Women in India are still not getting a fair chance to showcase themselves: Sonam Shah

In the last 10 years, PR has taken a different dimension, especially after the entry of social media and the rapid shift to digital during the pandemic period. At the same time, the industry has been facing stiff challenges; moreover client expectations have also increased, with more emphasis being given to digital and online reputation management. The industry has undergone a radical shift and the current times have pushed the industry to change gears.

In an exclusive interview with Adgully, Sonam Shah, Founder and CEO, Treize Communications, speaks at length about effective leadership within the PR industry, how to prioritise diversity and inclusion within one’s team and client base, insights on how women leaders in PR can effectively negotiate for themselves and their teams, and more.

How do you define effective leadership within the PR industry, particularly as a woman in a leadership role?

Effective leadership comes with setting an example by the path you take. And this goes across any sector or leader. To lead means to carve a path. Thus, there are a lot of leaders who are entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs, over the decades, are known to bring in solutions for new market challenges and growth, and today as the PR industry gets highly challenging and evolving, leadership and entrepreneurial skillset come into place.

Being an effective leader in the PR industry would mean teaching and helping the new entrants understand what they are doing. Build a work atmosphere which is open and transparent, allowing everyone a comfort area to share views. It would also include being in sync with adapting readership patterns and new trends, to stay in place and offer timely and impactful solutions to clients.

Coming to defining leadership as a women entrepreneur, I do not see any gender-based role definition here. Women, in general, have a strong sense of empathy, which plays an important role in Public Relations. Also, women are great multi-taskers, which works for them to keep a balance between work and personal life.

How do you prioritise diversity and inclusion within your team and client base?

We are a relatively small team, so we either hire based on talent or on one’s keenness to learn something new. We look to recruit talent from different backgrounds, as it helps bring new perspectives and freshness to the team. Also, having a young bunch of people around keeps the mood all fun.

As for our client base, we focus on adding clients who work in sync with our ideologies and/or clients that have the scope to offer something new and interesting to the media. I do not think inclusion and diversity will be a point of focus in onboarding new clients.

How do you balance work and personal life as a woman entrepreneur in a demanding industry like PR?

Balancing work and personal life is not as easy as it is made to sound, and neither is it as difficult as it is being spoken about. For me, the key is to-do lists. I make multiple to-do lists daily and ensure they are followed. This is for both at work and personal end.

Another thing that I do is segregate my time during the day for things to be done around work and things to be done at a personal level. Being an entrepreneur, I do not have fixed time slots for each, so my to-do list keeps shuffling during the day, as per priorities.

Unwind time is also very essential to keep the balance going. I have moved from striving to keep a balance to juggle and maintain balance. There is a vast difference here. To keep a balance, you end up trying to control, but juggling to maintain a balance means you are emphasising what holds more importance and value and attending that task. In a highly demanding industry of Public Relations, where timely output is important, prioritising what you want is the key.

Could you share insights on how women leaders in PR can effectively negotiate for themselves and their teams?

Today, women are present in every sector and field, not just in PR. Women are good communicators; all they need is a little confidence and the skill to be assertive. Women in PR need to be quick, agile, and smart-working to bring efficacy to the workplace. Today, people know what women can bring to the table, and there is quite high acceptance also, at least in the Advertising and PR industry.

Women today have a lot of scope and growth opportunities to reach a decision-making level. Once they reach here, that is where the negotiation comes into place. Till then, it is all about learning and unlearning and adapting to the curve.

Events like yours, Adgully’s Women Disruptors, are very important as not only do they recognise the work and acknowledge it, but also allow women a platform to share their experiences and be themselves. Young women in the industry should be more open to attending these workshops and learning on the go.

I think women in India are still not getting a fair chance to showcase themselves, and this needs to be addressed. Once given a chance, women themselves will find a path for themselves and their team.