MUMBAI—Roma Balwani has carved out a reputation as one of India's most outspoken PR professionals, both inside and outside her company—a reputation that made her an obvious candidate for one of our SABRE Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement, to be presented at our annual Asia-Pacific awards dinner in Hong Kong on September 26.

In recent years, she has elevated public relations at automotive group Mahindra into a board-level function, something that is still a rarity at many Indian companies. In particular, Balwani has played a key role in helping Mahindra navigate its international expansion, and overseeing an ambitious global rebranding programme.

She has spent the past seven years as senior vice president and group head of corporate communications at Mahindra, after joining the company in 2005.

Her 30-year career also includes senior comms roles at Aptech and eBookers, and numerous awards, including Brand Communicator of the Year at the 2009 Asia-Pacific PR Awards.