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A woman's resolution is absolute. She can move mountains with sheer grit and determination. It is this unfaltering resilience that we celebrate annually on March 8 – International Women's Day.
Honouring the contributions of women in the PR and Corp Comm sector, exchange4media PR & Corp Comm has been running a 'Women Achievers Series'. It will feature the journey, success and achievements of some of the top women leaders from the Public Relations and Corporate Communications fraternity.
Today we have Bhavya Sharma, director – communications and ESG, Urban Company.
Excerpts:
Please share your thoughts on the theme for International Women's Day 2023 - DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality. This is aligned with CSW—67 theme on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girl through education, innovation and technology in the digital age.
With increasing dependency on technology and rapid developments in the future of work, bringing everyone under the digital umbrella is the need of the hour. According to the UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2022 report, women’s lack of access to the digital world has negatively impacted the gross domestic product of low- and middle-income countries by almost $1 trillion. I am glad that IWD is using the day as an opportunity to not only celebrate the progress made towards gender equality but also to highlight the gap between access to technology among men and women.
Overall, the theme DigitALL: Innovation and technology are a crucial step towards promoting gender equality in the digital world and ensuring that women and girls can fully participate and benefit from technological advancements.
A lot has been discussed on the influence of women and their leadership in PR. In your view, what has changed in these last few decades?
The PR and communications industry, overall, has changed extensively with more and more women joining the workforce. Some of the critical changes that women have brought in the industry are advocacy for diversity and inclusion, and humanising the brands by highlighting people’s stories and making the messaging more authentic and relatable. Overall, they have helped cultivate a more empathetic and inclusive space that encourages openness and relationship building.
Numerous researches have highlighted that only 20 per cent of women sit on board globally. What's your take on the value women leaders in PR bring to the board room?
For PR practitioners, reputation building and crisis management are key areas of focus. These are also areas where new-age companies have limited knowledge or experience. I believe companies and early-stage startups can greatly benefit from these real-world insights. Apart from this, I believe women leaders in PR can add value to company’s boards by bringing in a diverse perspective.
Tell us about your journey. What inspired you and who has been your hero?
I am a Communications Strategist with close to 15 years of experience, spread across B2B and B2C. I started my career in 2008 as a research analyst but changed gears after about 2 years as I felt my true calling was in communications and branding. I joined Urban Company in 2017 where I got the chance to fully explore all dimensions of branding and communications and become a well-rounded communications professional.
I rely more on books (fiction and non-fiction) to find inspiration and therefore, it’s difficult for me to name just one hero or role model. However, I find Indra Nooyi and Sheryl Sandberg particularly inspiring.
Your message to future leaders.
Develop an inclusive world view, understand the challenges faced by different communities and leverage technology to enable empowerment as well as economic opportunities.