The traits that make for a great PR professional in the new normal

The main objective of ‘The DNA of a new PR Professional: New Learning and Behaviour’ panel at the IMAGEXX 2021 Summit was to get behind the journey of young PR professionals, their view about the world of PR, how it is changing and evolving, what is their mantra to learn, and what are the expectations that they have.

Moderated by Kiran Ray Chaudhury, Co-Founder & Joint Managing Director, 80dB Communications, the PR experts in the panel included:

Abhilasha Gupta, Head - Global Corporate Communications & Public Affairs, Tech Mahindra

Somya Jain, Account Manager, Ruder Finn

Divya Jain, Group Account Director, Value 360 Communications

Nishtha Saxena, Senior Account Executive, 80dB Communications

Brinda Iyer, Account Director, Genesis BCW

At the outset, Kiran Ray Chaudhury asked the panelists to share what had motivated them to get into the field of communications.

Somya Jain: “It all looked so glamorous before. But when I got into the research, there were two things that I realised about this profession – first, is the fact that you can pick up an insight and build a campaign in your thoughts on just that one insight, that was the key perspective for me. The other thing was the fact that one can learn from the best creative minds out there. These were the two things that motivated me to get into this profession.”

Nishtha Saxena: “Like every good literature student, I was in love with reading and writing from the very beginning. My original plan was to go into academia and I stumbled into an internship into the communications world. That internship turned out to be an entry level position, and I realised that you get to tell so many stories a mile a minute and I fell in love with that process.”

Abhilasha Gupta: “From the very beginning, communication has always inspired me in a way that I have always felt that no matter what your profession is, you are first and always a communicator. Just the sheer power of communication, just how much you can achieve through building relationships through just words, I think that is really what made me fall in love with this profession and I was very sure that this is what I wanted to do.”

Divya Jain: “I am a good listener and a believer, who always believed in the power of keywords, and current times are only proving it right. The process and power of storytelling is a part of so many brands and their exciting journeys – that has always and has continued to motivate me.”

Brinda Iyer: “I had actually studied to become a chartered accountant until at one point I realised that it was too dry for my liking and one of the things that attracted me towards PR is I did a programme for a Youth Organisation with kids and that is when I understood what PR actually meant and that is when I realised that I could do something much better with people and that can be absolute fun. The joy of working with different people keeps me going.”

The above are edited excerpts from the panel discussion. Watch the complete session below: