Yash Raj Films (YRF), India’s leading legacy entertainment company, has appointed Usha Rachel Thomas as Head of Communications Strategy. She will report to Akshay Vidhani, Chief Executive Officer, Yash Raj Films.
Yash Raj Films appoints Usha Rachel Thomas as head of communications strategy
In her new role, Usha leads YRF and its talent agency’s external-facing narrative, press, social media strategy, brand voice, talent positioning and image management, while strengthening the company’s relationships and footprint with global and local media. Usha will lead the communication strategies across YRF’s various business ventures.
Akshay Vidhani, CEO, Yash Raj Films, said, “As YRF’s business grows globally, how we tell our stories to the world matters as much as the stories themselves. Usha brings a combination of adaptive and agile newsroom instincts honed over two decades of leading communications for some of India’s largest media and entertainment giants. Her perspective will be instrumental in shaping communications strategies built for scale across all our businesses. We are excited to be a part of our leadership team.” Looking forward to the value they bring.”
Usha has wide-ranging experience in journalism, communications and brand strategy. A former journalist for Indiantelevision.com and HT Media, she led public relations and corporate communications at STAR India’s Hindi, Bangla and Marathi GEC divisions, Zee Entertainment Enterprises’ (ZEEL) Hindi GEC, Cinema, FTA and Premium clusters and MX Player, and built integrated strategies for some of Indian television’s most iconic fiction and non-fiction properties spanning OTT, film, celebrity brand campaigns and corporate mandates.
Throughout her career, Usha has led award-winning campaigns, having been awarded an AB Award Gold for leading the #ZeeforAll initiative around Satellite Premiere. riotThat included the industry’s first accessibility feature for visually impaired audiences and a Cannes Lion for “The End” campaign by Lux, among other notable industry honors. He has also led one of India’s first OTT business case studies on MX Player in collaboration with MICA, published by Ivey Publishing, listed by Harvard Case Center, and included in Ivey’s Bestsellers 2025-2026 list.
Usha will also be responsible for creating PR and social media positioning strategy for all YRF talent including Rani Mukherjee, Ayushmann Khurrana, Sonam Kapoor, Ahaan Pandey, Aneet Padda, Sharvari, Vaani Kapoor and Shreya Chaudhary.
