Ad Land’s Young Guns: Purusharth Gautam, Sr Account Executive, Kaizzen PR

An award-winning Public Relations practitioner with close to 5 years of experience in the industry, Purusharth Gautam is currently working as Senior Account Executive with Kaizzen PR.

Prior to that he was associated with firms like Value360 Communications and Genesis BCW. He has also worked on the clients each from Agritech, Edu-tech, Auto, Fintech, Lifestyle, Fashion, Travel, Tech, HR, Education and Start-up verticals.

In conversation with Adgully, Purusharth Gautam, Senior Account Executive, Kaizzen PR, speaks about long-term career opportunities in the PR industry, hiw success mantra and advice to youngsters planning to joing the PR industry, and more.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

I started my PR journey almost 5 years ago with one of Delhi’s most renowned malls. Later, this short stint opened my doors to some of the country’s most reputed PR agencies. So far, I have been fortunate enough to work with National and International clients, ranging from potential startups to Unicorns and individual entrepreneurs to established brands.

Speaking about the skill sets, I have great communication skills. Also, with an aim to serve my clients better and in a more effective way, I have also developed the art of strategising and developing communication plans. Other than this, I am good at media relations, Influencer & KOL outreach, crisis management, client interface, and content.

Lastly, I believe that any level of empathy goes a long way. It not only helps in building a strong and healthy team but also makes me a better human being, justifying my existence in this world.

How did you join your current organisation?

I was looking for a better job opportunity to grow and a firm where I can exercise my innovative ideas, when a friend shared information about Kaizzen. I was fascinated by all the clientele and the employee-friendly policies of the firm, which ultimately inclined me to join the company, and eventually, everything worked in my favour and I became a part of the Kaizzen family.

Icons in this field you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

I don’t have any icons as such. I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the most amazing leaders in the industry, who’ve helped me learn and grow in this field. Some of them became a friend rather than a senior and some became a true mentor, who guided me through this journey and helped me become the person I am today. I will always look up to them and become a true leader like them one day.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

My daily schedule is sort of a monotonous routine that I follow. I start my day early in the morning and hit the gym for my fitness.

The first thing that I do in my office is read the newspapers and magazines to track in and out about the trends, the industry, and my client’s competition for sure.

Prioritising my work is definitely the most important thing for me as I always believe in managing my work and finishing it on time is really important to stay one step ahead.

Sometimes I even cook for myself, my family, and colleagues. It’s more like therapy for me as it helps me to think better and formulate ideas with a different perspective.

I always have dinner with my family while having a brief conversation with them about my day and upcoming plans. It helps me to stay connected with them despite my long working hours.

Do you think a career in this field is a viable one in the long term?

Definitely yes. Initially, I used to question myself about my career, job, and future in this field. But with the right guidance and self-belief, I certainly realised that PR is something I am going to do my entire life. It’s truly an exciting job that helps me connect with several people and companies on daily basis. It has helped me expand my knowledge and transformed me as a person as well. I feel more confident and passionate about my work. It’s more like “PR se Pyaar” for me now.

However, PR is a very demanding job and it has transformed to a great extent in the last two years. But if someone is passionate about it and always up for learning, then it surely can be a long-term career for you.

What does it take to succeed in a career?

I believe that not just one, but there are a couple of things that help a person to become successful in life. Firstly, you have to be passionate and honest about your work. If you’re not passionate, you will never be able to deliver the ‘it’ factor, not matter how hard you try. It is followed by honesty, because you know where you stand and what your goal is and how hard you have to work to achieve the target. You have to answer all these questions, because no one else is going to do this for you. Finally, being humble and empathetic towards people, be it your junior or senior will surely help you become a better person in life.

Also, self-belief and setting up your priorities are also important when it comes to standing out amongst others.

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

Be honest and always be the half-empty glass because there is no ending to learning. Meet more people, talk to them, learn from their experience and try to envision things from their perspective. This will help you to be a creative person. Also, believe in yourself and never ever lose hope.

Yes, there will be times when nothing would work out and you’ll judge yourself.  But you should never lose hope. Never give up and always believe in yourself, and keep going. It’s not going to be an easy rise but it will definitely be worth it in the end.

One of my mentors once told me “Be hungry, be foolish and be honest towards your job and the sky will be the limit for you”. I always followed this mantra and I will share the same with the budding PR professionals.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

I have always believed in living in the present and not thinking much about the future as you never know what might happen next. However, if everything goes according to my plans, I would like to set up my own PR agency in the near future. Although I won’t mind having my own cafe in the mountains either!

Is there any organisation that you would like to work with in the future?

Not particularly, but would surely like to work with a couple of global brands like Microsoft or Google, may be as I have always been fascinated by these two tech giants and want to experience what it feels like to be one of their employees.