Nitin Mantri
President (APAC), We. Communications, and group CEO at Avian We
Avian We
India
Nitin Mantri's journey into public relations was shaped long before he entered the profession. Born and raised in Delhi, he grew up in a household where public discourse was constant—his father a political journalist, his mother a Hindi teacher who later became principal at a school for the blind. Conversations revolved around media, governance, and education, themes that later defined his professional worldview.
With an MBA in marketing and finance, Mantri nearly began articling with Andersen before a friend in corporate communications encouraged him to consider PR. He began at Genesis PR, becoming one of the youngest to lead a national PR firm in India. In 2006, he returned to India to co-lead Avian, transforming it into one of the country's leading integrated communications consultancies. The 2018 integration with We. Communications placed Indian capability on a global platform.
Under his leadership, the firm recorded 10% year-on-year revenue growth while maintaining a 94% client retention rate and achieving 20% profitability. He spearheaded the Southeast Asian expansion of Chase Advisors, establishing a cross-border public policy advisory firm beginning with Malaysia.
Among the earliest leaders to formalise digital and content as advisory practices when PR remained media-centric, Mantri co-founded Chase India in 2011, anticipating the growing influence of regulation and geopolitics on corporate reputation. Post-50, he institutionalised a multi-region insights and analytics hub now serving 30-plus global mandates and embedded AI literacy across teams.
He actively shapes future talent at leading mass communication institutes, ensuring students understand public relations as a strategic business function rather than a publicity tool.
To Quote: “I have always admired Nitin Mantri’s extraordinary work ethic and clarity of thinking. In all the years I have known him, I have never seen him approach a challenge without preparation or perspective. Even in moments of crisis, Nitin remains calm, analytical and decisive, guiding teams and clients with confidence. His instinct for reputation management is matched by deep experience.” - Neha Mehrotra, managing director, Avian We.
