A perceptive foretaste of the reputational challenges that await businesses and brand builders in a world that is Rapid, Uncertain, Polarised and Tangled (RUPT) was provided to a corporate audience in Colombo at a thought leadership forum organised by the Public Relations Association of Sri Lanka (PRASL).

The presenter was the globally-renowned reputation management specialist Ashwani Singla, the Founding Managing Partner of Astrum, India's first specialist reputation management advisory, and the Co-founder and former Chief Executive of Burson-Marsteller India.

The presentation outlined how technological developments, artificial intelligence and new social ideologies like ‘Wokeism’ and ‘Cancel Culture’ are reshaping communications and making reputation a major competitive advantage for brands.  Citing real-life examples, Mr Singla demonstrated how AI-generated disinformation and societal/political polarization are now at the top of the risk landscape.

He stressed the importance of using insights from data science and social science and research on public opinion, media analytics and social media analytics to create purpose-driven brands to negotiate the complex landscape of Reputation, Risk & Regulation in a “RUPTered World.”

The thought-provoking presentation was extremely well received by the audience, which included many eminent business leaders.

The speaker Ashwani Singla has also served as Asia MD of Penn Schoen and Berland (PSB), where he used voter insights to guide the Campaign Committee of the BJP as its campaign strategist and delivered a historic victory in 2014, in addition to maintaining a clean sheet of several state elections over the last decade.

The first in a planned series of thought leadership forums of the PRASL, the event took place at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel, the Association’s Hospitality Partner. SriLankan Airlines is the PRASL’s Airline Partner.

The Public Relations Association of Sri Lanka was formally launched in 2023 to address a long-felt need to give voice to the industry, infuse high standards, and develop the skills of professional practitioners. The Association's objectives include gaining recognition for PR practice and enhancing its influence, fostering high professional standards and ethical practices as a valued PR industry, and bringing together and representing public relations practitioners. PRASL also aims to provide thought leadership events and networking opportunities for members to exchange ideas and professional experiences, all while keeping the interests of its members and the wider society in mind.