Worlds apart or a part of the world? Public relations issues and challenges in India

•Indian PR is a mix of the old and new, local and global trends.•Digitization, information flow, metrics, crisis management are common concerns.•#1 Local issue for Indian PR leaders is talent recruitment and retention.•Managing image of PR practice is more important in India than globally.•PR leaders’ action strategies to resolve issues are similar to global counterparts. This study examines modern public relations in India investigating current issues, trends and leadership in communication management. Using a survey of Indian practitioners, it compares public relations in India with global trends. Findings suggest that practice in India is interdependent and changing dynamically with global influences, though a global–local dialectic is clearly present. Country-level differences are evident with development of human capital seen as the top issue in the region. At the same time, similar to other countries, the industry in India is also dealing with issues of digitization and information flow, struggling with measurement concerns, and trying to stay on top of crisis management preparedness.