RiseUp PR + 2023 Awards Lunch Pictures : PRmoment, Hill+Knowlton Strategies India

Mentor and Judges reactions

Rimjhim Ray, vice president, marketing, MyOperator and mentor for RiseUp PR said she, "Found the students to be very ambitious and mature. Liked the way they had strong logic to defend their stand yet showed a willingness to learn and adapt. I think rise up was a very effective initiative to have students and real-world leaders interact and learn from each other. I myself learnt quite a bit from the fresh perspective of the students."

Bhavya Sharma, director of communications and ESG, Urban Company and judge RiseUp PR said, "The RiseUP PR+ is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the PR and comms space. It has given college students a wonderful opportunity to learn from the experience and knowledge of industry practitioners while coming up with 360-degree communication strategies. I was impressed with the depth and industry understanding shown by the participating students, ranging from target audience analysis to desired outcomes and metrics to measure. RiseUP PR can be one of those few platforms where experience and fresh ideas coalesce to define communications strategies of the future."

Ridhima Mehra, corporate communication & PR lead, Philips Domestic Appliances, "It’s quite a thoughtful initiative indeed! This kind of exposure prepares the young PR & Communications aspirants for what lies ahead and gives a reality check on what they are getting into. Having access to experienced professionals in the industry such early on is a plus and I’m sure the students milked this opportunity to the max."

Rajalakshmi Azariah, head, of corporate brand and Communications, Diageo India and jury RiseUp PR, "It was a pleasure interacting with the young minds. Although not exposed to PR holistically, their enthusiasm, out-of-the-box thinking and efforts are truly commendable. It has indeed been very gratifying to review the entries. My best wishes to all of them!"

Mona Kwatra, marketing advisor & co-founder, 9CoLab Ventures and RiseUp jury said, "New age thinking and an integrated approach is clearly embedded today in the strategic ideation and execution which elevated the entire pitch narrative. Amidst all this, what resonated very strongly was the fact that the simplest of ideas, executed well, at times is the most elegant solution of them all. aking us through research, SWOT, the students delivered the 30,000 ft strategic view and drilled down to 5,000ft and some took us to ground zero i.e. on-ground execution within the ecosystem. Their creativity, enthusiasm and hard work clearly came across in the top decks!"

Aashish Washikar, Sr.Manager - Public Relations, InMobi Group and mentor RiseUp PR stated, "Through their participation in the RiseUp challenge, these students have shown a fresh and innovative approach to problem-solving, demonstrating not only their deep understanding of the subjects that they are studying but also their passion for driving change in the world of communications. I also extend heartfelt gratitude to the team involved for enabling such a valuable platform for the communicators of tomorrow to showcase their skills and ideas."

Deeptie Sethi, CEO, of PRCAI and mentor RiseUp PR said, "I loved my time with the RISEUP PR initiative to mentor the team of 2 PR aspirants from IIMC. Often, the exposure to students about the real world of PR and the skills the industry requires comes in too late. Such platforms and experiences can benefit the students upfront by not only preparing them with knowledge enrichment but to enter our industry with greater confidence. Congratulations to mentees @Devansh Sharma and @Ashmita Singh in taking this step, working hard, and showing a willingness to learn and grow their thinking horizons.

A special shout out to Hill+Knowlton and PRmoment India for making this happen. Great to see, so many communication professionals personally spending time and finding ways to shape talent."

Gunjan Mukherjee, practice lead - corporate & brand, Hill and Knowlton Strategies and mentor for RiseUp said, "RiseUP as a platform is a great collaborative effort in bringing the industry together to nurture the young talent in PR and help them prep as they step into the industry. I was really impressed to see the participants' tenacity, curiosity and eagerness to challenge the status quo and I am glad that the future lies in great hands. I wish them the best.”

Megha Behl, senior account director, Hill and Knowlton Strategies and mentor, RiseUp PR said, “The entire mentoring experience was very enjoyable and rewarding! It was wonderful to engage with these young enterprising minds and see how they view communication. I was very impressed to see how they factor in integrated campaigns. I wish them all the best for the future.”

Congratulations!

"Congratulations to the winners of the first edition of RiseUp PR! It's been truly inspiring to see the level of talent and creativity that this competition has brought out in PR students. By utilizing the case study method, RiseUp PR has provided a platform for students to showcase their critical thinking and problem-solving skills in a real-world context. 

We are thrilled to see such promising talent emerge from this competition, and we are confident that these students will go on to make a significant impact in the PR industry. At Hill and Knowlton Strategies India, we are proud to support initiatives like RiseUp PR that empower the next generation of PR professionals", said Abhishek Gulyani, CEO, of Hill and Knowlton Strategies India.

The winners pick up Rs. 75,000 in prize money and internship offers.

Moushumi Dutt, RiseUP PR+200 director said, "All the participants brought a fresh whiff of the incredible tech tools which when combined with the power of editorial content, can surely be a game changer in the field of brand and reputation building. We had a powerhouse of jury members, a great lineup of mentors and an all-India representation of participants. This made RiseUpPR plus, a very memorable event

Paarul Chand, editor-in-chief and partner, PRmoment India said, " PRmoment is very proud to partner with Hill and Knowlton India for this initiative. This is the kind of disruptive platform that we need to help support PR students with real-life campaign scenarios. The students, the mentors and the judges all worked very hard to make this happen. Congratulations to the winners and to all the participants."