Mr. Rajiv Desai, CEO, Comma Consulting
At Comma, our specialty is personalised attention to clients and unmatched experience in the industry. Above all, we look to build long-term relationships with clients, staff members and media. The idea is to put the client first. You do that not just by quality of service but also by anticipation of needs. Unmatched service has to do with experience. This means dealing with all scenarios that affect corporate communications: crisis, financial, public affairs, media relations, publicity and government relations.
At Comma, our specialty is personalised attention to clients and unmatched experience in the industry. Above all, we look to build long-term relationships with clients, staff members and media. The idea is to put the client first. You do that not just by quality of service but also by anticipation of needs. Unmatched service has to do with experience. This means dealing with all scenarios that affect corporate communications: crisis, financial, public affairs, media relations, publicity and government relations.Rajiv Desai is the founder of India’s newest and most experienced public relations consulting firm. A pioneer in the profession, Mr Desai established India’s first PR consulting firm, IPAN, in December 1987.
In the 17 years that he steered IPAN, Mr Desai played a key role in the entry into India of Pepsi, Citibank’s global consumer bank, STAR TV, in the rapid popularization of Golf, a 1990 campaign on behalf of ITC (Wills Circuit Golf), in the incipient technology boom for companies like Microsoft, Cisco and Intel in the mid 1990s; as also in the opening up of the telecom sector for companies such Nokia, Hughes, Alcatel, BT and BPL Mobile. Over the years, Mr Desai also established a parallel career in journalism as a columnist on public affairs. His commentaries have featured in publications all around the world including The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times (Syndicate), The Times of India, Hindustan Times and various magazines. He is a frequent commentator on television news shows and has appeared on NDTV, CNBC, BBC and other channels. Active in public affairs, Mr Desai served as media adviser to Rajiv Gandhi in the 1989 and 1991 parliamentary election campaigns.
Mr Desai’s articles can be found on his blog, Res Gestae
Comma Consulting, India’s first communications management consulting firm operates at the cutting edge of today’s modern, pulsating India. We are where the action is: financial services, television and media, business process outsourcing, digital music, music publishing and licensing, telecom, intellectual property rights, homegrown brands, urban development, tourism, infrastructure and power, sports, global marketing, governance and foreign policy. Q. Your company's media training is much talked about. Kindly tell us the relevance of media training for a company's spokesperson in today's business world context. We train corporate spokesmen to deliver succinct messages to targeted audiences. I have personally trained senior executives of more than 200 multinational and Indian firms.
Q. What are the salient features of a PR professional? Do you agree that there is a dearth of PR Professionals? A PR professional must be a renaissance man (woman). From excruciating details to a comprehensive worldview, the PR man (woman) must be capable of dealing with all sectors of the economy and society.
Q. How has the journey been so far since the inception Comma Consulting? The journey has been very fulfilling one. We have built a strong team and an impressive list of clients. A strong team has to do with strong leadership. Over the past two decades, as a pioneer in the PR consulting business, I have followed my belief that the people are most important to the business, especially when it comes to consulting. My role has been that coach and mentor. Today, members of my teams can be found in all manners of solid, responsible corporate communications positions in global firms. Some of them followed me to Comma.
Q. What is Comma Consulting’s vision and what is it doing to realize it? Our offer is simple: we are partners with the client’s corporate communications team. Over the years, the task of a corporate communications department has become complex with demands from various internal and external stakeholders. We work with the corporate communications team to prioritize demands and deliver services.
Q. Last year, during global recession, many companies were seen cutting back their Marketing and PR budgets. How was 2009 for Comma Consulting? 2009 was a year of consolidation. Despite the recession, we managed the adversity well. Further than this we cannot comment as this was a strategic internal matter and we prefer not to talk about it.
Q. Do tell us about your various services and which ones are your forte? We offer public relations counsel and services to assist corporate communications departments in the discharge of duties. PR is an increasingly important aspect of a company’s business. Proper public relations strategy can help companies compete more effectively by helping management attract finance and staff; it can also help a company attract customers. Our forte services include media relations, crisis management, media monitoring and analysis, research and analysis and internal communications.
Q. Given your clientele, Comma Consulting seems to have ventured into catering clients from various industries. How does Comma Consulting meet specialized PR needs of various clients? At Comma, our specialty is personalised attention to clients and unmatched experience in the industry. Above all, we look to build long-term relationships with clients, staff members and media. The idea is to put the client first. You do that not just by quality of service but also by anticipation of needs. Unmatched service has to do with experience. This means dealing with all scenarios that affect corporate communications: crisis, financial, public affairs, media relations, publicity and government relations
Q. Who are your closest competitors and what and how does Comma Consulting do things differently to stay ahead of the competition? We focus on our clients not on our competition; that helps us stay ahead of them. By anticipating needs of the client, by helping set communications priorities, Comma tries to stay ahead of the game. The most important aspect is credibility. This means the client takes you seriously and values your contribution.
