#WeLeadComms: Paroma Bhattacharya

Today’s #WeLeadComms honoree, India-based Paroma Bhattacharya is a senior communications and advocacy leader with over 16 years of experience across journalism, public affairs, and large-scale social impact initiatives in India. 

She currently serves as Assistant Director – India at India for Children, leading communications for Just Rights for Children and coordinating strategy across 250+ civil society partners in more than 20 states in India.

Her career began in journalism with leading media houses such as Dainik Jagran and The Hindu, where she built strong editorial and reporting foundations. Over the years, she has shaped communications for some of India’s most visible child-rights and gender-justice campaigns, including Child Marriage Free India, Bharat Yatra against trafficking, and STOP (Ending Child Sexual Abuse), translating complex policy issues into credible, evidence-based public narratives that influence discourse and strengthen institutional trust. She has also worked closely across 30 plus countries and have been part of the United Nations General Assembly twice to build communication around Child protection.

Paroma has held senior communications leadership roles at Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation and Association for Voluntary Action, contributing to over 5,000 media coverages nationally and globally on child labour, abuse, trafficking, and child marriage. A Global Kalinga Fellow on Trafficking and Gender-Based Violence, she has represented advocacy efforts at platforms such as the OECD Conference, Leaders and Laureates Summit for Children, the Goalkeepers Award by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and many such summits globally.

Recognised with the 40 Under 40 honour for her work in Media and Public Relations, Paroma is also a published poet, theatre artist with over 100 stage performances, columnist, and Hindustani classical vocalist (Visharad), committed to advancing justice, dignity, and systemic change.

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