Enter the Brave New World of Communications

	Shobha Vasudevan , Senior Manager - Corporate Communications, Canon India
	L.K.Pathak, Global Head, Corporate Communications, Elitecore
	Vishak Gopinath, Head - Public Relations, Cisco India & SAARC
	Sagar Desai, Head - Public Relations, India Symantec Corporation
	Tapasya Ohri, Manager, Marketing Communication, MMD
	Paul Anderson, Marketing Manager, Array Networks
	Varghese M. Thomas, Director, Corp. Comm. - India & SAARC , Research In Motion India Pvt. Ltd.
	Suman Saurav, Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications - India & SAARC, EMC Corporation
	Navinder Chauhan, GM, Marketing, Smartlink Network Systems Ltd.
	Ankesh Kumar, Director - Channel Products & Marketing, Emerson Network Power
	Monali Handa, Director - Marketing, NComputing
	Jochem Binst, Director - Corporate Communications, VASCO Data Security
	K. P. Unnikrishnan, APAC Marketing Director, Brocade
	Priya Ramchandran, Marketing & Communication, American Megatrends India Private Limited
	Scot Jackson, Regional Marketing Manager, APAC, India & Middle East, Cisco Home Networking Business Unit

Very few people exist who have an uncanny knack for turning dream into reality. They can locate a particle of gold in a heap of sand. Here is the person who harps on innovation, trust and courage. Hence, success naturally follows and that is the mantra of business success. Known for their matchless entrepreneurial skills, they build competencies by synergizing expertise acquired by their team. Thus, they are responsible for dreaming and establishing the company's growth.

Corporate Communications Managers are the face and voice of any organization or big businesses. They imply a coherent approach to the development of communications in an organization.  Shobha Vasudevan, Senior Manager - Corporate Communications, Canon India underscores the importance of a Communication Manager when she says, “A communication professional is in some ways a very important brand manager for a company, brand meaning in this case, a promise a company gives to a customer and what it does to keep that promise. Today, communications managers have higher stakes in decision making and ensuring the development of the brand. Also, there is a strong influx of the digital medium. Even if you don't buy into the idea that online communities and relationships are part of the communications function, it's hard to deny the rising importance of blogs, the gradual decline of traditional media and the impact that online conversations can have on brands”. Corporate Communications and Marketing Communication Managers are often the key strategic enablers in today's highly-competitive and information-driven business environment. While conversations help create the image of a company or a business, it is value-based communication that needs to focus on to deliver results. L. K. Pathak, Global Head, Corporate Communications, Elitecore, said, “The Corporate Communications team has been instrumental in giving shape and vision to Elitecore's strategic motto: 'platform for innovators'.” 

Changing facet of Communication Managers

With growing competition, the role of corporate communication or marketing communication is changing and becoming pivotal for building and crafting the brand identity of an organization. These are the persons who help companies to shape, mould and identify the reputation in the minds of customers and other stakeholders.

Vishak Gopinath, Head - Public Relations, Cisco India & SAARC, says, “Positioning of a company and its services / products has become more and more strategic and critical in nature, and hence the role of a communications manager has also evolved to a great extent. Being a part of Cisco's transformation from a product-focussed to a solutions-focussed company and a trusted business advisor to customers, has been one of my most memorable experiences in my role as a professional communicator.” The unprecedented growth of IT has, in fact, accelerated the evolution of the communications industry. While Sagar Desai, Head - Public Relations, India, Symantec Corporation, said, “From a facilitator to a strategic partner. That is how I have seen the function of corporate communications evolve in the industry.”  Lately though, but the importance of linking communication to the business has ultimately dawned upon IT majors. Asserting this, Paul Anderson, Marketing Manager, Array Networks, said, “While the role has remained the same, the significance and relevance have grown substantially. This is primarily due to the value-add we have provided to our key stakeholders, namely employees, partners and customers. Without them, growth is irrelevant. I am a staunch believer of the fact that team with the right attitude always outperforms, provided they have the right tools and environment.” The role of Communications Managers is imperative in the growth of a company.

A strategic thinker can dream big and strive to fulfil those dreams with sincere dedication coupled with smart thinking. They have a niche in industry with aggressive growth strategy and long-term goals. 

Varghese M. Thomas, Director - Corporate Communications - India & SAARC, Research In Motion India Pvt. Ltd., says, “My role in Intel, Cisco and now with BlackBerry has given me the much-needed exposure and knowledge so that I have comfortably settled down into my role and have come to terms with the fact that in a dynamic world, tomorrow is going to be more exciting than today. In addition, I think by temperament I love the idea of giving shape to corporate identities, images and reputations. This is because there is an element of art, science and magic to communication. I don't believe there is an end to this journey that calls for a mix of resilience, vigour, intellectual capacity, and plain emotional connect with people."     

Responsibilities taken as challenges!!!

Through creative work, clear vision towards achieving perfection in work and great network of people around to support the initiatives is the master in making relationships and building rapport. They possess the skill to develop and maintain cordial and healthy relations with people.

Tapasya Ohri, Manager, Marketing Communication, MMD, says, “I firmly believe that challenges come with solutions! It is the expectation of internal and external partners that infuses fresh set of energy in me every day. Having said this, it is also very important to have clear communicated expectations and deliverables. I spend much of my time in simplifying the task and then look at the basics to resolve it. I hope the magic continues to work.” According to Suman Saurav, Sr. Manager, Marketing Communications - India & SAARC, EMC Corporation, “Corporate Communications/PR is a job where multi-tasking is a must-have skill. It is part of every PR professional's life to juggle multiple tasks at the same time. The other critical skills include prioritization, right-packaging and stakeholder management. The mantra is to always under-promise and over-deliver". 

