MUMBAI--Former Reliance and Unilever comms veteran Paresh Chaudhry is to replace the retiring Veena Gidwani as Madison PR CEO. 

Gidwani retires from Madison PR, the public relations arm of Sam Balsara's Madison World marketing communications group, 12 years after launching the firm.

Chaudhry takes charge of the 60-person agency two years after departing Reliance Industries, where he was group president of corporate communications, reporting to chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Prior to his two-year stint at Reliance, Chaudhry spent three years heading corporate communications for Unilever South Asia. He also served as corporate communications director at Ranbaxy Laboratories for five years.

“I am delighted to have Paresh join us. His cross client category and cross country experience should help him add great value to our FMCG clients," said Balsara.

"Veena has done a wonderful job in building Madison PR into a specialist Brand PR consultancy and meeting the professional needs of our over 40 clients in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Pune and I wish her a very happy and fulfilling life ahead.”

 Key Madison PR clients include Procter & Gamble, Britannia, Godrej, Levis, Café Coffee Day, Titan Fastrack and Parle Agro.