Director – Brand Marketing

About The Leela

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts began its journey in 1986 with the founding of The Leela Mumbai by the late Capt. CP Krishnan Nair. With over 30 years of distinguished service, The Leela is recognized for delivering luxury hospitality seamlessly integrated with the natural environment and Indian cultural hospitality. Headquartered in Mumbai and owned by a Brookfield Asset Management-backed real estate fund, it operates thirteen prestigious hotels across major Indian cities and leisure destinations, including locations like New Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Udaipur, Jaipur, Gurugram, Mumbai, and more, with new ventures upcoming such as a property in Hyderabad.

The brand uniquely represents each hotel through its location's art, culture, cuisine, and personalized services. It has been honored as the World's Best Hotel Brand consecutively in 2020 and 2021 by Travel + Leisure USA and remains among the top three globally in 2023 and 2024. The Leela also maintains strategic alliances with Preferred Hotels & Resorts (US) and is a Global Hotel Alliance member.

Why Work with Us?

• Be part of an internationally acclaimed luxury brand acknowledged for excellence and hospitality.
• Collaborate within an innovative environment that nurtures creativity and industry leadership.
• Experience significant career growth supported by expanding projects and global partnerships.
• Engage deeply with India's rich cultural heritage to create unique guest experiences.

Role Overview

Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing, the Director of Brand Communications is tasked with spearheading the comprehensive communication strategy for The Leela's brand. This executive role requires aligning messaging internally and externally across varied platforms to elevate the brand's stature as India’s premier luxury hospitality provider.

Core Responsibilities

• Design and implement integrated corporate and brand communication strategies aligning with the company’s goals.
• Ensure unified brand messaging across all media, corporate documents, digital platforms, and hotel communications.
• Enhance brand reputation through powerful storytelling and strategically planned initiatives.
• Manage national and global media relations to amplify brand visibility leveraging relationships with business, luxury lifestyle, and hospitality media.
• Oversee the development and delivery of robust public relations materials including press releases, speeches, and messaging frameworks.
• Lead creation of rich content conveying The Leela’s heritage, luxury standards, wellness and sustainability efforts, culinary prowess, and service excellence across multiple media forms.
• Partner with executive leadership for impactful communications including speeches, presentations, interviews, and shouldering communication support during investor and large-scale corporate engagements.
• Develop and execute crisis and reputation management plans to navigate sensitive corporate situations effectively.
• Drive national and international award submissions and position The Leela leadership as industry thought leaders.
• Champion internal communications to foster employee engagement and synchronize internal messages with the external brand voice.
• Coordinate with marketing, sales, operations, and external agencies to implement communication plans for campaigns, launches, and events.
• Manage relationships with PR agencies, creative and communication partners, optimizing budgets and resources.
• Monitor impact through analytics such as media coverage, brand sentiment, campaign reach, and provide regular reports to senior management.

Candidate Profile and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in fields like Mass Communication, Journalism, Public Relations, Marketing, English, Business, or Hospitality Management is required.
• A Master’s or MBA with relevant majors and professional certifications in corporate or digital communications is highly desirable.
• Between 10 to 15 years progressive experience in brand, corporate or public relations communications, with minimum 5 years in leadership managing corporate strategies in luxury hospitality or related premium sectors.
• Demonstrable skills in managing executive communication, media relations, reputation and crisis communications and integrated campaigns.