Being in service industry, understanding the pulse of the public and catering exactly to the needs and requirements is the skill set of a Communications Manager. Ankesh Kumar, Director - Channel Products & Marketing, Emerson Network Power, said, “Since Marketing Communications has always been part of the Product & Strategy team, it has helped me remain close to the business and be strategic in my communication approach.” The basic instincts of hard work with focussed objectives, teamwork and open mind leads to change and innovation. 

“The magic is in converting every challenge into an opportunity by seeing the positive side of the coin. Collaboration, creativity, assertiveness, and a positive approach can help solve the most difficult challenges,” says Monali Handa, Director - Marketing, NComputing.

Navinder Chauhan, General Manager, Marketing, Smartlink Network Systems Ltd., said, “Every assignment has brought in some or other challenges. But marketers are like captains of ships, and experience helps keep sailing smoothly during difficult times. Well, it becomes easy to discharge your duties and responsibilities when they are clearly defined. Whether you interact with internal stakeholders or internal stakeholders, the most important point to keep in mind is that both are your customers and we need to work as a bridge in between internal customers and our consumers and external customers and internal customers.”

Jochem Binst, Director - Corporate Communications, VASCO Data Security, considers challenges as the spices in a dish. Professional life would be rather bland without them. Probably, the biggest challenge for any communication professional is the fact that the result of his/her work is rather intangible, and rather hard to measure. On the other hand, once one has proven that good corporate communications can contribute to the success of a company, it is possible to turn this challenge into an opportunity. 

Communications Managers have contributed a large share in the growth of today's IT and telecom industry. They are playing a crucial role in contributing to the success story. The role of corporate communications and market communications has seen a tectonic change. K. P. Unnikrishnan, APAC Marketing Director, Brocade, said, “I am a man of action and this industry appeals to me because of the fast pace at which it is evolving.  One of my earlier bosses used to say that 'technology has the shelf life of a banana'. I think it is this ever-changing nature that appeals to me.”

Priya Ramchandran, Marketing & Communication, American Megatrends India Private Limited, said, “The presence of technology in our lives today is to an extent where we cannot stay away from it. Coming to know about it initially is interesting and growing with it becomes passionate. The ease with which even these inputs are being shared today also is thanks to IT. In a way, it has aided in the advancement of many other industries.”

IT and telecom are two different sectors but are intertwined in their own capacities. One can see the growth in these sectors not only from luxury to necessity and much more. Technology has touched people's lives in such a way that one can't even imagine of staying away from it. Paul Anderson, Marketing Manager, Array Networks, said, “People, process and technology are the key pillars of any organization globally. IT and telecom have and will help organizations to transform their process and technology making life simpler and productive for the most critical resource 'people'. This fact has always appealed me to IT and Telecom.”

Scot Jackson, Regional Marketing Manager, Asia-Pacific, India and Middle East, Cisco Home Networking Business Unit, said, “Being responsible for Cisco Home Networking marketing activity across Asia-Pacific and Middle East, including India, means I am fortunate enough to get a view on many different approaches to marketing to consumers and resellers, and this too shapes my role in the same way that shared learning is shaping the IT industry. The IT industry is just so dynamic that it makes work exciting and enjoyable. Successful communications relies on an understanding of the audience, so experiencing how people live and interact with their technology is an important part of developing the right plans.”

Challenges are always faced in any industry. But addressing them with strategic planning is called smartness. It is true that experience teaches a lot, but it is not always true that an experienced person needs to be expert.

The passion to work 

You don't have to be a genius, but should have the passion and burning desire to work, grow and move forward. The satisfaction felt after the successful achievement of the goal, carves the way for new ventures and further challenges. During the journey, many memorable and interesting happenings take place. Monali Handa, Director - Marketing, NComputing, shared his views, “One of the most touching and fulfilling moments in my current role was when I saw the real impact of our technology in a rural school during my visit to a village in Andhra Pradesh and saw the difference it is making to the lives of millions of children, enabling and equipping them for a better tomorrow. It was an emotional experience for me to see how empowered they felt and realization that was apparent on their faces that now nothing can stop them from getting a better future and their dream jobs. For these children, their world is now not just the village but the entire globe, and with the help of computers they can learn and reach out to the world with the touch of a button.”

Minari Shah, Director - Corporate Communications, APJ Region, Dell, shared, “There are a multitude of experiences but I think the most significant are the ones where one recognizes how we touch the lives of people. Being a part of road shows and talking to the media in some of the smaller Indian towns, I have often been impressed by their optimism, their willingness to listen and yet a definitely curious, questioning attitude.”

The growth pace in the industry has both advantages and challenges. It offers a great number of opportunities to us, but at the same time it is a necessity that we should address the newer challenges that are being thrown while communicating internally with the employees. As there is increased focus on social branding coupled with ever-changing media dynamics, communicating it in real time with the stakeholders is another challenge. 

Minari Shah, Director - Corporate Communications, APJ Region, Dell

The key to success is to devote sufficient time and energy to communications issues. There is a need on the part of every organization to discover its unique value proposition. Once the person in charge of communications is aware where they stand and where they want to be, the future is always perfect.

S. Mohini Ratna
mohini@varindia.com