hindustan Unilever Limited

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Raman Sidhu

Past President & Founding Member, PAFI

Chairman, EBG Federation, India

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Testimonials

"Over the past decade, PAFI has played a critical role in sensitising business entities on how to engage with various stakeholders across government, media, civil society and academia. In today's world, public perception plays a crucial role in image and brand building, and it is vital to understand and nuance behaviour while dealing with different stakeholders. My very best to PAFI for the future, and I hope it continues to set best practices in public affairs."

SUNIL KANT MUNJAL

Chairman, Hero Enterprise

"I am truly impressed by its emergence as a pre-eminent and respected forum of public affairs professionals. PAFI has demonstrated with it professionalism that public affairs is about more than public relations. It is about shaping public policy."

DR SANJAYA BARU

Political Commentator and Policy Analyst,
Former Secretary General, FICCI

"I welcome a forum like PAFI which is professionalising the whole industry in this area to build instincts which are data based, research based and evidence based recommendations"

Kiran Karnik

Former President, NASSCOM

"PAFI has challenged some long-term ideologies and are bringing fundamental shifts in shaping of dialogues."

Hari S Bhartia

Founder and Co-Chairman, Jubilant Bhartia Group

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