Reputation Today: In Conversation with Nikhil Khanna

In Conversation with Nikhil Khanna

Shree Lahiri, Reputation Today, January 31, 2019

(Image courtesy of Reputation Today)

For a writer, without any doubt, it is the encounter with intricacies of language that creates a fascination for words. The printed word has fascinated Nikhil Khanna, Founder and Executive Chairman, Avian WE since childhood, which extended to an interest in reading, writing, literature, poetry – anything that allows him to communicate better, to learn more, to be curious.

In a world, where most people feel secure in a job, Nikhil stood apart from the crowd. Having been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, right from the beginning, he founded Friday Content Solutions, an information services company, which he sold in 2003. The turning point came in 2004, when he established Avian Media (now Avian WE), with just three employees and two clients.

Besides focusing on Avian’s growth, Nikhil set up Chase India, an associate company, in 2011 to work on public policy mandate for leading Indian and multinational companies. Under this wing is Avian’s dedicated investment in content, corporate social responsibility, digital and public affairs.

A throwback to the start of his career shows that his first stop was advertising; he was a copy writer. But since he didn’t particularly fancy writing adverts, he soon switched to PR and joined Good Relations, and the rest is history. Nikhil regularly writes for various publications like The Times of India, The Hindustan Times, The Telegraph, Outlook, Verve and Architectural Digest. He keeps a keen eye on the arts and was on the Advisory Board of the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi.

In this freewheeling conversation with Shree Lahiri, Nikhil responds to the lure of words, tracks the entrepreneurial spirit that is dominant in his worklife, reveals why he has a keen eye on art, how he gives top priority to relationship-building and more.

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