“My father had always taught me that one had to begin at the bottom rung and not at the top management level, to have an insight into the working of an industry. It is on the floor that one is made aware of the difficulties encountered, in convincing a customer towards a buy. So, immediately after my ISC at the Baldwin Girls High School, I joined the marketing team of the Prestige Group.” says Uzma Irfan, daughter of Mr Irfan Razack, CMD of the Prestige Group.
Uzma is part of the core management team of the Prestige Group and plays an active role in the domain of Corporate Communications.
She is an alumni of the American InterContinental University, UK, has a degree in business administration, with a specialisation in management.
“After having worked for two years in the marketing team I realized that one is not taken seriously without a good education. So I decided to pursue my studies. Having a sound education is very pivotal, especially in the present times. A well-rounded education is like having a tool in your hand with which you can conquer the world,” observes Uzma.
“However, I feel it is better to gain some on-the-job experience, before enrolling oneself for further studies. This enables one to realize one’s areas of improvement as well as to figure out the domains to be acquired,” she added. Getting out of the cocooned environment at home and relocating oneself at a university campus, juggling between studies and supporting oneself, is a great learning experience in itself. My studies at the American InterContinental University made me realize that I was cut out for management rather than marketing. Also, public speaking was my favourite class and it provided me with an edge in the domain of Corporate Communications, she recounted.
Nascent field
Corporate Communications is still a nascent field in India. Also, PR is not treated with utmost seriousness and the quotient of professionalism is low in our country, in comparison with some of the Western countries, she says.
The role of communication has not got its right due yet.
Moreover, PR is not only about issuing press releases, it is a wide discipline comprising interpersonal communication, advertising, and marketing. Body language is PR too, observes Uzma. “It is a challenge to make the Prestige Group, into something more than mere real estate developers. So against this background, corporate communication s plays an important role. The growth potential of corporate communications at Prestige is thus very palpable at this juncture in time,” says Uzma Irfan.
Pivotal role
Falcon, the newsletter of the Prestige Group, provides information to all the stakeholders in the industry, in an engaging and an interesting manner. It is a marketing tool, which looks into the announcing of the various launches of the group and helps in networking, she says.
If not for her illustrious and successful business background, would Uzma Irfan still been a pivotal part of the Corporate Communications of the Prestige Group?
To which she replies, "I have always been a part of the Prestige Group. I have witnessed the first project of the company as a child and since then have been an active part of its various launches. I have grown up with the Prestige Group and it is implausible for me to disassociate with its    identity.”