In a world where passion is driven by purpose, Chetan Sawhney stands out as a unique combination of professional skill and spiritual insight. As a seasoned corporate communicator and an adventurous traveller, his journey goes beyond the limits of boardrooms and borders. He believes that a love for exploration and spirituality brings a distinctive perspective to his approach, one that values both personal and professional development.
What truly sets his story apart is his deep commitment to the sacred sites of Lord Shiva. By the age of 30, he had achieved what many only dreams of: visiting the Panch Kedar, three Kailash, and eight Jyotirlingas, including revered locations like Kinnaur Kailash, Shrikhand Mahadev, Mani Mahesh, and Rudranath. These sites are not only spiritually important but also notoriously difficult to access, demanding immense perseverance, determination, and unwavering dedication & qualities that he embodies with ease.
On the professional front, Chetan Sawhney is a seasoned Corporate Communication Professional with more than a decade of experience in driving strategic initiatives. Currently, leading Corporate Communication and PR at Nangia Andersen – A member firm of Andersen Global. In 2024, he was honoured as the “Corporate Communication Leader of the Year” by the Transformance Forum. His educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from IP University, an MBA in Marketing from Sikkim Manipal University, and an Executive MBA from the University of San Francisco in the US. But this is just the beginning. His journey is marked by unwavering passion, vision, and achievement.
But this is only the beginning. Chetan’s journey is one of relentless passion, vision, and achievement. Let us delve deeper into the milestones he has yet to conquer and the goals that continue to drive his extraordinary path forward.
Briefly take us through your journey as an industry professional
My journey in the industry started back in 2011 when I joined a small PR agency. It was my first step into the professional world. Given my objectives, I learned the fundamental skills of public relations quite quickly. Most importantly, I was privileged to work for a mix of industries including financial services, luxury, lifestyle, IT, politics, and technology which really helped broaden my perspective.
In 2013, I got my big break when I got an opportunity to manage PR for the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy. This was quite a revelation and gave me the taste of high-stakes PR, learned many things about the management of complex high-profile projects.
Synopsis of how you have raised the bar on creativity, strategy, and execution for your organization.
When I joined Nangia Group, my main goal was to position it among India’s top advisory firms and establish our managing partner as a recognized tax expert. I quickly realized the Big Four firms dominated media platforms, and smaller advisory firms like ours were often overlooked. So, rather than pushing our firm’s story right away, I decided to understand what the media genuinely wanted. I began meeting with journalists from top publications, listening to their needs instead of pitching right away. These meetings, originally planned for a few minutes, often turned into hour-long discussions. I learned what they were looking for and found ways to support their stories, by providing research, industry insights, and connections to our experts without even asking for anything in return. The big breakthrough came in 2014 when we secured a spot for our founder as a tax expert in a personal finance section of a top leading financial newspaper. The editor was impressed by the depth of our insights and soon offered us a regular spot to answer readers’ tax queries as well. Since then, our brand name is booked for that column, many came and tried but, no one replaced our place, even outpacing the visibility of the Big Four firms. I proudly share that what started as a one-person effort has grown into a trusted media presence for our firm.
Year after year, our strategy has evolved from leading tax expert to becoming one of India’s premier advisory and consulting firms. Through dedication and relentless effort, we have secured recognition as one of the country’s top consulting, advisory, and CA firms in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, as acknowledged by major publications. In 2019, we reached a pivotal milestone by being chosen as Andersen only member firm in India. Andersen is multinational organization who has offices in 170 countries with 17000+ employees worldwide. I have been fortunate to contribute to the growth of our group journey from 80 employees’ firm to worldwide organization with 1500 employees in India as of now.
Your future goals, and vision as an industry professional/ for the organization you are associated with.
My vision is simple yet powerful. I want to build brand stories and communication strategies that leave a lasting impact, creating a global reputation that connects my name with the brand’s success. I believe in hard work, creativity, and the art of storytelling, I am confident that with dedication and attention to detail, this vision will become a reality.
At Nangia Group, I have seen firsthand how far we have come, and I have ambitious goals for our future. I want to help elevate Nangia Group into the Big Four, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2017 vision of seeing an Indian firm in that elite list. With this shared mission, we are on a path to redefine excellence in our industry. I am proud to say that we are among the few firms in India, after the Big Four, offering comprehensive 360-degree services. We have launched a Consulting vertical to address key areas like government and public advisory, forensic and cybersecurity, IT advisory, defence and healthcare, and global outsourcing. Our priority is to deliver top-quality services, and we are implementing rigorous quality control measures across the board. On the other hand, we are also investing in advanced technology to boost accuracy and consistency and are committed to continuous learning. Our teams undergo regular training to stay current with both domestic and international standards. I am excited about what is ahead and confident in the solid foundation that I am building to lead Nangia Group to global recognition.
