• Freelance consultant
  • PR & corporate communications
  • 20 years experience

About

 

After studying for an Economics & Management degree, I completed a postgraduate diploma in Journalism and Public Relations. This intense course provided excellent work experience opportunities including a day a week at the local Council as well as holiday placements in different PR consultancies.

On completing the course I started my career at Citigate Dewe Rogerson, a leading corporate & financial PR agency, working on financial calendar PR, supporting corporate transactions (M&A and IPOs) as well as general corporate PR for a law firm, headhunter firm and a financial data platform to name a few.

I have also worked in-house as Corporate Affairs Manager at investment management giant Henderson Global Investors (now Janus Henderson). This role enabled me to provide internal and external communications support to different parts of the fund management business (Institutional, Property and Private Capital) working alongside heads of department and our global offices.

Since starting Shahrp in 2004, I have won a number of awards and accolades including:

  • Selected by PR Week as a top young communicator in its ’29 under 29’ list
  • Named North London’s most inspirational female entrepreneur by Business Link for London
  • Selected for the Government’s Central Office of Information (COI) Cultural Diversity Framework roster
  • Shortlisted for the Asian Women of Achievement’s Young Achiever Award

Through Shahrp I have provided freelance support as an extra pair of hands to PR consultancies for pitch preparation, staff holiday cover, interim support whilst recruiting for permanent staff and general freelance help for new business wins. I can do this under their company name (or my own).

I have also managed Shahrp’s own clients and these have been a mixed bag of ethnic PR and PR for small and medium sized businesses in property, recruitment, health, enterprise, technology, parenting and education. I have also undertaken freelance work for companies in the financial services, fin tech, private equity, property, business enterprise and legal sectors.

Ethnic PR work has included event co-ordination for an H.M Treasury Diwali & Eid celebration, promoting a national Asian Wedding Exhibition and supporting the British Heart Foundation’s ’20 a day’ campaign targeting the South Asian communities.

Other PR work includes ongoing PR for a Malaysia-based adviser on international real estate, media relations for a social enterprise, PR coaching for an acoustics company, regional media relations for a series of parenting shows, promoting a women entrepreneurs network, creating a newsletter for a property company and corporate literature for a recruitment company.

Although I am London-based, I am accustomed to working with clients across the country (and globe).