Vaishali Mishra

Director, Communications & Advocacy
Smart Power India

Gurgaon

“In our industry, innovation is mostly about storytelling. It is plug and play of existing narrative and adding your messaging to it, without re-inventing the wheel."

Seasoned energy and development sector pro Vaishali Mishra is proving her grit as a leading woman in energy by spearheading Smart Power India’s vision of clean and reliable energy for all. She does this by amplifying conversations on inclusive energy transition for India and achieving sustainability goals set by GOI, recalibrating towards a clean future for India, adoption of distributed renewable energy in rural areas for access to reliable and clean energy through solutions like microgrids and promoting socio-economic development and green jobs.

Her drive and approach to communications from a development sector lens has led to great learnings for others in her field, and she’s lauded for pushing the boundaries of what effective stakeholder engagement looks like, with programmes that not only influence policymakers, but also impact the lives of thousands of people in India through access to reliable electricity. Through her work, she’s been able to generate credibility and clout for the Smart Power India brand resulting in meaningful relationships with Government, key stakeholders and the wider community.

How do you define innovation?
Innovation is evolving along with the stakeholder landscape to convey your message. In our industry, innovation is mostly about storytelling. It is plug and play of existing narrative and adding your messaging to it, without re-inventing the wheel.

What is the most innovative PR or marketing initiative you've seen over the past 12 months?
In the past few years, PR has moved from quantity to quality approach, which is a great methodology. It makes the PR campaign more effective and targeted. For example, an Opinion Article will reach the audience and create a brand recall more effectively.

In your opinion, which brands and/or agencies are most innovative in their approach to PR and marketing?
On Purpose- Within a few years, they have created a niche for themselves in the sector. They work with communications for behaviour change, which constantly needs innovative thinking.

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider to be innovative.
In my current role, every engagement has been keeping in mind innovation. The focus is that communications feeds into larger objectives of the organization. There needs to be innovation in communication to align with business goals. Recently, we have stated conducting street plays for one of programmes. While the play supports with our lead generation, it also helps in visual storytelling.

Who do you admire for his/her approach to innovation?
Bill Gates- He works with an integrated approach to problem solving.

How do you get out of a creativity rut?
Connecting with young minds joining the industry. A fresh approach always helps in creative thinking.

What advice would you give to the PR industry around embracing innovation?
Move away from the traditional approach and finding more avenues to tell the stories.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing your current job?
I would have been be a sportsperson.

Which book/movie/TV show/podcast/playlist/other cultural source has provided inspiration over the past year?
Andre Agassi's autobiography- Open.

How would you like to see work culture, and the role of the office, evolve?
Sharper communications within teams and setting realistic expectations on output.

How can the PR and communications industry harness innovation to make more progress on diversity, equity and inclusion?
Communications industry should avoid tokenism by seeming equitable and rather promote equity in general.