Show Notes: On the 140th episode of The Elephant in the Room podcast my guest was Sangeeta Waldron an industry veteran with over 3 decades of experience. Sangeeta's story is shaped by both personal and professional transitions, including navigating a recession and shifting her aspirations from advertising to government communications. Her bold decision to leave the security of a civil service role for a not-for-profit organisation working with the developing South marks a pivotal moment in her career, reflecting her commitment to meaningful work aligned with her heritage and values.

In the episode our conversation delves into how these early experiences shaped Sangeeta’s perspective on identity, inclusion and sustainability communications 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

- Her resilience in overcoming challenges as a British Indian woman in a predominantly white industry

- The current state of inclusivity within the public relations highlighting the persistent underrepresentation of diverse voices

- 'What Will Your Legacy Be?' Sangeeta’s latest book where she explores climate change and the role of businesses in fostering sustainable practices

- The importance of representation in storytelling and the necessity for brands to engage with broader demographics to effectively communicate in today's global society

- Our collective responsibility towards creating a more equitable and compassionate world, urging listeners to contemplate their own legacy and contributions to societal progress

The discussion links her individual journey to the broader context of responsible communications, emphasising how personal identity and lived experience can drive impactful change in sustainability narratives and foster greater inclusion in the workplace.

Head to the podcast to listen to the episode (link in comments) 👇🏾👇🏾👇🏾

Episode Transcript:

Sudha: Good Morning Sangeeta. Wonderful to have you as a guest on The Elephant in the Room podcast today.

Sangeeta: Thank you for inviting me. I'm really excited about our conversation this morning.

Sudha: So let's get started with a quick introduction

Sangeeta: So it's a quick one. I mean, I've been over 30 years in this industry. In a strange way, I was born here, but I completed my degree in India, my college and university. So when I left India, I came as a postgraduate thinking I'm just going to, like most postgraduates or graduates, think they're just gonna be snapped up for a job.

I wasn't.

And the country at that time, the UK was going through a recession. And so it was very hard to find work. And I really wanted to be a copywriter in advertising when I was at university. That was my thing. That's what I really wanted to do. So I was trying to desperately get into advertising when I came back to the UK, but the recession had really affected. Well, we know that media and communications is always the first industry to suffer from recessions and knockbacks. So no one really wanted me. And I didn't have any office skills either.

So I sat the civil service entrance exam. And I got through. So I spent the first five years of my career writing speeches for a previous prime minister and ministers, but there is just so much creativity you can do with a minister and prime minister speech. And I thought this is really not what I want to do.

And I decided to resign and at that time, everyone was like, Are you crazy? It's a job for life. You've got a great pension. All those things, that Indian families are always very concerned about. And I said, no, this is not what I want to do and I resigned and I went to go and work for a very small, not for profit organisation working with the developing South, which kind of fitted all my background knowledge, my growing up and my experiences of living in India.

And I was there and that was really, I would say, while I had those first five years, in government, I would say my career really started when I went to work for this small not for profit. So this is becoming a very long elevator pitch. So just from there, I went to go work for some fantastic organisations.

I was the first global director of comms and marketing for the Economist Group, working at that time for the CEO, which was a huge privilege. She was the only woman in the square mile at that time. I went to work for the first mayor of London, Ken Livingston. So lots of firsts. And then in 2009, just before I set up my own PR agency, Serendipity PR and Media, I was working at a breast cancer charity.

And when I started there, it was just, a team of myself and two others, the time I left, we were an award-winning team of 10 and I was director of comms. And then 2009, I set up my own agency

And during that course of that time, we've also had the advent of social media. And so I've got more strings to my bow. And as you've read my second book very kindly, I'm a published author. So, that's me in a nutshell.

Sudha: That's such an amazing journey. So varied and the depth of experience and like you said, civil services. Do you regret it? Do you ever think that, oh, it might've been nice to still be working there?

Sangeeta: No.

Sudha: Short answer.

Sangeeta: So it's a good question. It's an interesting question. And I was speaking to a friend of mine over Christmas and we were talking about life.

When you get to a certain age, you look back on life and you think about, do you have any regrets? And no, I've got no regrets. Everything I've done has taken me to where I need to be and it's taken me to where I am today. So no, I'm pleased I left.

Sudha: I don't think everybody is able to do this with the conviction that you are able to speak about it.

Coming back to being a British Indian, what has your journey been like in the industry? How easy or difficult was it to assimilate? You have had so many firsts to your credit. On the face of it, it looks like it was all very smooth sailing and, very easy for you to progress, share with us the actual story.

Sangeeta: The question has made me think a lot and I have to acknowledge the people that gave me the opportunities. So when I applied for the job with the small not for profit after leaving the civil service, they gave me my opportunity.

At that time, it wasn't always easy. I still think it's not easy. Sometimes you're the only woman in the room. Sometimes you're the only British Indian woman in the room. And that, I'm talking about 30 years ago. And it's still like that now. So not a lot has changed, but I have to give a lot of credit to people who saw me, who saw my potential, who gave me the breaks, the opportunities.

And then I think a lot, like a lot of British Indians who are maybe first, second generation who've grown up in this country. My mother always used to tell me when I was little, when she used to get me ready for school here, she always used to say, you've always got to be better. You know, you've got to work harder because you're Indian, you've just got to work harder. And she always used to tell me, you're a girl, so you've got to work three times as hard and always have financial independence. So those were things that were always drilled into me and my mother was a working woman.

And so I would say it was also breaking a lot of stereotypes, how people see you, perceive you. I didn't fit into any boxes. So when I was working in some places, people naturally thought I was living at home with my parents. And I was living this... I don't know, whatever their stereotype was of a young British Indian woman.

And I remember going into work one day and I was a little bit late, and I said, oh, I had to ring my landlord because something wasn't working. And my boss said to me, landlord? He said, where are your parents? And I said, my parents? I said, my mom’s in India. He had to get his head round this whole story he had in his head on how he thought my life was.

It's breaking lots of stereotypes, and I think we're still breaking those stereotypes. And I think one thing I just want to say, I think people are discovering, and I think this is the joy and the positives of social media. People are also discovering that Indian women can be very funny, that we have a sense of humour.

Like the next person that's, all these stereotypes are all portrayed by the media or by film.

Sudha: Yeah, absolutely agree with you. But I also agree with what your mother drilled into you as a young child that you have to work harder. You have to be financially inde...