'Your track record walks into a room before you do. So be obsessed with impact'

Public Relations industry has witnessed a paradigm shift in the last decade, the credit for which goes to the efforts of the new generation of leaders in the industry. One such leader is Upasna Dash, CEO and Founder, Jajabor Brand Consultancy. Recently conferred with “Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year” title at the at e4m PR and Corp Comm Women Achievers Awards 2020, Dash is an entrepreneur with a vision to disrupt the way entities and consumers talk to each other.

She is currently working with brands, platforms and institutions to create, engage and sustain positive impact within their communities using integrated communications, PR, brand and content strategy. In today’s feature, we speak to her about her big win, qualities of a leader, thoughts on female leadership, her future goals and more.

Edited Excerpts:

How do you feel being the winner of the Women Achievers initiative?

It feels incredible! I don't think this award would have been a reality without the hard work, grit and resilience of my entire team. It's great to see the ecosystem come together to support and evangelize entrepreneurs such as myself. Acknowledgements like this continue to encourage my company Jajabor Brand Consultancy to use PR as a powerful tool to drive impact across brands and consumers.

What are the attributes/ qualities required to be a leader in the communication industry?

A few things I personally believe that is key. First is your success as a leader is directly proportional to the success of your team. The best leaders are committed to making leaders and champions of the team they work with, so invest heavily in that

Second is be obsessed with impact. You can choose what defines impact, but do that early on and spend all your time and energy on meeting that. For me impact comes not just from scale but also quality and culture, that's what drives my company.

And finally, be ahead of the curve, never stop learning. I strive to constantly evolve my thinking, I do so by interacting with not just my peers, juniors or seniors in the industry but especially people who have nothing to do with my work. I have found myself inspired to create compelling communication campaigns by interacting with people across the spectrum. 

What role have women played in restructuring the industry and how has it changed over the years for the women workforce?

When I moved to India in 2012 after spending years in Singapore and the UK, I was amazed by how India as an ecosystem was even more open to women in PR. I was lucky enough to meet some incredible women who became my mentors in my early years and I`m glad to see that this ecosystem is still evangelizing women as much as it used to. Women have played a key role in shaping the industry to what it is today and they continue to do so. I do however think that women can be successful in any field. 

Why do we need to have more female leaders at the helm of organizations in today's scenario and what value women bring to the table?

Women form 50% (if not more) of a consumer bracket, so it's only practical to have more women in positions of power to resonate their values and cater to them. Women bring an incredible array of talents from multi-tasking to creative perspectives to navigating through myriad challenges seamlessly. I do think that women should be seen through the same lens as their male counterparts and given opportunities based on their sheer talent.  

What are your future goals? What initiative would you like to take as a responsible woman leader for the industry/society?

I am deeply passionate about using PR and storytelling to drive tangible impact on the ground. This has led me to work with incredible organizations from across the world that are working with women in India especially at the grassroots level. We have first hand witnessed the power of news articles helping these women create more awareness in local governments, attain more grants, partner with more stakeholders and so much more. I would love to continue to champion that along with my team by giving a voice and a platform to the millions of brilliant women fighting for rights and justice. We currently are a proud all-women team and I`d love to have more positions of power while creating a brand and consumer narratives. 

How do you see the PR and the corp comm industry shaping up in the years to come and your message to the future women leaders?

I think this is a very exciting time for PR as an industry. In a post Covid world, a lot of brands have discovered the need for using PR to maintain and create meaningful dialogue open with their stakeholders. What will be key is that our industry evolves as quickly as our counterparts. Now is the time to invest in data-driven insights, new-age tools and really understand the landscape deeper. We will also see the advent of new-age media shape how we distribute content. As for future women leaders, my one message to them would be to be obsessed with impact! Your track record always walks into a room before you do.