Roma Balwani

Roma Balwani, a Graduate in Economics, with a Post-Graduation in Marketing from Mumbai University, is the Director at Strategic Resources Group and Sr. advisor, Brand & Communications, Vedanta Group.

She is also an Independent Director of CMI FPE Ltd. The Indian hub of CMI Industry Metals is the world leader in the conception, manufacture and installation of reversible cold rolling mills headquartered in Belgium.

Roma has over three decades of experience in various aspects of strategic communications. In her previous role as President, Group Communications and Sustainable Development at Vedanta Resources plc, she has been responsible for driving Group Communications, Sustainability & CSR as a strategic function across thegroup.

Prior to joining Vedanta, she was the Chief Group Communications Officer at Mahindra Group, India.

At Vedanta, her key portfolios included sustainable development, brand management, stakeholder engagement and group communication to promote Vedanta’s position as a purpose driven organization. In this enabling role, Roma aligned the group’s communication strategy and Sustainable Development strategy in a socially responsible, ethical and environmentally friendly manner that positively impacts and improves the quality of life of the communities. She has been the member of the Group Executive Committee which comprises the leadership team at Vedanta.

She has overseen the key portfolios of Sustainability & CSR and champions best practices for sustainable measures on health, safety and environment to sustain the ‘social license to operate’. The community development initiatives focusing on education, women empowerment and health, have benefited over 4 million people globally in the last year. Communication, Sustainability and CSR teams of over a 100 strong professionals have worked under her professional guidance.

Under her stewardship, she oversaw the Vedanta’s brand augmentation with a refreshed logo and the name change of the company from Sesa Sterlite to Vedanta, which resulted in a unified branding and strengthened linkage between the global businesses, communities and stakeholders. It is a significant milestone that promises a united vision and aligned identity.

Her focus on stakeholder engagement globally has included transparent dialogue on the ‘Social License to Operate’ with socially responsible investors, bankers, lenders, business partners, civil society and trade bodies. Roma has promoted a collaborating mindset within the organization and encouraged the teams to create awareness amongst communities of health, safety and environment and the Social License to Operate.

Over the year Vedanta was ranked by the Confederation of Indian Industry, a prestigious trade body, as one of the top 10 sustainability companies in India with the Sustainability Plus label. Vedanta’s approach was also recognized by Oxfam International’s India Responsible Index report, which named Vedanta as a leader in the ‘Community as Stakeholder’ category alongside India’s top companies.

She believes in giving back. She is actively associated with disability cricket and promotes deaf cricket as an enabler to instil a sense of pride and purpose for the hearing impaired youth with sporting talent.

She speaks at several summits on Sustainable Development & Communications. In over 30 years of experience she has won several Indian and International awards and accolades.

She is the recipient of the PRCI, Lifetime Achievement award, 2018.

Roma has the distinction of being included in the PR Week Global Power Book 2015, South East Asia.

In all her three years at Vedanta, Roma has been recognized as among the most important and influential In-House communicators from around the world by the Holmes Global Report’s Influence 100: