“The Nomad” is a fortnightly published series where I talk to professionals in PR and Comms who are from a country but spending their life in different countries and cultures, then delve into the insights which might help other people to live or to do business in an inter-cultural world. If you or someone you know would be happy to share their perspective, please get in touch! I’d love to hear from you.
In this episode 7 of The Nomad, I had the opportunity to sit down with Richa Bhardwaj who is originally from India and currently living and working in the UK. Richa has over ten years of experience in strategic communications, digital and public affairs for health care and sustainability initiatives in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
She is an Associate Director at Intent Health. Having had the opportunity to work closely with Richa a few times, I knew I wanted her to be a guest of the series. The first time we had a virtual coffee when she first joined Intent Health, our conversation flowed. We shared a lot of things in common in terms of being a foreigner working in PR in the UK.
Richa used to work for the biggest companies – on both client and agency sides – such as Edelman and GSK. Prior to that, Richa worked with Xynteo, a sustainability advisory, helping businesses rethink strategies so they could use their commercial muscle to address some of the biggest socio-economic challenges facing the world.
Hi Richa, how are you doing? What’s been keeping you busy lately?
I am good, thank you. Well, apart from a number of exciting projects at work, I am busy rebooting my social life and catching up with people I couldn’t meet in recent months due to coronavirus restrictions.
Why London and why the UK? What brought you to London in the first place and what was your first impression?
I moved to London due to personal reasons, but I was always fascinated by it and thought the opportunity to grow and learn professionally was great. It was instant love the first time I visited. I noticed the vibrance, the multiculturalism and the high energy of the city. There wasn’t anything not to love.
Has that impression changed over time since you lived here? What is so special about London in particular and the UK in general?
I’d say over time I’ve identified some of the nuances that make up society – which only comes with time. For example, London’s streets have an outlier vibe about them. The one that speaks almost in response to the conservative, patriarchal systems of the country from not a very long time ago. It almost seems like a physical, visible manifestation of the rebellion that helped people break away from the fetters of what I’d lightly call, ‘time’.
What’s special – the food, the music, the balance between wanting to do more while still making time for family, friends and personal interests. I deeply value that.
Speaking about the UK more broadly, I am taken by its natural beauty. I’ve travelled a fair bit and think the country is absolutely stunning. I haven’t lived anywhere other than London though, so I can’t say much except that the contrast between life here and elsewhere in the country is quite stark and unique.
You’ve worked in communications in a few markets (India, UAE, and the UK) and on both the client and agency sides. How would you describe your journey so far?
My journey has been rich, fulfilling and packed with a lot of learning. These markets are quite distinct from each other, and I’ve had to flex and learn a lot in each role. My public affairs work in India, for example, took an entirely different form in the UAE where the government structures and processes are run differently. That, in turn, was nothing like working in government affairs in the UK, which is a more mature market.
The less visible areas of learning are more cultural in nature. I remember that the way my colleagues and I interacted in India didn’t necessarily work when I first engaged with people from other countries. So I’ve had to make some adjustments along the way.
The agency vs in-house debate will probably never rest. But my one big takeaway from having experienced both is that the starting point where you identify the need for a communications intervention is what defines campaigns that come to life through a partnership between clients and agencies.
What are the differences in the communications landscapes among those markets?
India is intense – everyone wants a piece of the news, and they want it first. That tends to drive much of the activity.
The UAE is unique and not well-understood outside the country. People land there with a big bag of assumptions. It’s a relatively smaller but fascinating market, and also quite different from other markets in the Middle East.
The UK has some obvious areas where it’s more mature, but one common theme across all these countries is that journalists everywhere cover broad topics within their respective specialisations. For someone covering healthcare, it is the whole spectrum from wellbeing to biotech. It’s our job to bridge gaps so the stories are understood and represented in the best way possible.
Let’s talk about the Indian market specifically. How is PR perceived by the general public there?
Absolutely. I started my career in India.
I did my master’s in communications management in India. Graduate trainees were hired for an agency as well as in-house roles and I spent several years at Edelman. As you know, they’re one of the biggest and best globally.
I think PR is considered to be a dirty word everywhere and people use it very loosely. That’s because it only comes up when there’s a scandal somewhere or when you see a story that doesn’t have any substance behind it. People don’t tend to think of PR when they see something positive. Even though there’s still a group of professionals who bring the positive or impactful story together in a meaningful way.
That said, PR is not a representative term for what we do as communications professionals. I personally don’t like using it.
It’s been a few years since I left India, but there’s a very heavy emphasis on media and measuring the impact of communications through that lens. While there is definitely some highly sophisticated work done in many areas, there are still companies whose mindset is limited in what communications can help achieve.
So India is the second most populated country in the world. The Indian culture varies by its vast geography. People speak in different languages, dress differently, follow different religions, or eat different food. When people want to enter the Indian market, do business there or perform PR/Comms practices, what should/must they be mindful of to minimise risks and optimise sustainability?
