Key Learnings from the Inaugural IEBC Summit: Shaping the Future of Internal Communication and Employer Branding 

We had the privilege of hosting the Internal Communications and Employer Branding Conference (IEBC), a first-of-its-kind summit in India. The event brought together thought leaders, professionals, and practitioners to discuss the evolving landscape of internal communication and employer branding. The insights shared were profound, particularly as companies navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing workforce. Here’s a summary of the key takeaways from this landmark event.

1. Engaging Gen Z: The Workforce of Tomorrow

By 2025, Gen Z will make up a significant percentage of India’s workforce. This generation is defined by its mobile-first, social-media-savvy approach to communication and high expectations from employers. They seek transparency, recognition, and alignment with values such as diversity and sustainability. Interestingly, research presented at the summit highlighted that Gen Z employees in tier-1 and tier-2 cities exhibit similar preferences—shattering stereotypes about differences in urban versus semi-urban workforces. 

What stood out was the revelation that, despite their digital affinity, Gen Z deeply values meaningful relationships. This underscores the importance of fostering genuine connections in internal communications and employer branding strategies. 

Speaker: Speaker: Surbhi Gupta, CHRO, Publicis Business.   

2. Who Owns Internal Communication?

The perennial question of ownership was addressed with a resounding consensus: while internal communication requires a primary owner—often HR or Communications—it must evolve into a shared responsibility. Effective internal comms involves IT, marketing, managers, and leadership. Clearly defined roles and collaboration across these functions can ensure impactful, cohesive communication strategies. 

Speakers: Pranav Patil, Head of Communications, Zone India, Siemens Healthineers, Anuradda Banerjii, Global Head of Corporate Communications, Fulcrum Digital, Pravin Patil, Vice President – Corporate Communications and Head – Internal Communications, Axis Bank, Gauri Das, Senior VP – HR, IFFS. 

3. The Power of Regional Communication

India’s linguistic and cultural diversity makes it imperative to go beyond English-centric communication. Regional language communication creates an emotional connection that standardized business language often cannot. The summit highlighted the growing demand for real-time translation tools and video dubbing technologies, which enable organizations to reach and resonate with a broader audience, fostering inclusivity and engagement. 

Speakers: Onam Priyadarshi, Head of IC, Tata Steel, Shweta Gopalakrishnan, VP-HR, Publicis Groupe, Aastha Dhingra, Sr. Manager, Internal Communications & Employer Branding, BharatPe, Auyon Acharya, Global Head- Employee Communications, Persistent Systems. 

4. AI: An Ally, Not a Replacement

AI has already made inroads into internal communication. Far from replacing teams, it empowers small comms teams to handle the demands of large organizations more efficiently. From AI-driven content creation to personalized chatbots answering employee queries (e.g., leave balance), the possibilities are endless. AI acts as a force multiplier, enabling teams to focus on strategic initiatives while maintaining operational excellence. 

Speaker: Baisakhi Chakraborty, Lead – Employer Branding, Corporate Communication & Employee Experience, TATA Realty. 

5. Simplicity, Authenticity, and Feedback

Today’s workforce craves authenticity in internal communication. Messages must be simple, clear, and actionable. Employees value real feedback loops where they can voice opinions and receive genuine responses. This extends to employer branding—candidates want transparency, preferring companies that embrace both glowing reviews and constructive criticism. Authenticity builds trust and sets the tone for lasting relationships. 

Speaker: Apurva Purohit, Co-Founder, Aazol. 

6. Building a Business Case for Internal Communication

Convincing leadership to invest in internal communication requires a business-oriented approach. For example, showcasing how an integrated intranet can align the workforce to drive client retention or how better communication can enhance employee engagement and talent retention resonates with decision-makers. An insightful takeaway was the link between company pride and business performance. High-performing teams often exhibit strong alignment with company goals, a sense of recognition, and clarity—all driven by robust internal communication. 

Speaker: Sharmila Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, CRISIL 

7. Moving Beyond Static Intranets

The era of static, one-way intranets is over. Employees now expect interactive platforms where they can contribute to the conversation. A well-branded internal communication platform not only enhances engagement but also positions the project as an integral part of the company culture. Organizations must embrace dynamic tools that foster participation and collaboration. 

Speaker: Sharmila Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, CRISIL 

8. Data-Driven Decisions with a Personal Touch

Data is a critical enabler of impactful communication strategies. Companies need metrics like intranet engagement rates, optimal timing for announcements, survey results, and town hall participation stats. However, the summit also emphasized the importance of personal conversations to complement data-driven insights. Combining analytics with human interaction ensures a holistic understanding of employee needs. 

Speakers: Chandramouli Srinivasan, CEO, Feedback Consulting, Anish Padinjaroote, VP – Culture, Fractal, Jyoti Kumar Bansal, Chief – Brand & Communications, Tata Power, Ishmeet Dang, Head of Employer Branding, Flipkart, Gauri Das, Senior VP – HR, IFFS. 

9. Hyper-Personalization: The New Standard

One-size-fits-all communication no longer works. Hyper-personalization is now essential. A sales associate in Mumbai should receive content tailored to their role, while a tech architect in Chennai should see messages relevant to their work. The same principle applies to recruitment ads, where the text, imagery, and call-to-action must align with the target audience’s preferences. 

Speaker: Sudeep Bhalla – Head of Corporate Commmunications , Tata Motors   

10. Bridging Internal and External Communication

The lines between internal and external communication are blurring. Employee advocacy emerged as a powerful strategy to harness this overlap. However, challenges like employees’ lack of time, fear of posting, or uncertainty about what to share remain significant barriers. Solutions include creating clear social media guidelines, providing ready-to-use content, offering customization options, and implementing training or certification programs to boost confidence and participation. 

Speaker: Amit Govind – Head of social media & IC, TCS   

How Sociabble Helps You Achieve It All 

At Sociabble, we specialize in transforming these insights into actionable solutions. Our platform empowers organizations to: 

• Engage Gen Z: With a mobile-first, interactive platform that hosts dynamic content. 

• Simplify ownership: Enabling seamless collaboration across departments with nuanced but simplified governance systems for admins.  

• Drive inclusivity: Offering multilingual capabilities for regional communication for both text and video. 

• Leverage AI: Sociabble’s AskAI helps admins with content creation, customization and even end users with the same. 

• Foster authenticity: Providing tools for real-time feedback and transparent communication with surveys, polls, quizzes and the ability to have bottom-up comms through comments, user generated content, a chat system and more. 

• Use data effectively: Detailed analytics to understand trends and patterns around content, employees, recognition etc with real-time downloadable reports and the ability to create custom dashboards. 

• Encourage advocacy: Supporting employees with user-friendly content-sharing features in just 2 clicks, personal stats and an exciting reward program to increase motivation.  

The IEBC summit showcased the incredible opportunities in internal communication and employer branding. Sociabble is proud to be at the forefront of this evolution, helping organizations build meaningful connections, drive engagement, and achieve business success. 

The future of internal communication and employer branding is here—personalized, inclusive, data-driven, and impactful. Let’s shape it together! 

If you’re eager to learn more about how Sociabble can help your internal communications, get in touch with our experts.