‘AIMC groomed my overall personality’, says PR professional and Apeejay alumna 

Ritika Sharma is a Senior Account Executive at Edelman India, one of the largest PR firms in the country. An Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC) alumna, Ritika completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Corporate Communication and Event Management in 2019. In an exclusive interview, the PR (public relations) professional gives a peek into how a day at the office looks like, her journey into the PR world as well as shares words of wisdom for the current students. Edited excerpts:

Please tell our readers about your current work profile?

Due to the pandemic, I have been following the ‘work from home’ model since the past two years. Recently, we have started going to the office twice a week as it is very important to have in person meetings to create work communication. What happens at home is, one tends to get isolated. On the other hand when you are in office, you get more exposure as you meet people, brainstorm together and a lot of ideas come out.

As a part of my daily routine, I get up very early, have my breakfast on time and then log in at work. I read all the news about my clients. I am working in the energy and the environment field and it involves climate change and other aspects. I read about our field-peers, clients and in case there are any crises we communicate about it. We work on a lot of campaigns and do a lot of clients as well as internal meetings on the same.

What was the inspiration to join this line of work?

It is a very interesting anecdote. I joined a journalism college (which was part of News24). As a part of our curriculum there, we would have a special class on Public Relations once a week. I developed a strong inclination towards PR since then. I had a great teacher Ms. Juhi, who was from the PR and advertising space. At that time, she was working and would come once a week just to teach us. It’s all because of her and the knowledge she gave which inspired me to pursue PR in more detail. That’s how I joined AIMC and am later working in this field itself.

What are some of your best memories from the AIMC campus?

We would be divided into four teams which would basically be four PR agencies. We were given a brand and we had to create an integrated campaign for that. We spent almost the entire year at AIMC working on these various PR campaigns. We were going for meetings and research. My client at that time was Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). We met the DMRC PR officer Mr. Anuj Dayal. We used to meet him once every month for research and understanding the future plan of action. We had also interviewed him. It was a very enriching experience at AIMC.

How did AIMC help you to reach where you are in life?

It definitely polished me from an individual to a very nice professional. I think when I got out of AIMC, I didn’t feel like a fresher joining Edelman; it felt like I already had a year of experience. Also, at AIMC, I had a great teacher, Mrs. Pushpa Nayar, the former director of Perfect Relationships. The way she taught PR to us was very realistic. I really appreciate her teaching, it did count a lot.

What are your future targets?

Well, I plan on staying at Edelman for some more time and then I wish to be in corporate communication.

 What advice would you like to give to a current student at AIMC?

I would just say three things. First, a person should be organised. You must list down all your tasks for each day. Even if it’s a weekend, you should plan things – plan all that you should do on particular days, else you will lose your focus. Secondly, it is important to prioritise. And lastly, read, read and read. We have to make time to read and gain more knowledge. Subscribe to various newsletters, there is ample knowledge available on social media as well.  Get knowledge on any topic of your interest. It will lead to great things.