Like many great organizations ABCI was started by a group of visionaries who wanted to make a difference in their field. Initially christened as "Indian Association of Industrial Editors (IAIE)", it was the first organization for professional communicators in India started way back in 1957. IAIE was formed under the Society Act, 1860, under the registration number, F 2772, at the office of the Charity Commissioner, Mumbai.

Mr. Victor Paranjoti, Chief Public Relations Officer, ACC, was the Founder President and Mr. P. R. Gupta was the first Vice President of the Association along with Mr.Jerboy Joseph (86) who has been the Founder Member now resides at Chennai..

The association was rechristened in 1980 to "Association of Business Communicators of India (ABCI)" under the presidentship of Mr. John Monteiro who was working in the Communications Department of L&T. He wanted the association to embrace a wider range of business communicators. Mr.Monteiro is 75 years old and now resides in Mangalore.

From 2004 ABCI has been headed by Mr.Yogesh Joshi who is working in the communications department of Tata Steel. He is the 25th President of ABCI. Under his Presidentship ABCI has shown unprecedented growth and has become highly active in the Business Communicators & Public Relations fraternity.

Over the years ABCI has been very active in the profession of Business Communicators and organizes lots of activities for the betterment of the PR & Business Communications professionals . Some of the eminent persons who shared the ABCI platform include Mr Naval Tata, Mr Nani Palkhiwala, several Cabinet Ministers, Governors, Media and PR professionals and senior editors of various publications.

For the past 56 years ABCI has been organizing the Annual Awards Nite to recognize and reward outstanding talent in the profession of business communications. These awards are considered as the 'Oscars' of Business Communications in India. Over the years ABCI has acquired a reputation for being at the forefront of business communication in India and under the stewardship of Mr. Yogesh Joshi will reach new heights in the future as well.