GE South Asia chief communications officer Rachana Panda will be honoured with the Individual Achievement SABRE Award in Singapore on 12 September, at the ninth edition of the Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards.

One of India's top corporate communications execs, Panda joined GE in 2012, and has played a pivotal role not only in terms of leading the function but also protecting and enhancing the company's reputation in the region. 

Reporting to GE South Asia president and CEO Vishal Wanchoo, Panda's role comprises advising the leadership team on all facets of communications, including employee engagement and external communications. She leads the brand, advertising and digital communications team at GE South Asia, and also oversees the company's citizenship program. 

"Rachana joined GE approximately seven years ago and has made tremendous strides in building out a strong communications team, trusted and credible relationship with the media, and significantly enhanced GE’s brand and presence in the country," Wanchoo told the Holmes Report.

"She is respected for her experience and expertise in the communications world internally and externally, and I have always been able to trust her instincts on any issues/opportunities on both protecting and enhancing the GE brand and presence. She has a very close pulse on the external media marketplace and has also been able to leverage contemporary technology to ensure the most productive way of leveraging communication channels."

Prior to GE, Panda served in senior communications roles at Alstom, UTStarcom and Alcatel. 

"Her calm and mature demeanour and her ability to build crucial relationships proved to be very effective attributes in her role as head of corp communications at GE South Asia," added Tata Sons president (infrastructure, defence and aerospace) Banmali Agrawala, Panda's former CEO at GE.

"Her performance was such that her talent was noticed globally and she got broader responsibilities. Most importantly her work had a huge positive impact on the business of GE in South Asia and instilled a tremendous sense of pride amongst all the employees."