Q. How has Comma Consulting fared in the first quarter? We have fared very well in the first quarter. Revenues are up and costs have been curtailed. The bottom line looks healthy.
Q. You have been attached with Comma Consulting for many years now. What has changed and how since you took over the reins? I am the founder of Comma Consulting, which completed five years in 2010. In the five years since Comma was established, the corporate communications function has become more complex. It used be led by marketing, but now it must handle demands from various other departments such as legal, financial, HR and others. This means the consulting function must focus on helping the corporate communications department with counsel and services that helps it discharge its function effectively.
In the 17 years that he steered IPAN, Mr Desai played a key role in the entry into India of Pepsi, Citibank’s global consumer bank, STAR TV, in the rapid popularization of Golf, a 1990 campaign on behalf of ITC (Wills Circuit Golf), in the incipient technology boom for companies like Microsoft, Cisco and Intel in the mid 1990s; as also in the opening up of the telecom sector for companies such Nokia, Hughes, Alcatel, BT and BPL Mobile. Over the years, Mr Desai also established a parallel career in journalism as a columnist on public affairs. His commentaries have featured in publications all around the world including The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, The New York Times (Syndicate), The Times of India, Hindustan Times and various magazines. He is a frequent commentator on television news shows and has appeared on NDTV, CNBC, BBC and other channels. Active in public affairs, Mr Desai served as media adviser to Rajiv Gandhi in the 1989 and 1991 parliamentary election campaigns.
Mr Desai’s articles can be found on his blog, Res Gestae
Comma Consulting, India’s first communications management consulting firm operates at the cutting edge of today’s modern, pulsating India. We are where the action is: financial services, television and media, business process outsourcing, digital music, music publishing and licensing, telecom, intellectual property rights, homegrown brands, urban development, tourism, infrastructure and power, sports, global marketing, governance and foreign policy. Q. Your company's media training is much talked about. Kindly tell us the relevance of media training for a company's spokesperson in today's business world context. We train corporate spokesmen to deliver succinct messages to targeted audiences. I have personally trained senior executives of more than 200 multinational and Indian firms.
Q. What are the salient features of a PR professional? Do you agree that there is a dearth of PR Professionals? A PR professional must be a renaissance man (woman). From excruciating details to a comprehensive worldview, the PR man (woman) must be capable of dealing with all sectors of the economy and society.
Q. How has the journey been so far since the inception Comma Consulting? The journey has been very fulfilling one. We have built a strong team and an impressive list of clients. A strong team has to do with strong leadership. Over the past two decades, as a pioneer in the PR consulting business, I have followed my belief that the people are most important to the business, especially when it comes to consulting. My role has been that coach and mentor. Today, members of my teams can be found in all manners of solid, responsible corporate communications positions in global firms. Some of them followed me to Comma.
Q. What is Comma Consulting’s vision and what is it doing to realize it? Our offer is simple: we are partners with the client’s corporate communications team. Over the years, the task of a corporate communications department has become complex with demands from various internal and external stakeholders. We work with the corporate communications team to prioritize demands and deliver services.
Q. Last year, during global recession, many companies were seen cutting back their Marketing and PR budgets. How was 2009 for Comma Consulting? 2009 was a year of consolidation. Despite the recession, we managed the adversity well. Further than this we cannot comment as this was a strategic internal matter and we prefer not to talk about it.
Q. Do tell us about your various services and which ones are your forte? We offer public relations counsel and services to assist corporate communications departments in the discharge of duties. PR is an increasingly important aspect of a company’s business. Proper public relations strategy can help companies compete more effectively by helping management attract finance and staff; it can also help a company attract customers. Our forte services include media relations, crisis management, media monitoring and analysis, research and analysis and internal communications.
Q. Given your clientele, Comma Consulting seems to have ventured into catering clients from various industries. How does Comma Consulting meet specialized PR needs of various clients? At Comma, our specialty is personalised attention to clients and unmatched experience in the industry. Above all, we look to build long-term relationships with clients, staff members and media. The idea is to put the client first. You do that not just by quality of service but also by anticipation of needs. Unmatched service has to do with experience. This means dealing with all scenarios that affect corporate communications: crisis, financial, public affairs, media relations, publicity and government relations
Q. Who are your closest competitors and what and how does Comma Consulting do things differently to stay ahead of the competition? We focus on our clients not on our competition; that helps us stay ahead of them. By anticipating needs of the client, by helping set communications priorities, Comma tries to stay ahead of the game. The most important aspect is credibility. This means the client takes you seriously and values your contribution.
Q. How has Comma Consulting fared in the first quarter? We have fared very well in the first quarter. Revenues are up and costs have been curtailed. The bottom line looks healthy.
Q. You have been attached with Comma Consulting for many years now. What has changed and how since you took over the reins? I am the founder of Comma Consulting, which completed five years in 2010. In the five years since Comma was established, the corporate communications function has become more complex. It used be led by marketing, but now it must handle demands from various other departments such as legal, financial, HR and others. This means the consulting function must focus on helping the corporate communications department with counsel and services that helps it discharge its function effectively.
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