That is a complex question. You’re right – there isn’t one set way of reaching audiences in India. Replicating a business or communications plan from another market would rarely work. For a new entrant into the market, one of the first steps is to understand the policy landscape. It is complex and nuanced. There are multiple decision-makers in the mix. They may want evidence of why a company is relevant to the country, a state and its people. That’s where our role as communications professionals begins. Mapping the stakeholders, their policy priorities, navigating their evolving positions and appropriately consulting clients/teams on it. And because India is big, policy change is not easy.
Similarly, with consumers, there are several sub-sections and groups, and you have to be clear exactly who is your target. Figuring out on the fly can cost a business a lot of time and resources.
I think you can sense here that the basic principles of communications do not change across markets. But you need a deep understanding of the audiences, their behaviours and priorities to run a successful campaign in India.
The cultures of the UK and India are different in a few aspects. For example, India scores high on Power Distance and low on Individualism metric, while the UK is the opposite. (Hofstede Insights) [Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally]. What are the advantages and disadvantages of that?
Call me cynical, but I think the two countries’ power distance scores ought to be similar because power structures in both are similar across political institutions as well as businesses. The nuance lies in the fact that in the UK leaders are held to a higher degree of accountability than they sadly are in India. There are several factors for it that will need a separate essay, but population size, media ownership, a deep colonial hangover, etc are some of them.
As far as individualism is concerned, I believe there are advantages and disadvantages of both ends of the spectrum. A low score brings with it a solid social structure and sense of community, while a higher score can lead to more self-expression and personal choice. I try and straddle the best of both worlds as I have family and friends in both countries now.
When you first came to the UK, did you ever struggle to connect with people, to work, or to live? By this I mean have you ever felt disconnected/the lack of sense of belonging when working in a completely different culture? How did you overcome that and pivot?
Of course, I took time finding my feet when I first moved here. On some days it was like going back to school and learning everything from the beginning. But I kept an open mind, asked questions when something obvious to others went over my head (which happened a lot) and was fortunate enough to have colleagues who were patient and trusting. I once told a senior colleague he spoke too fast and I couldn’t understand him. He found it appalling (his words), but we found humour in that situation and made small adjustments to make our interactions work. In short, the pivot was gradual and took time, and I still feel exposed when people talk about pop culture. But that doesn’t matter beyond a point.
You have worked in a few different sectors, including healthcare and pharma, and have achieved massive success throughout your career [She is fabulous everyone, I’m her colleague!]. What advice would you give to people if they want to pursue and build a career in Healthcare Comms or to work in communications in general?
I work by three rules, which I believe will never get dated.
- Listen. Good communication begins with a sincere effort to truly listen to what your audiences and stakeholders need. For a campaign, an insights exercise plays that role. Day-to-day, open and regular dialogue with your teams does it. Listening allows for achieving precise and targeted outcomes.
- Learn. The only way to be a valuable partner for your business is to keep learning. Our landscape and tools evolve quickly, and we can survive only if we keep up with that evolution.
- Believe. Every so often, you’ll come across a person from another industry who will tell you they can do your job better than you just because communications might not sound as technical as finance or robotics. Don’t let them get into your head. Believe in your craft, defend it when needed, and don’t be afraid to respectfully put those people back in their boxes.
People talk *a lot* about diversity and inclusion in the communications industry, and I think healthcare communications is *pretty white*. I remember coming to a huge pharma conference and all the speakers were white people. Why do you think it’s important for us to create change and incorporate that DEI into our clients’ work (be it patient advocacy, stakeholder management, or corporate comms…) in healthcare?
One of the biggest challenges is that many people in the industry don’t see it as their problem to solve. Making visual content look ‘diverse’ has become a check-box exercise to avoid criticism for campaigns. But diversity and inclusion in thought, recruitment, approach, and everyday work is a lot harder and doesn’t generally happen because there’s no accountability on that front. That said, institutional change doesn’t happen overnight. Small efforts are important because they add up. And they’re important because communications, patient advocacy and every other aspect of our industry is based on intricate nuances with people at the very heart. Those people don’t look all the same, do they?
We’re moving toward the end of the interview. We know that curry is such a big thing in the UK and it’s argued to come from India. You’re an Indian cuisine ambassador now, which cuisine would you introduce to us?
Let me first clarify that calling Indian food curry is a rookie mistake. Every dish has its own name and using ‘curry’ for everything is just lazy.
If you haven’t already tried Keralan food, I would recommend putting it next on your list. It is immensely flavourful, and not commonly found in Indian restaurants in the UK.
What’s next for you and what’s the best way to keep up with you?
I am planning to take it easy this summer, that’s the plan. I’m not too active online, but LinkedIn is the best place to find me.
Hi, it's me Son. I'm the one behind the blog Son Talks. I mean, I'm happy to verify I'm not a robot. Can easily spot cars or chimneys. I'm working as an Account Executive at Intent Health. You can reach me via LinkedIn at Son Pham or Twitter at @beyondson_ If you or someone you know would be happy to share their perspective, please get in touch, I’d love to hear from you. Over and out! See ya soon x
