Althaf and Sheranga set the pace in Taipei

Ogilvy Pacesetters, a leadership program in the region initiated by Ogilvy Public Relations Asia Pacific, saw the participation of Assistant General Manager Althaf Jalaldeen and Manager Sheranga Rajasuriya of Ogilvy PR, Sri Lanka this year.  

The three and a half day workshop held in Taipei, Taiwan, which saw participants from countries across the region such as China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia, was an intense training program, aimed at grooming the next generation of leaders in the region.  

The participants are nominated by the heads of offices and thereafter the best of the best are shortlisted based on their leadership merit by the Ogilvy PR Network. Pacesetters, aims to discuss the future of PR and create the platform for future leaders to engage and share expertise with other markets within the network. 

Team activities took Althaf and Sheraga into all corners of Taipei, where they had to observe, discover insights, behaviour and consumer trends. A special session on human characteristics and behaviour helped the participants analyse and understand their personalities and those of others, for better communication and team synergy. A panel discussion featured Channel News Asia, Forbes Magazine and two prominent Social Media experts from Taiwan on the current media platforms and emerging trends, to equip young leaders with the knowledge to manage clients and people in their respective markets, better.

The Pacesetters program is a serious regional commitment to talent development with high expectations from all participants. Each participant is expected to implement the learning and plans developed during the program in their respective markets, to build the business and the industry. Many follow up activities are implemented, post training, to keep the young leaders focused and growing. 

Commenting on the experience Althaf said, “It was an energetic four days, where we had many opportunities to not just learn, but network with fellow colleagues on how we can integrate better to provide more in-depth solutions to our clients.”    

“It was an eye opener as to how we can better harness our current talents and skills. We experienced practical lessons on how we can motivate our teams to build their capabilities, to face the current evolution of PR.”